Connie Bruck writes in The New Yorker:
Zell, who was raised in an Orthodox household and is a supporter of Israel, says that his religion has never been an issue in Abu Dhabi or in other Arab countries. “In no way, shape, or form do I hide the fact that I believe in Israel—open kimono!” he declared, using one of his favorite expressions to somewhat bizarre effect. But, he continued, “from the beginning of civilization Muslim rulers had Jewish advisers. I think it is actually a plus.”
…At twelve, he bought Playboy magazines in downtown Chicago for fifty cents and sold them for three dollars to friends in Highland Park, where his family had moved.
…“I’m an immigrant’s kid. I have a very different perspective on the world than somebody who grew up in Chicago and led what I would call a normal life. I think that being Jewish means that you’re vulnerable forever. Was there a stronger Jewish community anywhere in the world—more intellectual, more successful—than Germany in the late twenties and early thirties, before Hitler? And seven years later they’re building concentration camps! So, do I expect something like that to happen in the United States? Of course not. Do I think it could? Absolutely.”
