Thanksgiving recently passed with emphasis on family, friends, and being thankful for the freedoms we cherish. As a Zionism educator, this time period is also important to highlight people, places, and events that have positively contributed to Israel and/or Jews worldwide in general (past and present). Below, is the second annual Thanksgiving list, Zionism edition.
Avraham Stern: Also known as the Stern Gang, Lehi was founded in 1940 by Avraham Stern. Lehi is an acronym for Lehomei Herut Israel, or Fighters for the Freedom of Israel. It was a breakaway group from the Irgun (Etzel) due to philosophical disagreements, but they still retained good relations with one another which was important when the Stern gang was asked to stand down while the Irgun carried out larger-scale attacks and the Sergeant’s Affair executions.
Lehi’s goals were ambitious and included: establishing Hebrew as the national mother tongue (Ladino was the lingua franca in Palestine for centuries before the influx of Ashkenaz Jews who brought with them Yiddish), rebuilding the ancient ruins, engaging in a population exchange of non-Judean residents, ingathering of the exiles, and the rebuilding of the Third Temple, just to name a few. Because its goals were lofty and its numbers relatively small, the Lehi aimed to maximize impact by delivering ‘extreme’ actions, including political assassinations, not limited to Palestine, targeting British soldiers and officials. Deemed extreme by the Haganah, they refused to accept the Lehi.
One of Lehi’s more controversial tactics was to negotiate with the Nazis. In 1941, Avraham Stern sent an emissary to Lebanon for the purpose of persuading the German Foreign Ministry representative to release Jews from Germany, thus aiding in solving their “Jewish problem.” When that offer was rejected, Stern sent another emissary to Syria to discuss a similar option. That emissary was arrested and thus ended Stern’s attempts of negotiating with Nazis.
In the early months of 1942, tensions between Lehi and the British reached a fever pitch causing Stern to be constantly on the run. The British eventually arrested and then shot him. Many of Lehi’s fighters were also captured, killed, or imprisoned. To say this was a challenging time for the Lehi is an understatement; they almost collapsed as an organization. However, several of its imprisoned members escaped, and under the new leadership of Yitzhak Shamir, Nathan Yellin Mor, and Israel Eldad, continued the fight that Avraham Stern had laid out previously. Their prevailing belief was if the British were sufficiently impaired by attacks, those actions would accelerate the British withdrawal from the Jewish homeland.
The Stern Gang, even as late as 1947, had operatives in London from where the group launched several attacks. The British continued to imprison Lehi members in Acre, Jerusalem, Atlit, Mezra and Latrun. Some prisoners were forced into exile in Eritrea, Sudan, and Kenya. The Lehi continued operations until the very end of the British occupation in 1948 (the legal Mandate only lasted from 1920 – barely 1922). For Lehi members to join the newly formed IDF was looked upon as undermining their cause. One member, Yehuda Levy (“Shmuel”) was executed for suggesting that the Lehi join forces with the IDF. Eventually, Lehi members did join the IDF and most served in the Armored Invasion Brigade. One of Lehi’s leaders, Yitzhak Shamir would later become one of Israel’s esteemed Prime Ministers.
*November 6, 1944 – Lord Moyne, who was responsible for implementing the 1939 White Paper and forcibly sending boats of Jewish refugees back to certain death by the Nazis, was executed in Cairo by two Lehi members, Eliyahu Hakim and Eliyahu Bet – Zuri.*
Israel Defense Comics: One can find the incredible Zionist comic creator, Joshua Stulman, standing proudly next to his Israeli Defense Comics in Central Park’s Literary Walk. IDC features the adventures of Magen, the Shield of Israel. His display also features pictures of real-life fallen Israeli heroes of this current war and most recent Judean genocide. Jews are no stranger to the comic median to project strength against antisemitism – excluded from many mainstream advertising and publishing jobs from the 1930s – 1960s in America, many Judean talented artists and writers were foundational to the entire comic book industry. Marvel, the most iconic of the medium, was co-founded by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. Other notable names at Marvel included: Joe Simon (Captain America) and Larry Lieber (Ant-Man, Thor, Iron Man).
This was Joshua’s post the day after jihadist Mamdani’s win:
“What do you do the day after a terror supporting Jew Hater takes over your city? GO HARDER!!
I now have my 11×17 artwork front and center featuring Magen the Shield of Israel and The brave IDF… and yes our boots are “laced up”!
Come visit and support my small comic stand in Central Park (Literary Walk)! All our welcome!”
The Palmach Unit of the Haganah: (an acronym for Pelugot HaMahatz, meaning striking force) it was the elite fighting unit of the Haganah and formed in 1941 when Jews were anticipating a Nazi invasion of Palestine. The Palmach was responsible for launching several pre-emptive strikes against the Arabs, and were perhaps the first to utilize undercover soldiers. They recruited Mizrahi Jews who were fluent in Arabic to infiltrate Syria and Lebanon to gather strategic information.
The Palmach was supported by the British, and trained in guerilla warfare to aid in fighting the Nazis. As the threat ceased to exist in the aftermath of WWII, the Palmach was no longer invested in by the British, and the group sought to fund themselves through the kibbutz movement. The members worked half the month on a kibbutz and trained the other half.
Eventually, the Palmach turned on the British, as antisemitic policies became suffocating and life-threatening to Jews. The Palmach was instrumental in blowing up bridges, bombing naval ships, and securing safe passage of “illegal” Judean immigrants to Palestine, as well as liberating parts of the land. It was the Palmach who was responsible for freeing the ancient city of Tzfat. The leaders of the Palmach included: Moshe Dayan, Yitchak Rabin, Yigal Allon, Haim Bar-Lev, Uzi Narkiss, Yitzak Sadeh, and Ezer Weizman. At times, the Palmach differed course from the Haganah leadership which emphasized a more defensive stance against both occupiers – the British and the Arabs – and also sabotaged efforts of the more violent-minded Irgun and Lehi resistance groups.
The most famous of daring raids of the Palmach unit was to liberate successfully the Atlit detention camp (where mostly Holocaust survivors coming back home and were deemed ‘illegal’ by the British occupiers were inhumanely detained, along with some survivors of the Iraqi Farhud) on October 10th, 1945.
King Omri: Both historians and archeologists are now shifting focus to highlight King Omri as one of the most impactful leaders of ancient Judean (Jews lived in both the Kingdom of Israel and Kingdom of Judea – same people, different Kingdoms) times. The Kingdom of Israel was the most populated in the region, and was in Samaria, named after the first capital city of the area. In historical reality, it was Omri (who ruled from 885 – 874 BC), King of Israel, who established the first real Kingdom, with modern experts viewing Kings David & Solomon as heads of tribal federations. Omri was the first king of either Israel or Judah who is mentioned by historical sources outside of the Bible. His dynasty, which included his son, Ahab, ruled the Kingdom of Israel for 50 years, and ended 50 years of civil wars within the Kingdom. Further, King Omri made peace with the Phoenicians (a Semitic tribe) up North, conquered the Moabites, and traded with the Arameans in Syria. The Kingdom of Israel, overall, lasted 150 years before being defeated.
“Israeli archaeologist Israel Finkelstein (2001) refers to Omri’s reign as “Israel’s forgotten first kingdom.” He notes that during the earlier reigns of David and Solomon, “political organization in the region had not yet reached the stage where extensive bureaucracies” had developed. This had changed by the time of the Omrides, however. Finkelstein and his colleagues have also done extensive work on large buildings formally attributed to Solomon, which he now dates as originating in Omri’s days.”
Any culture can have stories about their people and exalted leaders, but if there is no outside corroboration, then it cannot be used as historical fact of existence. The Kings of the United Monarchy (Saul, David, and Solomon) have such corroboration by non-Judean written accounts and artifacts. King Omri of the Kingdom of Israel was prevalently mentioned in his time’s steles (stone tablets) from outside tribes. The Moabite Stone (the Mesha stele) found in Israel East aka ‘Jordan’ being one of them, dating back to the 9th century BC. It recorded the uprisings of the Kingdom of Moab against Israel.
The stele also contains one of the earliest known references to the term ‘House of David’ and is one of four known inscriptions containing the name Israel.
“In the Tel Dan inscription, a Syrian king (probably Hazael) admits that “the kings of Israel entered my father’s land,” indicating that the Omride dynasty-controlled territory in Syria, stretching south through Moab. A sizable army is also evidenced, as shown in the inscription of the Assyrian leader Shalmaneser III (858–824 B.C.E.) who refers to an opposing force of 2,000 chariots and 10,000 footsoldiers belonging to Omri’s son, “Ahab the Israelite.”
For more information on King Omri and his significance: https://tbtnisrael.com/the-re-emergence-of-king-omri-as-a-prominent-historical-figure/
British historian Keith Jeffery (Exposed Operation Embarrass): Back in 2010, the book, MI6: The History of the Secret Intelligence Service 1909-1949 was published, detailing the Nazi-type lengths the British (from the Crown down to M16 agents) were mired in to prevent Holocaust survivors from reaching the Judean homeland. Churchill issued a series of antisemitic anti-immigration (targeting only indigenous Judeans, not the Arab occupiers) policies from 1922 – 1938 called White Papers. Each White Paper resulted in more egregious actions against Jews returning home spanning from a paltry amount of Jews (under 10,000 over 5 years) allowed to immigrate (grossly violating the British Mandate), to barring Jews from purchasing land, to imprisoning Jews for being armed, while allowing the Arab occupiers such actions.
What this particular book exposed was a well-funded (to the tune of $47,000, a large amount during that time) operation to create disinformation campaigns in order not to link the spy agency to bomb placements on the Holocaust survivor-carrying ships. Post-Holocaust, many Jews seem to have completely overlooked Churchill’s and the entire British political ruling class of that time, continuing on with the Labour Party, of their violent antisemitism. British Jew-hatred and its actions in Palestine was also the primary impetus for the Nazi’s Final Solution.
Operation Embarrass exemplifies the utter insanity that a country which aimed to murder Holocaust survivors, would, decades later, blame Israel for stopping actual terrorist flotillas entering its shores. What is happening to the UK currently is the best of karma.
“The operation had three aspects: direct action against refugee ships, a “black” propaganda campaign, and a deception scheme to disrupt immigration from Black Sea ports. A team of former Special Operations Executive agents—with the cover story of a yachting trip—was sent to France and Italy with limpet bombs and timers. If captured, “they were under no circumstances to admit their connection with HMG” but instead claim to have been recruited in New York “by an anti-Communist organization formed by a group of international industrialists, mainly in the oil and aircraft industries,” i.e. to lay the blame on rich, right-wing, unnamed Americans.”
The Operation was considering blowing up a Baltimore steamship President Warfield when in harbor in France, which later became famous in Israeli history as the “Exodus” ship. Instead, British warships merely attacked the ship in international waters and forced Holocaust survivors back to Germany where Jews were placed in detention camps within British parts of occupied Germany. Jews being detained by the British occupiers in Palestine was prevalent throughout the country with the most infamous camp called Atlit. Judean immigrants back to the homeland were also sent to detention camps on Cyprus.
American Sephardi Federation: I am very thankful to be a member of the ASF, an organization that strives to platform both Sephardic and Mizrahi Judean voices and history. It is through this organization that I learned how much Sephardic Jews shaped the modern culture of Spain – from flamenco (along with Arabs) to tapas, etc, learned that there was an Inquisition well before the 15th century, but from the 4th – 6th centuries which prompted Jews to work with the Moors to invade Sepharad. Ladino Day is an annual program the ASF offers (next one is January 11th in NYC), where the culture and language of Sephardi Jews is shared and celebrated. They also do an excellent job of partnering with numerous Mizrahi and Sephardi organizations who invite ASF members.
ASF is very open to Ashkenaz Jews as its President is Ashkenez; he emphasizes that all Ashkenaz Jews have Sephardic roots and that it is important all Jews know of other Diaspora sub-cultures in addition to the original Judean culture, as there were Jews who never left Israel. In the past year alone, thanks to the ASF, I have attended events centered around Judeo-Balkan heritage, how Jews used tarot cards to hide their faith during the second Inquisition, Moroccan Judean history, Judean foods of Italy, famous Romaniote rabbis, and the ASF film festival.
Jews of Peki’in : After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD by the Romans (though the actual destruction can be traced near solely to the most powerful Jew in antiquity, Tiberius Julius Alexander, who served as procurator of Judea, governor of Egypt, and general in the Roman army. Without his support, Vespasian wouldn’t have become emperor, and his son Titus wouldn’t have led the siege of Jerusalem), many of the Priestly class who survived simply moved north to the small scattered villages in the Galilee. Peki’in was one of many villages, but what stands Peki’in apart is that an ancient synagogue was built in the 3rd – 4th centuries AD (the synagogue was rebuilt in 1873), in the era of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, according to tradition from two stones taken from the Temple. The town was also home to three Priestly families (Zinati, Toma, and Udah) uninterrupted for nearly 2,000 years. The Jews who moved to Peki’in became farmers and lived without issue with their neighbors until Druze violence drove many of the Jews out by 1936. Once the Druze took over, only one Judean family, the Zinati, remained. For decades, Margalit Zinati kept access open to the synagogue by appointment and was the sole remaining witness to the rich Judean history of that special town.
Kingdom of Morocco (post-Abraham Accords): Positive relations with Jews is not an anomaly for the Moroccan Kingdom despite post-Arab Muslim colonization influenced antisemitism. Jews lived without issue with the native Amazigh tribes of the Maghreb since the 6th century BC. For centuries after, treatment of Jews greatly varied depending on the century and temperament of the Muslim population – the Fez Pogrom resulted in the murder of 6,000 Jews in 1033 AD and centuries later, on May 14,1465, almost all the Jews of Fez were killed in the bloodiest pogrom in Moroccan history, by rebels who killed Sultan Abu Muhammad Abd al-Haqq (1420-1465). The cause of the fury against Jews was the appointment of the Judean Vizier Harun (Aaron) ibn Batash by the Sultan. Yet, the very reason, unlike in Italy where ghettos were originated to banish Jews from the general population, the mellahs in Morocco were utilized by Moroccan royalty to protect Jews from mobs of the medinas, areas of town where Jews and Muslims lived together prior to the rise of pogroms against Jews. Jews also frequently served across a multitude of advisorial positions to Moroccan royalty spanning the ages.
In more modern historical times, during WWII, Sultan Mohammed V provided a strong moral stance, effectively protecting the country’s 250,000 Jewish citizens from deportation to Nazi death camps by refusing to distinguish between his Muslim and Jewish subjects.
And, decades after Morocco turned on its Jews for the liberation of the Judean homeland, the Kingdom has swiftly implemented peace-forward actions since agreeing to be part of the Abraham Accords in exchange for Israel recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara region. Such actions have included: the Holocaust is now taught in all public Moroccan schools, as is Moroccan Judean history. Further, the first Judean club at a university was opened. There have also been sports teams competitions between Israel and Morocco. Overall, antisemitism still runs deep in Moroccan society, but the Kingdom is attempting to over-turn that sentiment.
Even during the post-Judean genocide war, Israel is now the third largest arms seller to Morocco, but soon to overtake France as the second. In early 2025, Morocco finalized a deal to acquire 36 ATMOS 2000 self-propelled artillery systems from Israel’s Elbit Systems, choosing them over French alternatives due to technical issues with the French systems. Drone technology, air-defense systems, and local production facilities will increase the scope of military coordination.
Queen Shlomzion: An oft overlooked Queen in worldwide history, she ought to be celebrated as a powerhouse. Also known as Salome Alexandra (many Jews of the Hasmonean Dynasty had Greek names along with Hebrew ones), she was the sister of the famous Pharisee sage, Shimon ben Shetach. After the death of her first husband, Aristobolus I, she was promised to his brother, Alexander Jannaeus, a feared and brutal (towards both outside enemies and internal) ruler who sided with the Priestly Sadducees, a wealthy sect that composed the majority of the seats on the Sanhedrin. Additionally, the Sadducees were quite flexible with allegiances to foreign powers (Greeks and later, Romans).
Opposing the Sadducees were the Pharisees, who were the voice of the people that believed that Mosaic law applied everywhere not just to the Priestly class, and it was that movement which laid the groundwork for the Rabbinic direction of the Judean faith. Such disdain was shown towards the Pharisees who pushed back against the powerful Sadducees that Judean civil wars ensued. King Jannaeus had 800 Pharisees crucified in one day.
It would have been natural for King Jannaeus to appoint one of his sons to lead the Judean nation, but a civil war would have continued, and so he entrusted his wife Alexandra to be the only regnant Queen of Judea. After her second husband’s death, she decreed his brutality against the Pharisees and protected the Sadducees from the Pharisees’ call for a revenge spree by giving them control over fortified military towns.
“Salome Alexandra began her reign in 76 B.C. by decrying her husband’s misdeeds. Upon his death, she booted out the Sadduccees and brought the Pharisees into power. To placate the Sadducees, Salome Alexandra granted them control of some military fortresses, but she made Pharisees her main officers. Josephus claims that “the Pharisees governed her” and were “the real administrators of the public affairs” (The Jewish War 1:5:2).”
Aside from smoothing over internal strife, Queen Shlomzion introduced the ketubah, providing women with financial security in the event of divorce or death and greatly expanded education for women. King Jannaeus’ many wars both internal and foreign weakened the borders of Judea. Queen Shlomzion increased the military and doubled down on the conquest of the Moabites, granting military advantage to Judea. She was the original ‘peace through strength’ leader – Judea was not attacked during her reign as enemies knew she was quick to raise an army at any cost. That peace in Judea increased trade, benefitting the Judean population. Unfortunately, her sons would undo the ‘golden years,’ bringing about the downfall of the Hasmonean Dynasty along with Judean independence for the next 1,812 years.
The Machiavellian power plays of the Hasmoneans outdid even those of the Ptolemaic dynasty next door in Egypt.
The Pagan Arabs prior to Islam, Pagan North African tribes pre-Islamic colonization, and Zoroastrian Persians pre-Islamic conquest :
Judean history is not comprised of non-stop antisemitic atrocities (antisemitism itself – hating Jews for being Jews – did not begin until the advent of Christianity). For example, imagine being a Jew in the Maghreb or in the Hejaz between the 6th century BC – the creation of Islam in 614 AD. If remaining in the region, Pagan tribes (Arabs in the Hejaz, Kabyles, Tuareg, Riffians, Chaoui, Chleuh (Tashelhiyt), Siwi (the ones indigenous to North Africa are collectively known as the Imazighen) across North Africa were the neighbors with nary an antisemitic outburst. Jews in Persia from the times of Cyrus the Great to the spread of Islam, while Persians were Zoroastrians, also enjoyed over 1,000 years of peace with their non-Judean neighbors, which is why the story of Purim, in historical reality, is nonsensical. The Sassanids in particular were highly philosemitic, with even the King marrying a Judean woman elevating her to a Queen in his court. Her name was Queen Shushandukht; she created and expanded numerous Judean communities across Persia.
Emir Faisal I: A key Arab Zionist, in fact, could be considered the first Arab Zionist who emphasized at the League of Nations in 1919 that ‘not one inch of Palestine is wanted by the Arabs’ – the Arabs knew that all of Palestine was Judean land while their territorial independence desires laid with ‘Greater Syria’ – Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Arabia. Only Jews were granted political rights in Palestine as Arabs were seeking such rights in the aforementioned countries.
Emir Faisal I met with Chaim Weizmann, head of the Zionist Organization twice (in Aqaba and then in London) before signing the Faisal-Weizmann Agreement in early 1919. Emir Faisal wrote that Jews should feel most welcome coming back home, that Arabs have their full support, and that the promise of the British to assure equal rights for Jews in the Judean homeland as for Arabs in Greater Syria would be realized. It was Faisal who convinced the French delegation during the San Remo Accords in 1920 to switch their support for Judean rights in the Judean homeland.
Unfortunately, the French stole what is now Southern Lebanon from Israel along with the Golan Heights, but because of Faisal I, their delegation did vote, along with the 50 other member states of the League of Nations to grant Jews sovereignty in their homeland.
Panama: The Judean presence in Panama originated in the 15th century when some Jews escaping the Inquisition ended up in Central and South America, many came as sailors, merchants, and pirates. However, the long-arm of the Inquisition targeted Jews across the Spaniard-Portuguese sphere and Jews were expelled from those territories until the 19th century. Once able, Jews returned and helped build up those nations in modern times. The Judean community in Panama is thriving (out of 4 million people, about 10,000 are Jews) and have not reported any threats of safety despite how numerous Judean communities worldwide have felt post the Judean genocide two years ago.
Panama boasts 40 kosher restaurants, numerous synagogues (majority of which are Sephardic), and even the current Mayor of Panama City is a Judean, Mayer Mizrachi Matalon. One of the former Presidents of Panama was also a Jew: Eric Arturo Delvalle Cohen-Henriquez, was President from 1985 to 1988 while dictator and military officer Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno was Panama’s de facto ruler. It will be interesting to see if Panama will be part of the Isaac Accords, an initiative which was just launched by Argentine President Milei, which seeks to coalesce support among Latin American nations for Israel.
Major General Dan Tolkowsky: Born in 1921 in Tel Aviv, Major General Tolkowsky joined the Hagana in 1936 and during WWII, joined the RAF where he served as a Spitfire pilot in Italy, southern France, and Greece. Post-war, he stayed on in Europe for several years attempting to secure aircraft for the Haganah. During the War of Independence, Mr. Tolkowsky carried out bombing campaigns in Egypt. His bombing campaigns over Egypt were so instrumental during that war that he was awarded top positions in the fledgling IAF – from head of training to Chief of Staff. In 1953, he became head of the IAF at the age of 32 and led his corps through the 1956 Sinai War.
The following quote is from his recent obituary (he passed away last Friday at the age of 104) “I got on a Dakota plane with Lt. Gen. Moshe Dayan… and we took off to the ending ceremony. During the flight, Dayan took me and said: ‘After what I saw in the operation, the IDF’s priorities will from now on be air force first, the armored corps second and paratroopers third.”
Post-military, he established Israel’s first venture capital fund in 1985, and helped found Elron Ventures, which established Elbit, a major Israeli arms maker.
Partisan WWII Photographer Faye Schulman: Born in 1919 to an Orthodox Judean family, Faye and her family ended up in the Lenin ghetto in what was then Poland (later Belarus). In 1942, the Nazis killed 1,850 Jews in the Lenin ghetto including her parents, sisters, and younger brothers – only 26 Jews were spared for their varied abilities for the Nazis. Faye’s photography skills saved her but she was forced to photograph the atrocity (she ended up keeping copies for herself which she later entered into official testimony post WWII).
When a Russian partisan group entered the area, Faye quickly joined, but was met with unrelenting antisemitism from the Christian Russians, as the partisan group had few Jews at the time – in general, Judean partisan groups had to fight extra hard to obtain weapons and food as the Christian ones were not collaborative with Jews. For two years as a partisan, Faye worked as a nurse primarily, but also made sure to document the partisans through the lens, particularly focusing on Judean partisans so there would be no doubt that Jews stood up and fought whenever possible (France to this day for example denies the fact that a significant % of partisans were Jews – Jews made up 1% of the French population but 20% of the partisan engagement).
“I want people to know that there was resistance. Jews did not go like sheep to the slaughter. I was a photographer. I have pictures. I have proof.” She is one of the only known Jewish partisan photographers.
Israeli Comedian Yohay Sponder: There is no dearth of Judean comedians these days who are helping Jews get through these dark times – from Modi to Zach Margs, Elon Gold (better than ever), Dovi Neuberger, Shahar Cohen, Ami Kozak, and many many more talented names. Yohay though truly stands apart with his biting comedy aimed at Jew haters, quick-witted geo-political humor and the effortless ability to instill Judean pride in his (mostly Judean) audiences. Recently, I attended his Self-Loving Jew (he chose that title because we have enough self-haters within our tribe) tour and it did not disappoint. It also helps that Yohay looks like a Judean warrior – built, dark bearded, super tan indigenous Judean skin tone, and he tops off his Judean pride by wearing a rapper-size Magen David necklace.
Author Dahlia Abraham – Klein: A proud Afghan-Bukharian Jew, Dahlia’s latest book, The Stateless Central Asian Merchant: The Life of Haim Aghajan Abraham features the translated notebook of her late grandfather’s, which he wrote entirely in Judeo-Farsi. Her latest work emphasizes the importance of the ‘Jewish Triangle,’ which stretched across large parts of Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia – an area not well known to the larger Judean Diaspora community particularly the time period the notebook covers: late 19th – late 20th centuries.
German-born WWI Judean veteran, Richard Stern: There is a famous picture of Mr. Stern, tall, broad shouldered, wearing his Iron Cross WWI medal standing in front of a targeted Judean business while a short, scrawny poorly-postured Nazi was standing guard next to a nearby business. The image is powerful. For six years, Richard led active protests against the Nazi boycott of Judean businesses across Cologne and clandestinely helped Jews escape Germany. He ended up leaving for America and despite his then older age, insisted on joining the U.S. army to fight the Germans. Before deploying for Europe, Stern donated his WWI German medals to a metal scrap drive where they were melted down. For saving his American unit in Europe by demanding the surrender of the Nazi solders who had surrounded his unit, Richard Stern was awarded a Silver Star.
Rabbi Meir Kahane: It is absolutely shocking that any Jew would be against Kahane. To not be a Kahanist is to not be a Zionist, and to be a weak bagel Jew. Kahane’s Judean values-filled work began in 1968 when he worked as an Associate Editor and columnist at the Brooklyn-based Jewish Free Press. That year saw antisemitism skyrocket from the Black and Puerto Rican communities against elderly and poor Jews in areas of Brooklyn, all due to a school board dispute between the new community-led board and the mostly Judean teachers union. Kahane was shocked that the NYC Mayor at the time, Mayor Lindsay, was ignoring the assaults on Jews and the utter lack of concern among the establishment Judean useless orgs (not much has changed today). He took it upon himself to create the Jewish Defense League, to ensure that Jews were not used as punching bags, physically and figuratively.
Jews taking matters into their own hands was not a new concept in 1968 – Jews across all eras rose to not only defend themselves but to go on the offense when possible. Rise and kill first is an integral Judean value – not to kill randomly, but if one’s community, family, or oneself is at threat, not to wait to be murdered; to eliminate the threat. We see it with the Sicarii group of Judean rebels against the Greeks and later the Romans, Jews’ actions during the Kitos War in both Libya and in Cyprus as retribution for the first Judean-Roman War, Judean partisan groups of WWII, Jews inviting in Moors to attack antisemitic Christians in Sepharad, and of course the heroic actions taken by brave Jews to liberate Israel in 1948 after 20 years of fighting the British occupiers to then swiftly pushing back against five Arab armies. And, of course, we have seen the IDF in action.
Kahane and the JDL responded with violence to antisemitic groups from the Black Panthers to Arab terrorist affiliated organizations. After immigrating to Israel, Kahane’s actions gained necessary fear among Arab occupiers in Judea & Samaria. In actuality, he did not hate Arabs, but had had enough of Arab occupiers murdering Jews. Just like the Hilltop Youth of Judea & Samaria today who take necessary actions against Arab occupiers as they have determined, rightfully, that the murder of Jews should not be accepted as ‘the norm.’ His ‘far-right’ Kach party did not profess anything extreme, and was pushing for the same policy that actual Zionists had called for in 1948 – that the Arab occupiers ought to be deported. Keeping a dangerous fifth column inside Israel has only resulted in the needless, and very much preventable, murder of Jews in the Judean homeland. If Judean leadership had listened to Kahane, Judea & Samaria would not currently be a Hamas stronghold and for sure no Arab occupiers in Gaza would ever have been given work permits inside Otef Gaza.
Philadelphia merchant Jonas Philips: Born in Buseck, Germany,
Jonas Phillips immigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1756, as a 20 year-old indentured servant. He then moved north to NY to attempt to pay off his debt and become a free man. A strong supporter of the American cause, he signed the Non-Importation Agreement in 1770, which required he move from New York to Philadelphia to live under Patriot rule and away from the British. In 1778, he joined the Philadelphia Militia under Colonel Bradford. While in Philadelphia, he became a merchant shipper and during the war founded Congregation Mikveh Israel, serving as its president when the first synagogue building was consecrated in 1782.
But what Jews ought to be thankful the most regarding Mr. Philips, was his work as a prominent advocate for civil rights for Jews. In 1787, he wrote a petition to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, arguing against a clause in the Pennsylvania state constitution that required a Christian oath to hold public office. He even petitioned President George Washington for Jews to have equal rights.
Phillips and his wife Rebecca Mendez Machado had 21 children. Their descendants include Uriah Phillips Levy, the first Judean Commodore in the U.S. Navy. Other descendants include Mordechai Manuel Noah, an American consul, and Franklin J. Moses Jr., who became a governor of South Carolina during Reconstruction
The Radhanite Judean traders of the 8th – 10th century AD: A network of powerful Judean traders who were originally neutral merchants between the Christian and Muslim Kingdoms who disdained one another. Speaking languages spanning west to east, they were the first to establish trade routes from Europe to China (before Marco Polo), trading in spices, furs, weapons, and to a lesser degree, slaves (the Slavic people) – their connections also rescued Judean slaves. Because of the Radhanite network many trade routes established by the Roman Empire were able to continue without interruption.They established lines of credit instead of carrying currency across dangerous routes, paving the way for the modern banking system perfected later by the Medicis. The Radhanite routes were integral in increasing the Judean merchant population from Afghanistan to the eastern edges of Eastern Europe along the Silk Road and beyond.
The (very) armed Jews of the Medieval Ages (spanning Europe to Israel): Infuriatingly, Jews between the Judean-Roman wars and the Judean resistance groups against the British occupiers in Palestine are largely considered to have been ‘docile’ and not military minded. Jews have been actively involved in the military in all time periods; one historical time-frame that is overlooked is the Medieval Ages, which spanned from the 5th – 15th century.
Sephardim in Spain and Portugal were the ones who invited in the Moors (Berbers) to conquer the antisemitic Christians who had launched the first Inquisition (4th – 6th century AD). It was Jews who had aided the Moors at every turn – from military leadership (Kaula al Yahudi, a military commander was appointed by Tariq ibn Ziyad during the initial conquest in 711) and mass soldier participation (both al-Yahudi and ibn Ziyad led numerous Jews in battle alongside Berbers to overthrow the Christian Visigoths) to working with Moors to administer defeated towns and cities while the primary forces were proceeding further within Sepharad. Where possible, Jews owned arms and trained in their use.
When the Judean community of Mainz, Germany heard of the massacres in Worms and Speyer by the Christian knights of the First Crusade (1096), Solomon bar Simson reported that “they donned their armor and their weapons of war…they armed themselves in the inner court of the bishop” who had opened his residence as a fortress for a last stand against slaughter.
In 1197, Toledo’s Jews both defended city walls during the siege but left its seeming protection to confront the Almohads on the battlefield (by this time period, Muslims had turned against Jews in Sepharad). And when Castile conquered modern-day Andalusia in the 1260s, the land grants to local Jews identified them as ballasteros—archers.
Samuel Ibn Naghrilla, a poet and Talmudist, whose writings gained the attention of a Muslim ruler, worked his way up from a poor merchant to a Grand Vizier of Granada and a Jew who led a Muslim army of Granada for 17 years. When he died, he was mourned by both Muslims and Jews. His son, sadly, had a very different experience with the Muslim population. He was executed on suspicion of advancing the Judean community as a result of an inner power-play political struggle among the progeny of the Muslim ruler who had venerated Samuel ibn Naghrilla.
And the famous Battle of Haifa in 1099 was the last time Jews in Palestine (Israel) successfully raised arms against an enemy, prior to the British occupation era. Though Jews and Muslims of Haifa both battled the Crusaders, historians have since uncovered that it was a mostly Judean army that was able to hold off the bloodthirsty Crusaders for over a month.
Influential Jews in Palestine during the Byzantine Period:
- Gamaliel VI: The final patriarch of the Sanhedrin, based in Tiberias until its abolition in 425 AD.
- Hillel II: Instituted the official Hebrew calendar in 358 AD.
- Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish: Key figures in the late 3rd century who contributed to the creation of the Jerusalem Talmud.
- Nehemiah Ben Hushiel and Benjamin of Tiberias: Judean leaders who gained temporary autonomy in Jerusalem during the Sassanian siege in 614 AD.
The Actual Nakba
This past Sunday, November 30th, Israel observed Yom Haplitim, ‘Day of Refugees’ aka the actual Nakba, honoring the nearly 1,000,000 Jews who were forcibly expelled from Arab and Arab colonized lands after brave Jews liberated what was left, thanks to the British occupiers, (22%) of Israel.
Jews had lived across North Africa and across Arabia ( since the 6th century BC), Iraq (since the 8th century BC), were there before Arabs colonized North Africa, and helped shape the culture of those regions. Prior to Islam, Jews and the Pagan populations lived in great harmony without issue. All that changed when Islam was created.
Instead of thanking Jews for the vast contributions, Judean assets were stolen to the tune of billions of dollars after 1948. There was no UNRWA equivalent for actual Judean refugees (no Arab occupiers were refugees after the 1948 war as Jews did not kick them out (though should have) but left on their own accord to help Arab armies kill Jews faster and those who were forced, were pushed out by the Arab armies.
Israel absorbed all the Mizrahi refugees, coming back home, at great cost to the Israeli economy (the austerity years). Jews were even housed in tents across Ma’abarot camps across the nation.
So, when antisemites cry about the Arab occupier made up ‘nakba’ remind them of what actually happened to nearly 1,000,000 Judeans in the years following Israel’s liberation. Pogroms, forceful evictions, land and assets stolen; Jews hung in Baghdad. The same governments who had used Judeans to strengthen their countries then turned on their Judean citizens because the Judeans’ homeland was no longer under occupation, not due to the UN, but because Jews decided that 1,812 years of occupations was enough and after over 20 years of fighting the British, kicked them out through force and humiliation.
To register: https://tbtnisrael.com/zionism-education-class/ (Fall 2025 class begins this coming Tuesday, October 21st).
This is TBTN’s 8th class since launching the series in Winter 2023.This class is essential for anyone who truly wishes to combat antisemitic lies, effectively.