‘And I overcame a Jew hater, somewhere in the mountains’ three versions of a hike and a fight with an Arab robber

Udi Carmi, Anat Kidron

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The need for a common memory creates a link between personal stories and the shared values of the nation’s citizens. Flamm’s story reflects an attempt to create such a link. In 1943, a group of hikers in the Galilee came upon an Arab who attempted to rob them at gunpoint. Joseph Flamm, the group’s guide and an amateur wrestler, fought the Arab, subdued him and killed him. A different version of the story of this incident came up every few years. Joseph Flamm, the story’s hero, played a major role in the attempt to paint the incident in nationalistic colours. His own involvement in publicizing and shaping the story enables us to examine the encounter between a personal attempt to enter the national collective memory and the political use that was made of the story. This article discusses the attempt to turn this criminal event into a national heroic event in the context of the Arab Israeli conflict. The later versions presented it as a tangible expression of national myths, among them scouting and knowledge of Israel’s geography, physical heroism and defending the homeland. The last version of the story was published in the 1970s, a period that signalled a change in the Zionist ethos. The Israeli public no longer showed interest in heroic stories such as Flamm’s. Therefore, despite attempts to revive the story and efforts to affix it in the collective memory, it eventually disappeared from the public eye.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)500-516
Number of pages17
JournalIsrael Affairs
Volume30
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • Arab-Israeli conflict
  • Galilee
  • Israel
  • Joseph Flamm
  • Mandatory Palestine
  • Yishhuv

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • History
  • Political Science and International Relations

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