Sour grapes: How the NYT gave Palestinians credit for ancient Jewish winemaking tradition

To create the impression that wine was produced in ancient times by a “Palestinian people” who were not Jewish is an act of identity erasure.

By YISRAEL MEDAD DECEMBER 17, 2024 02:41

Rosé wine (photo credit: TNS)

In the area of the Palestinian Authority reside perhaps 50,000 Christian Arabs, some 2% of its population. The rest are Muslim and do not imbibe alcohol. That includes wine. The Khoury family of Taybeh, not too far from Ofra, is Greek-Orthodox and produces both beer and wine.

The New York Times’ heralded wine critic Eric Asimov recently published a profile on the Khoury winery, featuring Sari Khoury. Previous stories on the Khoury brewery appeared in the paper in 1996, covered by Neil MacFarquhar, and again in that paper, by Roger Cohen, in 2010.

In February, 2016. The Arab Weekly published a story on Nadim Khoury, founder of the family brewery, who, with his son Canaan, wants “to add the Palestinian territories to the map of the world’s wineries.” Yet Asimov’s current winemaker is a Sari Khoury. Unfortunately, we do not learn of Canaan’s fate from Asimov.

In any case, one can only be impressed with the publicity the Khoury family obtains. Reading it, though, reveals that while Asimov would have us believe his story fair, it isn’t. While quoting Serge Hochar, a Lebanese winemaker, who once said, “Wine is above politics. Wine is tolerance,” Asimov nevertheless engages in politics throughout his story, intolerantly, in flagrant disregard of the facts.

The prophet Ovadiah’s curse in verse 5 of his first and only chapter, read in this past week’s Haftara, warns Edom of its fate. Unlike thieves who normally leave behind some grapes after raiding the vineyard, absconding with only as much as they need, Edom will be treated more harshly. Asimov, maddeningly, does just that – to Jewish-owned vineyards and wineries.

The sun peaks over the New York Times Building in New York August 14, 2013 (credit: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS)

Asimov and Sari refer to “ancient traditions with grapes,” to “the prehistory of modern winemaking,” and to “the ancient winemaking history of Palestinians,” as well as to “the long history of Palestinian wine.” There is no doubt that wine-making was a major craft native to this area.  And it preceded the 7th-century arrival of Arabs who occupied the land of Judea and almost totally destroyed its wine production.

A casual glance at Wikipedia could have educated Asimov that viticulture has existed in the Land of Israel since biblical times. The grape is one of the seven special species of the land (Deuteronomy 8:8). Jewish Judean wine was exported even to Rome where it was a desired commodity.

Archaeologists have discovered numerous winepresses and equipment from the First Temple period. Wine is mentioned frequently both in the Bible, the Talmud, and in rabbinic midrashic sources.

Asimov could have conversed with the head of Ariel University’s Wine Research Center, Prof. Shivi Drori (who also happens to own the G’vaot Winery at Givat Harel near Shiloh). At that institute, advanced vineyard agrotechnology, grapevine genomics, and wine technology research projects are conducted new met, and ods are developed, all relatively relevant to Khoury’s propaganda claims.

In fact, if he had consulted the NYT’s archives, Asimov could have learned that the paper’s former bureau head, Jodi Rudoren, had reported in November 2015, on the recreation of the country’s ancient indigenous grapes, identified through DNA testing of grape pits found in excavation site by Drori.

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False and outrageous claims

To create the impression that wine was produced in ancient times by a “Palestinian people” who were not Jewish is an act of identity erasure. To retroactively create an Arab people called “Palestinians” long engaged with growing grapes in the hills of Judea and Samaria while excluding the Jews engaging in that very same activity is a crime of identity theft.

Asimov then writes that Khoury “was one of the very few winemakers working in the region before the October 7 attacks,” and informs his readers that “winemaking is not widely practiced today in the West Bank.” There are over two dozen wineries active in Judea and Samaria. Many of them, such as Shiloh Winery, Psagot Winery, and Tura Winery produce wines that have garnered international recognition. Various online sites, like KosherWines.com, list over 50 different wines made from the region’s grapes. Millions of bottles have been produced, with many going for export.

However, as those wineries are owned by Jews, Asimov totally ignores them. Even in passing, they are not even mentioned by the newspaper of record. The reader, drunk on the propaganda, is left with an erroneous and biased impression

Before Israel was established, during the mandate period and even before, if “Palestine wines” were talked about, the reference was to Jewish wines. In 1848, Yitchak Shorr established a winery in Jerusalem, the first one documented in modern times. In 1882, French Baron Edmond de Rothschild assisted in the establishment of the Carmel Winery which still produces wine.

Asimov facilitated the grafting of ancient Jewish winemaking onto a theft by self-declared “Palestinians” of that aspect of Jewish history, falsely claiming indigeneity. Not only do Asimov and his publication peddle false assertions but, given both their statures, who would or could deny their truth? This is deceptive emplotment.

Incidentally, olive trees are an instrument of ethnic erasure, too. In an article on political ecology, “Olive Oil and the Tastes of Palestine,” Omar Qassis acrobatically avoids the Jewish demographic and horticulture character of the Land of Israel. In his very brief mention of the history of olive tree cultivation here, Cassis leaps from the early Bronze Age to the mid-19th-century Ottoman Tanzimat reforms; no Jews.

Numerous mentions of olive oil in the Tanach, oil for anointing kings and priests, and oil for the rekindling of the candelabrum which marks the upcoming Hanukkah holiday are wiped clean.

While Asimov’s uncle’s name [writer Isaac Asimov] is linked to science fiction, Eric has produced unworthy political anti-Zionist propaganda.

The writer is a researcher, analyst, and commentator on political, cultural, and media issues.