Amotz Asa-El’s *The Jewish March of Folly*: A Historical Lens on Israel’s Political Turmoil

Amotz Asa-El argues that the Jewish people have long been prone to internal conflict and an aversion to decisive nation-building politics. Drawing on episodes from Moses to Albert Einstein, the work traces “dozen forgotten civil wars” spanning roughly twelve centuries, contending that these recurring patterns of “anarchism, tribalism, factionalism and fatalism” have shaped Jewish history and continue to influence modern Israel. The author frames the narrative conceptually rather than chronologically, moving from the ancient “Nation” phase through “Space” (the diaspora after the Second Temple’s destruction) to “Time” and “Psyche,” where he links historical fatalism to contemporary political dysfunction.

The Jerusalem Post

The book abandons conventional periodization, instead organizing its analysis into five parts: Nation, Anarchism, Space, Time, and Psyche. In the “Space” section, Asa-El describes the “Jewish Big Bang” that followed Rome’s destruction of the Temple, highlighting how exile forced Jews to develop skills for survival abroad while sidestepping governance. The final chapters argue that the atomic-age contributions of Jewish scientists represent another “Big Bang,” juxtaposing the Holocaust’s devastation with the creation of nuclear weapons. The narrative culminates with Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, which Asa-El presents as a reversal of the historic pattern of dispersion and defeatism.

The Jerusalem Post

Asa-El’s updated English edition, released after the judicial-reform crisis and the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, interprets these events as a modern echo of the historical cycles he describes. While praising Israel’s resilience and its high ranking on the World Happiness Index, the reviewer notes that the book’s post-October 7 analysis is brief and leans toward opinion rather than comprehensive assessment.

The Jerusalem Post

Amotz Asa-El is an American presidential historian, senior fellow in Zionist thought at the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) in Jerusalem, and a distinguished scholar of North American history at McGill University. He previously co-authored *250 Reasons to Thank America* and *The Essential Guide to the US-Israel Partnership, the 250th Anniversary Edition*. First published in Hebrew in 2019, the book became a bestseller and is now available in English on Amazon. Critics acknowledge its ambitious scope and compelling historical connections, even as they call for a deeper treatment of recent Israeli crises.

The Jerusalem Post