>> ... Next Generation ...
yttrytati,o-na2: Stacje:
On. nite
Owen Alterman
Another in our series about young Jewish
Detroiters making their mark around the world.
Israeli housing protests ,
in Tel Aviv Aug. 6, 2011.
Owen Alterman believes
the economic threat to
Israel's middle class is its
most pressing challenge.
ADAM FINKEL I SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
S
o far, in this series, we've highlighted
individuals who grew up in Detroit
and are now making a difference in
communities across the country. Today, we
go international, highlighting a former Detroiter who
recently decided to make aliyah.
Owen Alterman has not wasted a moment of
time since arriving in Israel. He lives in Tel Aviv and
has thoroughly immersed himself in the land, the
challenges and the excitement of Israeli society.
In fact, Alterman is a key researcher at one of
Israel's most prominent think tanks. The Institute for
National Security Studies (INSS) includes some of
the most important leaders in the Jewish world as
Owen Alterman
advisers, trustees and staff members. It describes its
Tel Aviv, Israel
mission as launching and engaging in "innovative,
Position:
relevant, high-quality research that shapes the public
Researcher at
discourse of issues on Israel's national security agenda,
the Institute for National
and provides policy analysis and recommendations
Security Studies
to decision makers, public leaders and the strategic
College/Year:
community, both in Israel and abroad."
1999 - Princeton University
This former Detroiter has already been a foreign
Grad school:
law clerk for the Israeli Supreme Court and served
2004 - Harvard Law School
in the Peace Corps. Don't be surprised if you see
Home synagogue:
his name on a book of his own someday or even in
Adat Shalom Synagogue in
Israeli government. As the Washington Post wrote
Farmington Hills
this month, "For decades, educated and talented Jews
Parents:
from around the world and particularly Europe have
Susan and Irwin Alterman
migrated to Israel, contributing to an Israeli economic
boom that began in the late 1980s and has continued
since."
Detroit doesn't need to look far to find a recent immigrant to Israel from Detroit
actively contributing to the country's public policy discussions.
How would you describe INSS to
readers?
Alterman: INSS is a think tank, and
primarily we do two things: We publish, and
we organize events. The goal is to impact the
public debate and decisions made on public
policy. Our researchers are a mix of those
who held senior positions in the military or in
government and younger researchers starting
out their careers.
Beyond that, I would describe it the same
way our director Amos Yadlin often describes
it. Amos uses the image of a triangle of
government, academia and journalism. Our
role is to be at the center of that triangle —
taking advantage of the best traits from each
of those fields, while being more independent
and long-term-oriented than government,
more practical than academia and with more
depth than journalism.
60
November 7 • 2013
What inspires your passion for
Israeli policy?
It's hard to say, exactly. I remember
walking down to the bookstore on school
breaks in middle school and reading The
Jerusalem Report at the magazine aisle. It
takes my interest in current events, public
policy and international affairs and applies it
to what I feel connected to: Israel.
When did you choose to make
aliyah?
What a question. It first crossed my mind
in high school on a teen tour. But then
it didn't actually happen for another 18
years! I thought of it during college. Then I
said to myself, "That's weird. Do something
normal, like finish college in the U.S." Then
I thought of it after college. Then I said to
myself, "That's weird. Do something normal.
Maybe you just want to live abroad." So I
went to the Peace Corps for two years. Then I
thought about it again, after law school. And
I started saying, "That's weird...." But then
I told myself, "Wait a second. Maybe this is
something you really want to do." So I went
to the Israeli Supreme Court as a foreign law
clerk. Even then, it took more time, as I went
back to New York and worked for five years
there before making the decision. Not that I
necessarily regret these steps — all of them
were great chapters in life, too.
What would you suggest to a young
Jewish American contemplating a
move to Israel?
To make aliyah work, it takes two things:
You need to love it, and you need to believe
in it. Either one on its own is not enough.
You can love life in Israel, but if you don't
have an ideological belief as well, then go to
Miami — the beaches are great there, too,
and it's much easier.
On the other hand, an ideological belief on
its own is not enough, either. Hating your life
is not sustainable.
For most olim (new immigrants), the main
challenge here is financial. Unfortunately, this
problem has become worse in recent years,
which is why the cost of living is the country's
hottest political issue — more than Iran,
the Palestinians, the haredi draft or anything
else. Understanding the financial path to a
sustainable aliyah is crucial. Think for yourself
about what you can do to make it work.
But, for those who can make it work, and
who love it and believe in it, aliyah is a terrific
option.
Your parents were two of the
most committed Jewish leaders in
Detroit over the last few decades.
How did they impact your current
pathway in life?
Hugely. I loved my parents. They gave me
a great gift. They imbued in me an innate
connection to Judaism. When you asked
why I was drawn to Israel and Israeli policy, I
almost couldn't explain it — the connection
to Judaism is so deep that it almost feels
automatic.
On the other hand, I do have some
misgivings about my upbringing. This, too, is
part of what drew me here to Israel.
Growing up, almost all of our friends were
Jewish. Everything was Jewish. I went to a
Jewish day care center, Jewish nursery school,
Jewish day school, Jewish summer camp,
Jewish youth group. We went to a synagogue
where my dad was president and a JCC
where my mom was vice president (and my
dad was later president). We lived in America,
but somehow apart from it. There was a
divide between the Jewish realm and the
realm of the wider society.
As I grew up, I started to question this. I
believe this is not the way Judaism is meant
to be. We can have something holistic,
where the Jewish and general realms are
intertwined, where there need not be a daily
balancing act between standing on guard to
protect the Jewish identity and participating
in a wider society. This is what Zionism is all
about. This is our great success.
I know many will answer that it's strange
to advocate living in a wider society by
choosing to live in one where the members of
that society are overwhelmingly Jewish. But
that's exactly it. In America, the wider society
is all around you, so the mental energy is
directed inward, on how to imbue Judaism. In