Udi Lebel - Politics of Memory: The Israeli Undergrounds Struggle for Inclusion in the National Pantheon and Military Commemoration

Politics of memory

Politics of Memory illustrates how a ruling dominant political party, the Mapai (Israeli Labor Party), under the leadership of Israel's first P.M. David Ben-Gurion, chose to hug, honor and commemorate Her Fallen and Her Bereaved Families, whilst simultaneously ignoring the fallen that were identified with the rival political party, Herut, led by Menachem Begin. Designing legislation and cultural policy designated for teaching the public that those who sacrificed themselves in the Israeli War of Independence were Hagana Members, one of three Israeli undergrounds movements, associated with Mapai specific ideological viewpoint. By that the Israeli state created political legitimacy and dominance for Mapai which was framed as the only political party which were involved with the struggle for national independence. Her fighters, battles and casualties became part of the collective memory and national ethos. This project was implemented by refusing to acknowledge the Other casualties of the Eztel and Lehi underground movements which were ideological identified with Herut Party. The state excluded their bereaved families from the wider official military bereavement circle and forced them to experience disenfranchised grief, with no access to official commemoration or to rehabilitative support. It was only after the Likud's (ex-Herut) victory in the 1977 elections that enabled P.M. Menachem Begin to correct this exile from national identity and to initiate the inclusion of his fighters and casualties to the military cemeteries, to the history books and to the state commemorations, as recognizing their families as part of the National Military Bereavement circles entitled to honors and support.

A thought provoking study about the dark side of the Israeli nation building era, Politics of Memory explores the politics of historiography, bereavement and military commemoration, and the confrontation over boundaries of national pantheon, examining the effects of these factors on Israeli national identity and politics.

With introductions by Moshe Arens, former Israeli Minister of Defense and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and by Yehiel Kadishai, P.M. Menachem Begin's chief of staff, this book will be of interest to students and scholars of Israeli history; military studies; memory and heritage studies; the study of loss and bereavement, and politics in general.

Udi Lebel is Senior Lecturer in Political Psychology and Political Science, Head of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the Ariel University Center and Researcher at the Samaria and Jordan Rift R&D Center, Israel. His research interests include; death and dying; cultural politics of loss and bereavement; politics of memory and commemoration and civil military relations.

Series Editor: Efraim Karsh
Kings College London

This series provides a multidisciplinary examination of all aspects of Israeli history, politics and society, and serves as a means of communication between the various communities interested in Israel: academics, policy-makers; practitioners; journalists and the informed public.