Behind the Books that Shape the Discourse

“Today, people are navigating an endless stream of noise. Sound bites are coming at us from every direction,” says Dvir Schwartz ’17, the editor in chief of Sella Meir Press, Israel’s leading conservative publishing house. “On the one hand, that makes getting heard a real challenge. On the other, it offers people willing to invest in producing something longer and more substantial an opportunity to stand out and make an impact.”

For those familiar with Sella Meir’s books, “standing out” will seem like a particularly apt description; a glimpse at the titles in its “For Lovers of Liberty” series, for example, makes clear that the press is as comfortable with thought-provoking ideas as it is with attention-grabbing covers (“Subtlety doesn’t sell books,” smiles Dvir.) Dvir explains, however, that he had the phrase’s more figurative meaning in mind. “We turn to Israeli intellectuals and public figures and say, ‘Look, you can write another post about judicial activism or economic policy on social media, give another radio or television interview, and your ideas will last as long as the current news cycle. But if you publish a book, your ideas will have real staying power. You can genuinely influence the public discourse.”

Dvir is certainly no stranger to influencing Israel’s national conversation: Before taking up his current position at Sella Meir, which both “initiates Hebrew book projects” and translates thought-provoking non-fiction into Hebrew, he was an advisor to a senior political figure. Prior to that, he served as assistant editor of Hashiloach, a quarterly journal of Israeli politics, economics, and society, and as spokesman for Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah, an organization that supports democratizing state-controlled religious services. Yet his work for Sella Meir, Dvir says, has required a whole new set of skills.

“We’re not only publisher, but also a media platform. We bring individuals with important ideas and experiences to share together with writers and editors who can help them connect with the public,” Dvir explains. “It’s one part big-picture thinker, one part editor, and one part cheerleader and psychologist.” By way of example, he describes one of Sella Meir’s newest works, about Israel’s War of Independence. Dvir had heard of a field guide whose hobby was recording the personal stories of soldiers who had fought in the 1948 war. So he approached him with the idea of turning the stories into a book.

“At first, he wasn’t sure he was able to devote the time and energy to a book,” Dvir says. “But we explained that we’d provide him with all the support he needs. We’d help him develop a structure, we’d give him a research assistant, and we’d provide him with full writing and editing assistance. Just like the Shalem writing tutors,” Dvir smiles, referring to the staff of Shalem’s Writing Center, who help students build their writing capacities.
All that work for just one book. Is it really worth it?

“It’s currently a bestseller,” Dvir responds. “The stories speak to a deeply felt desire on the part of many in the Israeli public—and not just the religious public, or the right-wing public, but Israelis from all backgrounds—to read about their history in a non-cynical way. The younger generation in particular—the target audience of the book—is interested in feeling a connection to the past, to their land, and to their identity. This book offers a uniquely accessible and engaging opportunity to do just that.”

Along with original works, Sella Meir also publishes the Shibboleth Library, which offers Hebrew translations of contemporary English-language conservative thought. A partnership of the Tikvah Fund, Shibboleth has published translations of Friedrich Hayek, Roger Scruton, Jordan Peterson, and others, several of which reached the top of the bestseller charts.

Given the time and energy required to bring each book to fruition—and given that Dvir and his wife Eden, a fellow graduate of Shalem, welcomed their second child into the world this February—Dvir understandably hedges when asked whether he plans to author a Sella Meir book of his own. He does concede, however, that when the time is right, he already has a subject in mind: the topic of his senior thesis for Shalem.

“Zalman David Levontin,” he says. “He was an eastern European Hassid and small-scale banker who became a key Zionist leader of the yishuv. He served as advisor to Herzl and ended up founding the bank that is today Bank Leumi. He’s little known today in Israel, but he’s a fascinating figure whose ideas on economics are just as relevant today as ever.” In keeping with the approach that’s proved so successful at Sella Meir, Dvir is already thinking of potential partners to the project. “Israeli banks might want to be identified with his philosophy in particular or with the cause of deepening the national conversation about economics in general.”

As for whether he feels he can achieve as much influence with books as he did as advisor to a government minister, Dvir says there’s no question he can. “Ultimately, ideas are what drive the world forward. Politics may offer more immediate gratification, but I have no doubt that the work we’re doing here, by shaping the conversations out there, is what will prove most decisive in determining the future of the state.”