In the mid-1970s Esther and I embarked on a two-week
tour of Israel, not merely to see the sights, but to contact our
anarchist comrades publishing their organ Problemen. We also
wanted to contact Israeli settlers whom we already knew at
home. We felt that the trip was all the more necessary because
altogether too many comrades did not even know that there
were a few anarchist groups in Israel, much less an anarchist
publication there.

We immediately contacted the editor of Problemen, Joseph
Ludin, a prolific writer, himself an anarchist refugee from Poland.
Ludin and the comrades were most hospitable. "You are
most welcome to stay with us and save hotel bills." We spent
some time at Ludin’s home in Tel-Aviv where we were informed
about the situation in Israel and what our comrades were trying
to do. A little later we were escorted to the anarchist center in
Tel-Aviv, a good-sized hall with an impressive library of Hebrew,
Yiddish and a sprinkling of Russian and Polish literature, a well-equipped
kitchen and other conveniences.

It was at the center where we had the pleasure of meeting
Dina, the widow of the unforgettable Polish anarchist Eliesor
Hirshauge. Dina lived on the premises and took care of the hall.
She presented us with an autographed copy of Eliesor’s work,
The Anarchist Movement in Poland : Memoirs and Comments.
The little book is really a most important work, a primary
source which should be translated into English and other
idioms. Dina passed away a few years ago. The center was
closed and the books donated to libraries.

While in Israel we were anxious to meet F. Hochauser
Armony, listed in the directory as a "teacher of languages." I
greatly enjoyed reading his dispatches and articles in the Spanish
anarchist periodicals Solidaridad Obrera, CNT and other
anarchist journals. Armony was a talented and prolific writer
who, before coming to Israel, lived in Spain, Portugal, France,
Italy and other countries. He and his comrade, Simcha Hamburg,
now co-editor of Problemen, spent a few hours with us at
our hotel in Haifa. Armony was by no means an uncritical
Israeli patriot as were so many settlers, but he deeply deplored
the attitudes of many anarchists who, while rightfully condemning
Israeli nationalism and chauvinism, ignored the atrocities
committed by the Arab tyrants against their own subjects. We
mourned his death a few years ago.

We noted considerable interest in anarchism in student
circles manifested in conversations with students we met at the
universities in Haifa and in Tel-Aviv. Ludin, Dina and other
comrades informed us that the anarchist center was over-crowded
for the occasional discussion meetings. All the young
people we talked with violently denounced the outrageous conduct
of the fanatical orthodox Jews. In their attitude toward
women, their contempt for legal restrictions and traditional
conservative attitudes toward sex and parental authority, the
young Israeli rebels are just as, if not more advanced than the
young nonconformists elsewhere.

We came across quite a few Israeli imperialists who insisted
that Israel should by force of arms reconquer territories which
they claimed belonged to Israel thousands of years ago. However,
sentiment for peace was so intense that many Israelis
would gladly make peace even if further concessions had to be
made.

Although Israeli Arabs are entitled to the same legal rights
as other Israeli citizens, there are, unfortunately, many Israelis
who mistreat their Arab neighbors as "inferior" menials fit only
to do the low paid "dirty work" which nobody else wants.
They look upon the Arabs somewhat like American racists do
negroes. (The Jewish fascist Rabbi Kahane was lately elected to
the Israeli legislature, the Knesset.)

We felt better about all this when we visited the Jerusalem
studio of our old friend the artist Rohr whom we knew in New
York. Rohr is not an anarchist, but his tolerant humanistic attitude
impressed us. Rohr maintained that if Israeli Jews were
ever to attain good relations with the Arabs here in Israel, their
whole attitude toward them must change. They must adopt a
truly brotherly attitude toward their Arab neighbors in Israel,
learn to live together in mutual esteem and respect as equals.

Rohr did not merely preach, but lived his ideals. He conducted
his life in accordance with the noblest libertarian traditions
of the pioneers who built the Israeli kibbutzim. When
he made his periodic trips to the United States and other countries
to sell his paintings (we have a few) and deliver talks about
life in Israel, all the proceeds went, not to him, but to his
kibbutz. Unfortunately we could not accept his invitation
to visit his kibbutz. I do not know what happened to him or
to his family, but did hear that they suffered a number of
misfortunes.

THE ISRAELI ANARCHISTS

Problemen, the first bi-monthly periodical of the Israeli
anarchists whose first editor was the Russian Jewish anarchist
Abba Gordin (deceased), was originally published in both Yiddish
and Hebrew, the official language of Israel. I was told that
Problemen was no longer published in Hebrew, only in Yiddish,
which many, if not most, Israelis did not understand, because
there were not enough capable Hebrew anarchist writers and,
more importantly, that Problemen was really an international
periodical : the only surviving Yiddish language paper in the
world. In view of this, Problemen publishes cultural, historical,
literary articles and essays and news of common interest to the
former readers of the defunct Yiddish anarchist papers. Comments
on Israeli problems are usually found in the editorial
article. There is no official policy or formal statement of principles.
Important points are summed up in the following
extracts :

Everyone knows that by us in Israel there is no shortage of demagogues and liars. The government ruined the economy, spread chauvinism, reinforced the power of the clergy, sharpened the enmity between us and the Arab people.... we deplore the hypocrisy of the Israeli Labor Party. They blame the Begin government for everything, but they have themselves been guilty of the same crimes when they were in power.

We know from our own experience that politicians and diplomats
neither will, or can, ever achieve peace between nations. They find it
easier to make war than to make peace. A state of peace involves
understanding and agreement between peoples, not capitulation of
one parry to another. But peace is never made in good faith or without
ulterior motives. This is why it would he easier to conclude
peace with the Arab people than with their rulers. To achieve this we
must renounce ruling the Arab people in Israel, abandon our snobbish
attitude, and together with them live in brotherhood.

(In this connection we were impressed by the declaration of an
old settler in a kibbutz we visited that the pioneer settlers in
Israel were welcomed and assisted by their Arab neighbors
before, not after the Israeli state was established.)

As far as the eleventh election campaign of both the reactionary and liberal parties to the Knesset is concerned, we know full well that both these parties are ideologically bankrupt, without social vision. Their one aim is the conquest of power. Their party and personal interests are, for them, more important than the interests of the people. Neither one nor the other will solve the difficult problems facing Israel. Neither one nor the other has a constructive social program for the people ; obliterate the gulf between the few rich and the many poor or establish peaceful relations with the Arabs living in Israel. Neither one nor the other will, or is able to do away with the bureaucratic state apparatus ; end the shameful parliamentary intrigues which are for both blocs necessary to promote their political careers and secure for themselves well paid and privileged posts.

Especially tragic for the Israeli masses is the domination of the
minority of orthodox religious politicians over the majority of the
people. Their hooligans terrorize the non-religious citizens, stone
passing vehicles violating the Sabbath. They connive to obtain for
themselves the best well paying job in the state agencies, supporting
administrations that give them more. The religious politicians blackmail
both the liberal and reactionary parties to grant their demands
in exchange for their indispensable support in coalition governments.
All this, and more, is why even the most "liberal" parties are, for
their own self-interest, unwilling and unable to curtail the power of
the ultra-religious well-organized power bloc. This can only be
accomplished by organizing free non-party people’s clubs to protect
them from religious domination.

Unfortunately, the Israeli masses, the only ones able to break up
this criminal alliance between the powerful, all-pervasive governmental
bureaucracy, the military adventurers, the ultra-reactionary
clergy and the capitalists, are psychologically and educationally
unable to revolutionize Israeli society. As children they are already
indoctrinated to blindly obey their parents, their elders, their
"revered leaders." Later, they are taught never to question the
"revealed truths" hammered into their heads by their teachers and
their "superiors." They are taught that for "success in life" they
must conform to things as they are, to respect authority- never
revolt.

What has become of the libertarian grass-roots people’s movements
that flourished before the establishment of the Israeli state-
the communes, the settlements, the kibbutzim, the cooperatives,
the self-managed workers industrial and agricultural enterprises ?
. . . The constructive libertarian institutions are now becoming
increasingly corrupted by the cult of state centralization. Now, over
thirty years later, we see how heavy a price in freedom of action, in
loss of morale, in creativity, in self-management, the Israeli people
are paying for their submission to the state ; a swollen bureaucracy,
the continuing degeneration of the kibbutzim into de facto capitalist
enterprises with low-paid wage labor, private property, production
for profit and the other "blessings" of capitalism.

In spite of all this, the Israeli comrades are forced, like the
other tendencies, to accept the fact that Israel must be defended.
The day after the proclamation of the state of Israel
(15 May 1948) Assam Pasha, Secretary-General of the Arab
League, threatened that : "This will be a war of extermination
and momentous massacres like the Mongolian massacres and
the Crusades." In discussion with Israeli anarchists it was emphasized
that the unilateral dismantling of the Israeli state
would not at all be anarchistic. It would, on the contrary, only
reinforce the immense power of the Arab states and actually
expedite their plans for the conquest of Israel.

Israel is a tiny, impoverished land lacking the indispensable
military and economic resources to defend itself without
outside help. Its very existence depends upon the military,
financial and economic support of the United States, and, if need
be, its direct military intervention. It is to all intents and
purposes reduced to the status of a satellite subject to the control
of the United States.

Far from curtailing the concentrated power of the state,
the necessity for defense of Israel-freely acknowledged by our
comrades- depends upon putting into effect the indispensable
military, economic, legislative and social measures needed to
keep Israel in a permanent state of war preparation. Such war
preparations, instead of lessening, only accelerate the trend
toward despotism, the permanent characteristic of every state.
The Israeli anarchists (and they are not the only ones, the
non-anarchists too) know only too well that curtailing the power of
the state under such circumstances offers no real alternative.
But they do feel their moral obligation as anarchists to resist
as much as they can the growing despotism of the Israeli state.

Since "politicians and dictators" will not, and cannot in
good faith, conclude peace with Israel, it would not, as claimed
by Problemen, be at all easy, but actually impossible to
consummate peace with the Arab people. To achieve a true accord
and alliance with the Arab people, the Arab masses would have
to defy their rulers by refusing to obey their commands. This
the backward, fanatically religious Arab masses, who are by no
means more progressive and perhaps more reactionary than
their rulers, are not inclined to do. With relatively few
honorable exceptions, the majority of Arabs hate the "Israeli
invaders." Under such deplorable circumstances "peace and
brotherhood" between Arab and Israeli people is doubtless a
laudable but impractical proposal. But it is still their moral
obligation, as anarchists, to plant by word of mouth and by
example, that voluntary cooperation, mutual aid and solidarity
of all peoples in brotherhood must, and can eventually be
achieved.

There is no anarchist movement in Israel. If Joseph Ludin
could no longer edit the paper, there would be no one to replace
him and Problemen, the only anarchist paper in Israel, would
disappear. Yet the few aging comrades courageously continue to
propagandize the necessity for the disappearance of the state, to
be replaced by free local, provincial, national and international
federations and confederations of free peoples. They know, of
course, that our ideal cannot be realized in the foreseeable
future. But for them, the essence of anarchism as a living movement
of the people is to stimulate the spirit of revolt and influence
movements for the free society in an anarchistic direction.

This is a realistic policy. A small, but growing movement of
progressive workers, radical minded students and oppressed
feudal agricultural toilers in revolt against political-social-economic
despotism is, however faintly, beginning to emerge.
Many of these rebels (I met quite a few in American academic
circles on my tours) are receptive to anarchist ideas.

Iran is a good example. As I write these lines I read a
graphic report by the Iranian militant Alexander Bazarov in the
Canadian anarchist journal Srike ! (February 1985). The headline
"STRIKE WAVE SWEEPS IRAN : A CLASS RE-AWAKENS !" refers to a
month-long strike of twenty thousand
workers in the great iron industry of Ispahan. During the height
of the strike, the workers detained the management inside the
plants as hostages. This strike was by no means an isolated incident.
In the past six months there were a hundred spontaneous
rank-and-file workers’ strikes.

In another article in the Iranian bimonthly emigre journal
Ezane Azud (The Free Man) dedicated toward the spread of
anarchist ideas among the exiled Iranian community we are informed
that "The courageous individuals and groups both inside and
outside of Iran continue to organize for the overthrow
of religious autocracy."

We left Israel in the hope that the inspiring efforts of the
little band of comrades, struggling against such great odds, will
be encouraged and sustained.