Etzioni-Halevy, Eva 1934- (Eva Etzioni Halevy)

PERSONAL:

Born March 21, 1934, in Vienna, Austria; citizenship, Israeli; daughter of Solomon Horowitz and Irene Bergman; married Zvi Halevy (a public servant), 1971; children: Ethan, Oren, Tamar. Ethnicity: "Jewish." Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, B.A., 1955; Tel Aviv University, M.A., 1969, Ph.D., 1971. Religion: Jewish.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Tel Aviv, Israel. Office—Department of Sociology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, research worker in sociology, 1953-57; Canadian Peace Research Centre, researcher, 1961; Columbia University, New York, NY, research assistant at Bureau of Applied Social Research, 1962-64; Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel, instructor, 1970-72, lecturer, 1972-76, senior lecturer in sociology, 1976-78; Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, temporary senior lecturer, 1978-79, senior lecturer, 1980-84, reader in sociology, 1984-88, chair of Social Science Studies Committee, 1984, honors coordinator, 1984-86, senior research fellow at Research School of Social Sciences, 1986-87; Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, professor, 1989—. Military service: Israel Defense Forces, 1952-53.

MEMBER:

Israeli Sociological Association (member of Central Committee, 1976), Academy of Social Sciences in Australia (fellow).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Grant from U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1963-64.

WRITINGS:

(Editor, with Amitai Etzioni) Social Change: Sources, Patterns, and Consequences, Basic Books (New York, NY), 1964, revised edition, 1973.

(With Rina Shapira) Mi Atah Hastudent Hajisraeli? (title means "Who Is the Israeli Student?"), Am Oved, 1973.

(With Rina Shapira) Political Culture in Israel, Praeger (New York, NY), 1977.

Political Manipulation and Administrative Power: A Comparative Study, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1979.

Social Change: The Advent and Maturation of Modern Society, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1981.

Bureaucracy and Democracy: A Political Dilemma, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1983, revised edition, 1985.

The Knowledge Elite and the Failure of Prophecy, Allen & Unwin, 1985.

National Broadcasting under Siege: A Comparative Study, Macmillan (New York, NY), 1987.

Fragile Democracy, Transaction Books (New Brunswick, NJ), 1989.

The Elite Connection, Polity Press, 1993.

Classes and Elites in Democracy and Democratization: A Collection of Readings, Garland Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

The Divided People: Can Israel's Breakup Be Stopped?, Lexington Books, 2002.

The Song of Hannah: A Novel, Plume (New York, NY), 2005.

The Garden of Ruth (novel), Plume (New York, NY), 2007.

Contributor to books, including Youth Unrest, edited by S. Giora Shoham, Academic Press (San Diego, CA), 1977; Political Corruption, edited by Arnold Heidenheimer, revised edition, Transaction Books (New Brunswick, NJ), 1989; and International Encyclopedia on Student Political Activism. Contributor of articles and reviews to scholarly journals and newspapers.

SIDELIGHTS:

Eva Etzioni-Halevy once told CA: "In recent years I have been intrigued by one issue: how the political system we call Western democracy functions and malfunctions. In my work I have tried to show that the most distinctive feature of this system is the relative autonomy and mutually countervailing power of different elites, that this is what the principles of democracy are really about, and that without this autonomy the human rights and civil liberties we are accustomed to could not be sustained. I argue that today the most immediate danger to democracy comes not from external enemies, but from attempts by elites from within to obviate this autonomy, sometimes at the expense of other elites, sometimes in collusion with other elites—always at the expense of the public. I argue that this is what we have to beware of, while maintaining and strengthening the autonomy of elites opens the prospect for social progress, that is, for a more democratic and equitable democracy in the future."

Etzioni-Halevy was exposed early on to the machinations of political systems and the attitudes of the elite. Born in Vienna, Austria, of Jewish heritage, she fled with her parents in 1939, to escape the rise of Hitler. Her family spent much of the war in Italy, both in an Italian concentration camp and in hiding. Following the war, they moved to what was at that time Palestine. Etzioni-Halevy eventually attended the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and then Tel-Aviv University, earning her doctorate. Although she lives primarily in Israel, where she works as a professor at Bar-Ilan University, she has spent time both in the United States and Austria. Her political writings, such as Political Culture in Israel, Fragile Democracy, and The Divided People: Can Israel's Breakup Be Stopped? reflect her experiences in a nation that is constantly under threat.

In contrast to her nonfiction, Etzioni-Halevy's novels are rooted in stories from the Old Testament. Song of Hannah: A Novel is based on the story of Elkanah and his two wives, Hannah, who was barren but loved by her husband, and Pninah, who had children, and was jealous of Elkanah's love for Hannah. Hannah prays to God for a son, and eventually bares Samuel, who is destined to be a prophet. Through the novel, Etzioni-Halevy explores the roots of her religion, and also addresses the feminist aspects of the story. Jennifer Baker, in a review for Booklist, opined that the book's "sensuous detail and emphasis on human foibles will appeal to those who prefer more secularized interpretations" of the bible.

The Garden of Ruth, Etzioni-Halevy's follow up novel, provides readers with a retelling of the Book of Ruth, delving behind the scenes of the biblical tale and providing fresh motivations to the actions of the characters. Allison Block, writing for Booklist, remarked that the novel "vividly evokes ancient Israel and the spirited men and women who called this striking landscape home." A Kirkus Reviews contributor found that "a brazen rendering of the biblical material breathes fire into a ripping good saga." One reviewer for Publishers Weekly concluded: "The mystery is intriguing, and Etzioni-Halevy depicts ancient women chafing at limited choices with verve."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2003, Jennifer Baker, review of The Song of Hannah: A Novel, p. 31; December 15, 2006, Allison Block, review of The Garden of Ruth, p. 21.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006, review of The Garden of Ruth, p. 921.

Publishers Weekly, September 4, 2006, review of The Garden of Ruth, p. 36.