{{Short description|Israeli economist and writer (1951–2017)}} {{pp-semi-indef}} {{Infobox writer | name = Steven Plaut | image = Steven Plaut in 2011.JPG | imagesize = | caption = Steven Plaut giving a lecture at Central European University in 2011 | pseudonym = | birth_name = | birth_date = 1951 | birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | death_date = {{death date and given age|2017|1|17|65}} | death_place = Haifa, Israel | occupation = Professor, University of Haifa | nationality = | ethnicity = | citizenship = | period = | genre = | subject = Economics, business | movement = | notableworks = | spouse = | partner = | children = | relatives = | influences = | influenced = | awards = | signature = | website = | portaldisp = | native_name = סטיבן פלאוט | native_name_lang = he }} '''Steven Plaut''' ({{Langx|he|סטיבן פלאוט}}; 1951 – January 17, 2017) was an Israeli economist, academic and writer. He was an associate professor of Business Administration at the University of Haifa as well as a member of the editorial board of the ''Middle East Quarterly'', a publication of the Middle East Forum think tank.
==Biography== Steven Plaut was born in Philadelphia. In 1981, Plaut immigrated to Israel with his family. He died on January 17, 2017, in Haifa, Israel at the age of 65 after battling cancer for many years.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gotlieb|first1=Andy|title=Former Philadelphian, University of Haifa Professor Steven Plaut Dies at 65|url=http://jewishexponent.com/2017/01/19/former-philadelphian-university-haifa-professor-steven-plaut-dies-65/|accessdate=20 January 2017|work=Jewish Exponent|date=19 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Levi Julian|first1=Hana|title=Professor Steven Plaut, z'l|url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/professor-steven-plaut-zl/2017/01/19/|accessdate=21 January 2017|work=The Jewish Press|date=19 January 2017}}</ref>
===Academic career=== Plaut received his undergraduate degree from Temple University in Philadelphia and his MA from Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He received a Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University,<ref name=ProCon>{{cite web|title=Steven Plaut, PhD|url=http://deathpenalty.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=006291|work=ProCon.org|accessdate=7 April 2014|date=August 6, 2013}}</ref> specializing in international and urban economics and later in finance. Plaut worked at the Federal Reserve Bank.<ref name=ProCon/> Before his professorship at the Haifa University, he taught at Oberlin College, the Technion, UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, Central European University, Tel Aviv University, University of Nantes, and Athens Laboratory for Business Administration.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plaut|first=Steven|title=Steven Plaut, CV attachment|url=http://economics.ceu.edu/people/steven-plaut|publisher=Central European University|access-date=22 January 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160130143846/http://economics.ceu.edu/people/steven-plaut|archive-date=30 January 2016}}</ref>
===Literary career=== Plaut first work was ''Import Dependence and Economic Vulnerability'', published in 1983.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Plaut |first1=Steven E. |title=Import dependence and economic vulnerability |date=1983 |publisher=JAI Press |location=Greenwich, Connecticut |isbn=978-0-89232-392-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jfcVAQAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref>
In his 1985 book titled ''The Joy of Capitalism'', Plaut argues for free market economics and compares the profit motive to the libido.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Plaut |first1=Steven E. |title=The Joy of Capitalism |date= 1985|publisher=Longman |isbn=978-0-582-29671-8 |pages=7–9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oeBHAAAAYAAJ |access-date=26 October 2024 |language=en |chapter=2}}</ref> In the book he discusses energy, housing, banking and agricultural policy as well as equality and income distribution.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Plaut |first1=Steven E. |title=The Joy of Capitalism |date=1 January 1985 |publisher=Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc |location=New Jersey |isbn=0582296714 |language=en}}</ref>
''The Scout'' is a fictionalized account of Plaut's near-death experience as a kidney cancer patient in an intensive care ward. It is structured as a series of life stories exchanged between himself and another patient in the ward, an Israeli Bedouin scout. This novel was published in 2002.{{cn|date=February 2021}}
===Political views=== Plaut was an outspoken critic of the Israeli-Arab peace process and Israel's unilateral withdrawal policy. Since the Oslo Accords, he argued that Arab leaders would continue to seek the destruction of Israel through violence and terrorism.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plaut|first=Steven|title=The Oslo Final Solution|url=http://conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/stevenplaut/06-22-02.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205235822/http://conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/stevenplaut/06-22-02.shtml|archive-date=2012-02-05|access-date=2016-01-22|url-status=dead|publisher=Conservative Truth|date=2012-06-22}}</ref> Some of his political writings are criticisms of Nakba Day.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plaut|first=Steven|title=Op-Ed: Happy Nakba Day!|url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/11654#.UVYXlpPvuSo|work=Israel National News|accessdate=29 March 2013|date=15 March 2012}}</ref>
Plaut was critical of many Israeli left-wing figures,<ref>{{cite web|last=Plaut|first=Steven|title=Personal Blog|url=http://stevenplaut.blogspot.co.il/|accessdate=29 March 2013}}</ref> as well as some Americans such as Michael Lerner and Norman Finkelstein, whom he described as self-hating Jews and apologists for terrorism that are promoting the destruction of Israel.<ref>{{cite web|last=Plaut|first=Steven|title=Stupid Left, Satanic Left|url=http://www.thejewishpress.com/news_article.asp?article=1870|work=Jewish Press|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050427085537/http://www.thejewishpress.com/news_article.asp?article=1870|archive-date=2005-04-27}}</ref> Plaut was opposed to what he saw as left-wing extremism in Israeli universities, and was actively involved in Isracampus, a self-proclaimed watchdog organization that publicizes anti-Israel people and groups.<ref>{{cite web|title=Main Page|url=http://www.isracampus.org.il/|work=IsraCampus|accessdate=29 March 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Nesher|first=Talila|title=10 percent of Israeli academics labeled 'anti-Zionist' by campus watchdogs|url=https://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/10-percent-of-israeli-academics-labeled-anti-zionist-by-campus-watchdogs-1.408535|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123021232/http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/10-percent-of-israeli-academics-labeled-anti-zionist-by-campus-watchdogs-1.408535|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 23, 2012|work=Haaretz|date=22 January 2012 |accessdate=29 March 2013}}</ref> In the Canadian ''Jewish Tribune'', he denounced Anarchists Against the Wall, a group protesting the Israeli West Bank barrier which he said was composed of "violent hooligans and anarcho-fascist thugs."<ref>{{cite news|last=Plaut |first=Steven |title=Pepe Le Pew makes aliyah and protects the Jews |url=http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/200907221846/Pepe-Le-Pew-makes-aliyah-and-protects-the-Jews.html |access-date=22 July 2009 |newspaper=The Jewish Tribune |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727093000/http://www.jewishtribune.ca/TribuneV2/index.php/200907221846/Pepe-Le-Pew-makes-aliyah-and-protects-the-Jews.html |archive-date=July 27, 2009 }}</ref>
==Libel case== Plaut was sued for libel by Neve Gordon, a faculty member at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Department of Politics and Government, claiming that Plaut slandered him in certain articles and alleged e-mails. In May 2006, the Nazareth Magistrate's Court ruled in favor of Gordon, and ordered Plaut to pay Gordon 80,000 shekels in compensation plus 15,000 shekels in legal fees.<ref>{{cite news|last=Moskowitz|first=Ira|title=U.S.-born professor guilty of libeling colleague|url=https://www.haaretz.com/u-s-born-professor-guilty-of-libeling-colleague-1.189859|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115111830/http://www.haaretz.com/u-s-born-professor-guilty-of-libeling-colleague-1.189859|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 15, 2010|accessdate=29 March 2013|newspaper=Haaretz|date=9 June 2006}}</ref> Both sides appealed to the Nazareth District Court, and in February 2008, the court reversed three out of four of the libel claims but upheld a libel judgment relating to the fourth, a publication in which Plaut called Gordon a "Judenrat Wannabe". It reduced the damages to 10,000 shekels (about $2,700) on the basis that, in the court's view, Plaut was entitled to criticize Gordon.<ref name=chron>{{cite web |title= Israeli Appeals Court Upholds Libel Judgment Against Academic but Reduces Damages |url= http://chronicle.com/daily/2008/03/1937n.htm |publisher= The Chronicle of Higher Education |date= March 5, 2008 |accessdate= 2008-07-01 |last=Kalman |first=Matthew }} </ref><ref>ע"א (נצרת) 1184/06 - פרופ' סטיבן פלאוט נ' ד"ר ניב גורדון . תק-מח 2008(1), 11886. (Hebrew) 1184/06 Steven Plaut Vs. Dr. Neve Gordon, Takdin-District 2008(1) Full text of the District Court's decision is available [http://www.takdin.co.il/search/NetisUtils/srvrutil_getdoc.aspx?path=/nepsdoc/1L3OtCJOtN34nE3HVONKkC3OkQ7HjR000/1184_au.06.html&ts=&cp=0 here] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721140515/http://www.takdin.co.il/search/NetisUtils/srvrutil_getdoc.aspx?path=%2Fnepsdoc%2F1L3OtCJOtN34nE3HVONKkC3OkQ7HjR000%2F1184_au.06.html&ts=&cp=0 |date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref>
==Letter to Turkish Prime Minister== In March 2013, a letter from Plaut was received by the office of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister of Turkey. The letter condemned as illegal Turkey's occupation of Northern Cyprus and attacked the Turkish Prime Minister, accusing him of being behind the Gaza Flotilla "terrorist attack" on Israeli soldiers. Plaut apologized for Israel not killing a larger number of "terrorists" on the flotilla ship. He claimed it was time to give back "occupied Constantinople" to its "true owner", namely, Greece.<ref>{{cite news|title=Netanyahu'nun özrü İsrailli profesörü çılgına çevirdi |url=http://www.zaman.com.tr/dis-haberler_netanyahunun-ozru-israilli-profesoru-cilgina-cevirdi_2070169.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130329081438/http://www.zaman.com.tr/dis-haberler_netanyahunun-ozru-israilli-profesoru-cilgina-cevirdi_2070169.html |archive-date=29 March 2013 |newspaper=Zaman |date=26 March 2013 |language=tr |agency=Cihan }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Köseoğlu |first=Ferhan |title=Netanyahu'nun özrü İsrailli profesörü çılgına çevirdi |url=http://dunya.milliyet.com.tr/netanyahu-nun-ozru-israilli-profesoru-cilgina-cevirdi/dunya/dunyadetay/26.03.2013/1685582/default.htm |accessdate=29 March 2013 |newspaper=Milliyet |date=26 March 2013 |language=tr |agency=Cihan }}</ref>
==See also== *Neo-Zionism
==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
==External links== *[http://conservativetruth.org/opinionet/archives/stevenplaut/toc-plaut.shtml OpinioNet columns] Older collection of articles
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaut, Steven}} Category:1951 births Category:2017 deaths Category:Academic staff of Central European University Category:Israeli economists Category:Middle East Forum Category:Princeton University alumni Category:Temple University alumni Category:Academic staff of the University of Haifa Category:People from Philadelphia Category:American emigrants to Israel Category:American Zionists Category:Deaths from cancer in Israel