Iconoclast as Icon: On Yeshayahu Leibowitz’s Legacy

ABSTRACT: This essay explores the presence of Israeli philosopher Yeshayahu Leibowitz in various cultural media, including text, image, and sound. Drawing on iconoclasm as a theological and artistic ideal, the article considers Leibowitz’s lasting influence on the Israeli Left, as expressed in these cultural artifacts. Rather than focusing on their artistic or literary value, these works are viewed as commentaries and appropriations of Leibowitz’s call for significant changes in Israeli society and as critiques of his iconoclasm. The essay also examines a curious dynamic of iconoclasm, in both ancient and modern times, namely that the unmaking of an image produces a new one. By considering the making and unmaking of the ambivalent “Leibowitz icon” in this way, we can gain valuable insights into the dynamics of political imagination within the Israeli Left.