#unpacked

The red triangle—once used by Nazis to mark political prisoners—has reemerged as a modern hate symbol. Revived by Hamas to identify Jewish civilian targets, its use is subtle to some, but unmistakably deadly to others. This resurgence endangers Jewish lives.

Hii!!! I'm super flattered - sadly I might not be the best person to ask, tbh: I definitely need to read more english writing on Israel, because I'm super sad to tell you that the major books and other resources on Israeli history I've read have all been in Swedish (without any English translations as far as I can see).

I will get back to you with a proper recommendation list at some point, bli neder, but for now I'll try to provide at least some other things that at least I've found very useful to check out:

Benny Friedman interviews are something I've found intensively valuable. He's hands down my favorite Israeli historian (so far). I haven't bought and read any of his books yet, but I will 100% recommend them anyway. He's one of the so called "new historians" who challenged a lot of narratives that permeate Israel's understanding on its own history - in particular the war of independence - and honestly grappling with the actual injustices Israel has committed against Palestinians (without becoming Norman Finklestein or Ilan Pappe - a.k.a. the types of sources you should stay miles away from). Recently he's focused more on Israel advocacy, given the state of things. I don't really have any particular video to recommend, so I'll pick this one.

For an academic historian available online who is more generally focused on jewish history overall (but has also made some great videos on Israeli history), there is Henry Abramson - his videos are very long and in depth, as opposed to content like Unpacked (>). His videos massively helped my deradicalization process, I can't really overstate how much. I can very much recommend this video.

Haviv Rettig Gur is a personal favorite resource, not so much on Israeli history specifically, but more contemporary issues. He's a journalist and a senior analyst at The Times of Israel, but I will always recommend his youtube channel to anyone and everyone. He's still taught me a lot about Israeli history and politics, and he's a pretty solid provider of good takes and information, and was one of the most important sources in my antizionist deradicalization. This video is really great, and as an aside this video was very improtant to me changing my mind on Israel.

Unpacked on youtube is an Israeli advocacy project that produces pretty good surface-level summaries on lots of Israeli history and contemporary politics and culture that I've used as surface introductions to many topics - in my experience their approach to historiography and Israel advocacy is pretty good at being nuanced without losing focus (They have an israeli history podcast too, I listen to it every once in a while!). They were particularly important to me starting to change my opinions on Israel, and I appreciate them for that. (I've linked their playlist on Israeli history.)

In the improbable case anyone who knows Swedish reading this, I'll still mention my favorite books and resources I've read so far (not including books about judaism more specifically)

1. Israel och hennes fiender by Bengt G Nilsson ("Israel and her enemies")

This book taught me pretty much everything I know about the swedish left and its antisemitism. It also includes lots Israeli history that have been incredibly insightful, and central to me deradicalising myself and changing my opinions regarding Israel. Bengt Nilsson is a journalist, which is the style of his writing, who was a figure in the swedish antizionist left for nearly 40 years (the guy even met Arafat), before he changed his mind and wrote this incredible exposé on the ugliness of the antizionist movement - specifically the Swedish one, but a lot of it can be applied to the western antizionist movement in general.

2. Den Vilda Rättvisan - judisk hämnd efter Förintelsen, by Kenneth Hermele ("Wild Justice - jewish vengeance after the Holocaust")

This one isn't really primarily Israeli history that much, but I'm still including it because of how important it is to me. It's taught me so, so much about modern jewish history and jewish nazi hunting and the "prosecutions of the nazis", the consequences of the Holocaust, and how jews processed and dealt with it - both positively and negatively. It goes into great depth on how judaism and jews have tackled the concepts of vengeance and justice historically. It does a great job talking about Israeli nazi hunting - like capturing Eichmann - and its responses to Islamist violence against jews - like Munich. If you are able to read this book you absolutely should (I would horrible things to get it translated). His precurser to this book is his book on jewish resistance during the Holocaust, which is nr 2 on my "to buy" list, and he's also written a book on Golda Meir, Ethel Rosenberg and Hannah Arendt.

Most of my knowledge about Israeli military history is a podcast by two Swedish military historians, but sadly they've only made a few episodes on Israel, it's not really their focus. But I'll still link if for any stray Suedis.

If anyone has book recommendations on Israeli history in english, please add them - I also want recommendations myself lol, so pretty please and thank you for any help

like Hell Yeah i wanna hear about your love of Boy Meets World, i’ve never seen it but boy howdy will i be invested in you telling me about it!! do i know anything about the deep lore behind midnight cowboy? no PLEASE tell me!!! do i Love classical music? no! will i listen to it because you love it? HELL YES AND IT MAKES MY LIFE RICHER!!!!

I LOVE MY FRIENDS and i love what they love and i love that they love it i cannot IMAGINE being neurotypical

Corvo has only just returned after months of being separated from his family. he only stepped off the ship, barely made it to the Tower, didn't even walk through the front door before he watched Jessamine be murdered. his luggage was probably still on the ship, all his dirty clothes, warm coats for Tyvia and light silks for Sekonos, his journal and maybe a spare weapon, the nice coat for when he is meeting up with the rulers of the different isles. the little gifts he most likely collected through his travels across the Empire, for Jessamine and for Emily and maybe some members of the Tower staff that he is fond of. did he bring back candy he loved as a child so that Emily could finally try them? where did his personal correspondence go?

what about Emily? she was taken and kept locked up in the Golden Cat, and we hear her mention her doll, but what other things were left behind? her favourite cup, the plants at her windowsill? her collection of drawings, and the notebooks she kept for her lessons, paints and music instruments that she was learning to play as every proper lady should? where are her favourite fairytale books now? her wardrobe, her favourite shoes, the little hair ornaments Jessamine would tuck into her hair for all the parties and balls?

and what of Jessamine? with no family to set away memorabilia, sort through her things, her diaries and notes and letters that were waiting for an answer? the private ones, that she kept hidden away so no one could read them but her? did she have a favourite tea blend that now sits abandoned in the Tower kitchens?