Featured Interview With Dr Ofer Grosbard
Tell us a little about yourself. Where were you raised? Where do you live now?
I was raised in Israel in a right wing family. My mother was the family doctor of Prime Minister Menachem Begin family and also of himself personally. My father was the chief commander of Tel Aviv district in the EZEL – the underground who fought against the British rule in Palestine prior to Israel independence in 1948. I "rebelled" against my upbringing by studying psychology and becoming a clinical psychologist while leaving my previous occupation as a computer engineer – my parents' dream for me. You may imagine that right wing people in any place are not inclined to study psychology. Why? this is a good question I leave for you to ponder…
My book Babylon is a combination of my old years interest in politics but this time from psychological perspective. I have a strong feeling that I offer a new perspective about the different way of thinking of various cultures that may help bridge the gap.
I live now in Haifa – in the Carmel area which resides on the top of the mountain with beautiful view to the Mediterranean.
We – my wife and our two daughters – have a lovely German Sheppard dog who accompany me in my jogging in the Carmel Park.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I started writing quite late in my thirtieths. For me everything came late. I wrote novels and non-fiction books. If I should try and say something that characterizes me in a few words which is not easy I would say that I like to listen to my dreams, fantasies and just casual thoughts. There I discover that I am more creative than I could imagine. I think this is true for all of us. The inside landscape is not less interesting than the outside one. Actually my job as I understand it is to guide my patients in their inner-private landscapes.
Why I was a late bloomer? I believe writing something good demands self coherence which I lacked almost until my forties. I was quite confused till that age.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
It is hard to say who is my favorite author. To be honest I prefer writing on reading. When I read something original or interesting I am quite busy in thinking how I could articulate it. I like when it comes from me. Still reading Freud has been along the years very enriching experience. I also read material concerning with the subject of my interest. For example, for writing Babylon I read around 100 books about negotiations between American and Israeli from one side and the Arab world from the other side.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
"Babylon – a Guide to the East-West Encounter" took me a few years to write. The reading of around 100 books of negotiations lasted around a year. I extracted from these books very interesting stories about cross-cultural negotiations and how it looked like in the negotiating room. My students helped me in reading material in Arabic and I found many interesting stories that not only pour some light about the different way of thinking of the two cultures but stories that were not known to the public – some of them real secrets.
This book is planed to be distributed among the different ethnic group in Israel by Israel President office as a powerful tool to bridge cultural gaps and enhance understanding. If you really want to know how different cultures think and how to interact with them I urge you to read Babylon.
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