Why did I write a book about Revolutions?

 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 and discover their own “aha!” moment of the truth.

Incredibly, in addition to some of our friends and family, many of those who have drunk this Kool-Aid® are university students and professors, politicians and celebrities. Supposedly educated, curious people. However, countless viral videos circulating throughout social media overwhelmingly demonstrate that they are not educated or curious. For example, chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” yet not knowing from what river to what sea.

Life, time, plus a love of all history, have given me some perspective. Just a writing a book about the Israel and Palestinian revolutions would be shortsighted. A better research exercise would be to “compare and contrast” several revolutions throughout history, including the Israeli and Palestinian revolutions. This would result in a more valid research project.

But what should be researched and how should they be compared?

When learning about conflicts in history classes we often are taught numbers, whether it be dates, soldiers and/or civilians killed, or the different battlefield strategies, hopefully against the context of the era in which it takes place. Furthermore: 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).

This traditional history education method leaves out the personal and cause célèbre of the conflict. How could we examine these causes and the ideals being strived for across all these different time periods and revolutions?

The solution. As a former advertising & marketing professional and professor, I know that popular culture in the form of advertisements, slogans and jingles, is a great representation of the real ideals, beliefs, and morals of the people at a particular time. Therefore, the songs, poetry, slogans, and even national anthems, of a revolutionary movement are a great place to uncover the ideals, beliefs, and morals of those people striving for a specific cause or revolution.

This became my focus; to offer a range of revolutions, for comparing and contrasting. To allow a broad range of comparing and contrasting, the book covers the revolutions of America, France, Russia, Israel, Cuba, and Palestine. Instead of interpreting or debating, the key is to let their own words speak for themselves. Of course, all sources are carefully noted.

My goal as a professor was always to teach my students how to think, not what to think. I accomplished this by employing the Socratic method – showing them the facts and then asking questions. This results in many “aha!” moments.

Specifically, because it is in the revolutionaries own words! The facts, rather than the unsubstantiated rhetoric being shouted on campuses or presented by biased (left or right) media outlets. This helps put doubt in their minds or at least gets them to question the unsubstantiated rhetoric.

Now the questions. It is up to those who have drunk this Kool-Aid® to think and come to the answers and realizations of the revolutionaries’ true objectives in the own words in their own languages:

• Are their messages an uplifting call to their cause or do they really enumerate the horrible things they wish to do to their enemy?
• Do they describe their vision for the future or the destruction of those who oppose them?
• Do they explain “why” they are forced to revolt or only the hatred they feel towards those who they oppose?
• And then, most importantly, what happened after they won? Or, in the case of the “Palestine revolution” that is currently ongoing, what would happen if they were to win?

Arguments with friends and family, as well as “useful idiots,” can devolve into shouting matches. The wars currently raging in the Ukraine and Middle East make the book Revolutions: In Their Own Words an important read for those who have bought into the anti-Israel demagoguery to really understand what that movement’s cause is really about and discover their own “aha!” moments of the truth.

 

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