By Shmuel Rosner, JEWISH JOURNAL
Eliezer Tauber is an Israeli academic who specializes in the modern history of the Middle East. In the past decade, he dedicated a lot of time to writing a book about the so-called “massacre of Deir Yassin.” The result was a book arguing that there was no massacre in Deir Yassin. A detailed account of a fateful day, minute by minute, hour by hour. A convincing account. I’d be surprised to find any scholar whose familiarity with this event is more intimate. Tauber knows the names of everybody, he knows the time and the place where everybody was fighting, or hiding, or wounded, or killed.
What happened in Deir Yassin in April 9, 1948, became a seminal event of Israel’s War of Independence. This Palestinian village was located to the west of Jerusalem, and was attacked by Jewish fighters of the Irgun, one of Israel’s pre-state underground forces (the main force, Haganah, was the established force; Irgun was an opposition force, under the leadership of Menachem Begin).
The battle was bloody and many Arabs were killed, including women and children. It was followed by a propaganda campaign, claiming that what happened in Deir Yassin was a massacre. This campaign was very much responsible for the decision by many thousands of Arabs to flee their homes. Their decedents are today’s Palestinian “refugees.”
What really happened in Deir Yassin? Tauber is not the first scholar to argue that the large-scale massacre story is a myth. Professor Yoav Gelber, in “Palestine 1948: War, Escape and the Emergence of the Palestinian Refugee Problem,” makes a similar claim. Still, Tauber was more thorough than all of his predecessors in looking into this specific day of carnage. The result is a gripping narrative.
Was the massacre a myth? That depends on one’s definition of massacre.
Deir Yassin in Tauber’s account doesn’t depict a day of poorly organized battle, with confusion playing a role in making a bad day even worse. He counts one clear case of unjustified shooting. An Arab family evacuated a house in surrender. An Irgun fighter opened fire while his commander was shouting at him, “What are you doing? Stop it!” This incident, Tauber believes, gave credence to later overblown stories of larger-scale massacre, rape, mutilation and barbarity.
But the myth was perpetrated not because of confusion. It was a deliberate attempt by the Palestinian leadership to force the Arab militaries of surrounding countries to intervene in the battle over Palestine. The leaders of the Palestinians sowed a wind and reaped a whirlwind. More than convincing the Arab states to intervene (they eventually did), they convinced their fellow Palestinians to flee.
Why am I telling you this story? Because there is no other way for you — Americans — to know about it. Professor Tauber believed that his story would be of great interest to American publishers. He contacted university presses in the United States, and their response left him stunned. A representative of an elite university wrote back: “While everyone agreed on the book’s many strengths, in the end the consensus was that the book would only inflame a debate where positions have hardened.” Another one wrote: “We could sell well to the right-wing community here but we would end up with a terrible reputation.” Apparently, a book questioning the Palestinian narrative is not a book that American universities feel comfortable publishing.
One American media outlet found Tauber’s account worthy of a review: the online Mosaic magazine. The review rightly included the sober conclusion: “It’s hard to believe that Tauber’s book will put an end to the use of Deir Yassin for propaganda and political purposes. Myths take on a life of their own and historical facts are but background sets for them.” If you need any proof of that, just look at what an American publisher had to say about that review: “Of course Mosaic loved it, they tend to be to the right of Attila …”
Maybe.
Maybe Mosaic is to the “right of Attila.” Maybe Tauber is a right-wing hack. But what about his argument — the facts, the research? Is this a worthy contribution to the debate that will never end about Deir Yassin? As a reader of Tauber, and of all the many responses to his book and of many other books describing this event, I have no doubt that it is. Was the massacre a myth? That depends on one’s definition of massacre, and on having all the facts set straight. The facts that no one provides with as much detail as does Tauber (and yes, he is still looking for an American publisher).
Shmuel Rosner is senior political editor. For more analysis of Israeli and international politics, visit Rosner’s Domain at jewishjournal.com/rosnersdomain.
and even more recently, Tauber; but I tell you how I knew the author was a Professor somewhere before I even looked him up. When I tried to buy the book on Amazon (I couldn’t find it anywhere, maybe it’s only been published in Hebrew) I saw that all of his books were shockingly expensive. I remember that when I was a History Major in the 90’s, most of my books were around $50 a piece, the ones recentl written. There’s a Kindle edition of one for $57. The rest are around $80 or even one was over $200! The online summaries of the cost of a college education I saw didn’t have books as a separate category.
Eliezer Tauber – Prof. Bar. Ilan Univ.
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Eliezer-Tauber/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3AEliezer%20Tauber
Is Rabbi Ezriel Tauber somebody else?
His self help books are even more?? One is almost $700!!! And a paperback edition to boot (why am I thinking das boot? like, fiddling with the curtains on the titanic instead of saying, look, “Iceberg, iceberg.”)
https://www.amazon.com/Books-Rabbi-Ezriel-Tauber/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ARabbi%20%20Ezriel%20Tauber
Oddly enough, the first one says it’s by himself and himself, the first time without the Rabbi title.
Is this a joke, like the film, “Me, Myself, and I?, the Jim Carrrey film about a Rhode Island State trooper with a split personality whose rival for a girl’s affection is his other personality? Could this be a seen as a metaphor for Israel’s political splits? Not to mention World Jewry?
@ Sebastien Zorn:
That Jewish Virtual Library account is a very good one, and much like what I recall reading. I see that it was written comparatively recently, having quoted Begin from 1977, but particularly referring to the Arabs as “Palestinians” .(I don’t know why Jews perpetuate the Arab lies). On point was omitted, and that was that during the massacre of the poor doctors and nurses etc on the way to Hadassah Hospital, there was a British Army Unit in full sight only about 50 yards away which never moved to intervene, just stood and watched. Those mamzerim.
@ leonkushner:
Another thing I recall is that there were some Stern Group people there and some Hagana. It was co-ordinated with Hagana who conveniently pretended later they knew nothing about it and condemned the IRGUN. There was a lot of political manoeuvring (lying) going on too, and we all know that wherever Ben Gurion was he brought his hatred of Begin and IRGUN with him. So many lies were told about it that at this date, it’s nearly impossible to get the true facts. So we have to pick who we want to believe.
@ adamdalgliesh:
not the book but maybe the best available right now https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/2017/08/a-new-book-argues-that-a-massacre-never-happened-at-deir-yassin/
Can anyone help me to locate an English language version of this book? Although Rosner says that the author Eliezer Tauber is having difficulty finding an American publisher, he implies that an English translation exists. Perhaps an English translation has been published or self-published on the web, or perhaps the Israeli publishing house that published the original Hebrew version has now also published an English edition. If an English edition can be contacted, please inform me with a post or an email, Ted-or anyone who reads this site. Many thanks, Adam.
@ Edgar G.:
Found a good account here:
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-capture-of-deir-yassin
Includes Begin’s memoir as a source as well as referring to Tauber in the bibliography.
Mentions that even the New York Times didn’t consider it a massacre at the time. Does talk about the Arabs soldiers dressed in women’s clothing and how after most of the residents had been evacuated, those who remained and had surrendered then picked up arms again. Women also may have taken part in the fighting. It was a key military position in the defense of Jerusalem that had to be taken. The actions taken were justified.
My issue is different. As a person who has studied the myriad lies posited by Arabs who try to manipulate the masses using all kinds of devious methods even to the point of having film crews and actors posing as injured or dead innocent civilians killed by murderous Jews, I find it difficult to believe anything they claim. By their constant attempts to turn the world upside down, they have managed to eliminate anyone who seeks the truth to believe them.
So my point is sadly this: Tauber’s efforts to meticulously document and thus prove that there was no massacre of arabs at Deir Yassin falls on deaf ears not only by those left wing organizations who support Palestinians no matter what, but they also fall on dear ears by me and others like me who may or may not admit it. It’s doubtful that people like me would read his book since we wouldn’t believe that a massacre occurred there in the first place. Of course when we read the article above, none of us are surprised in the least. This is no different then the Jenin massacre hoax.
@ Sebastien Zorn:
I seem to recall that Katz wrote a detailed account of the fight, as did Menachem Begin. I have both books somewhere. As I recall there were exactly 100 Irgun fighters. They advanced to the village with a small truck and loudspeaker in advance calling out not to resist etc. The truck steering brought it sideays into a ditch. Whne the fighters advanced to the village a white sheet was hung out of the nearest window. Not expecting any resistance-they were, after all, about half composed of inexperienced boys not long off the boat, they came in openly, and then sudden fire began against them. In the first few minutes they suffered over 45% casualties, including their leader who was put completely out of the action. They encountered bitter resistance, and found Syrian soldiers dressed in womens’ clothing, , I can’t recall too much about the rest as it’s been a long time since I read about it.
But the “massacre” was no massacre, because they directed the bulk of the villagers towards a close-by village and started them walking away.
I have read that Deir Yassin was a battle not a massacre. There was something about how it started with a loud speaker which malfunctioned through which surrender was demanded. It was a long time ago I read this. I forget. The Arabs spread made-up stories of Israeli atrocities to incite fury but it had the opposite effect of making them flee.
Such cowards. When’s the last time you can recall any of them assaulting active duty soldiers. They always attack the helpless, the weak, including reservists on leave not expecting anything.
Bullies.
It’s probably in the Katz. I have to find it and look.
Why doesn’t he just self publish it on amazon?