The Truthful Project

As appeared in Future of Jewish    With the Republican and Democratic National Conventions behind us and a new university semester upon us, the political discussions regarding Israel and Hamas, Israel and Palestine, Israel and Iran, Israel and the U.S. Administration…you pick…increase in frequency and intensity. Unfortunately, arguments with friends and family can devolve into shouting matches. How does one discuss, convince, or at least, input an element of doubt into those who have bought into the anti-Israel demagoguery to really understand what those anti-Israel movements are really about and discover their own “aha!” moment of the truth. History is usually written by the victors and academics. History is usually taught by the era (i.e., the rise and fall of the Roman Empire) or the event (i.e., World War 1). History is rarely taught by comparison of commonality (i.e., the Black Plague vs. the Spanish Flu). How can we learn what they really were striving for without the bi...

 As appeared on my Times of Israel blog Aug 11, 2024   While Jews have dealt with anti-Semitism for centuries, if not millennia, the accusations have varied. Jews are rich, poor, capitalists, communists, and even Christ-killers. Therefore, Jews needed to be stopped, converted, exiled, or maybe just killed (pogroms). The latter was true until the Nazi declaration of genocide they called the ‘final solution.’ Today, the rise of the “Palestinian liberation” movement (established c.1964), culminating with the invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, and its continuing aftermath, has brought back these declarations of “death to the Jews” on a scale not seen before. Unfortunately, conversations with friends and family who have bought into the anti-Israel demagoguery can easily devolve into shouting matches. Here’s an idea: Instead of trying to convince them, let them convince themselves. It becomes important for them to really understand what that movement’s cause is really about a...

Click HERE History is usually written by the victors and academics. History is usually taught by the era (i.e., the rise and fall of the Roman Empire) or the event (i.e., World War 1). History is rarely taught by comparison of commonality (i.e., the Black Plague vs. the Spanish Flu).   When learning about history, especially topics like conflicts, wars, and revolutions, there might be little context and meaning of these historic events as related to others across time.   How can we examine these causes and the ideals being strived for across different time-periods and revolutions? How can we learn what they really were striving for without the bias of the victors or academics? What could be researched and how should it be examined?   Wouldn’t it be better to hear it in their own words?   As an Advertising and Marketing executive and history enthusiast, I came to understand that songs, poetry, and slogans of a revolution are not only more culturally reflective and rel...