"What harm can a book do that costs a hundred crowns? Twenty volumes folio will never make a revolution. It is the little pocket pamphlets of 30 sous that are to be feared..." Voltaire, quoted in The Wisdom of Voltaire

Presented here is a collection of flyers, posters and underground papers prepared mostly by Israeli Jewish anarchists, pacifists and radical leftists over the past thirty years. This collection encompasses ideas and opinions rarely allowed expression either in or outside of Israel. The flyers were never published in great numbers and rarely made it across Israeli borders due to the language barrier. Moreover, the established press and the authorities joined forces in trying to silence these ideas by preventing their distribution, discrediting them as treason or support for terrorism, and dismissing them as mere juvenile rebellion. Yet the underground press not only still thrives, its ideas are more widely accepted today.

Many may already be aware that a subculture of radical resistance has always existed within Israel. What they may not know is how much fun we agitators have had, how close we have lived to the edge, and how completely we have rejected the mental environment of our time. For us, all of Israeli society is like a rock: heavy and oppressive. We are the little insects that crawl around at night, conspiring to smash the rock – the desire to destroy it stays with us. Sneaking into closed offices at night to make photocopies, handing out our leaflets and then disappearing, finishing a paragraph and insisting that a comrade read it right away, passing a police officer that you know is looking for the person who must have done what you just did, and smiling with congenial agreement at the “peace protest monitor” whose instructions you would ignore five seconds later. These are some of the warm memories of which this book is made…these are the feelings on each page. The flyers presented here are more than agit-prop – they are reflections of cooperation between individuals, of spontaneous collectivism, and of creative and intellectual stimulation. More than anything, they are expressions of a desire to create something new. The writers, designers, editors and distributors of the materials presented in this collection all shared in the thrill of this subversive creativity. Things in Israel have changed somewhat and the isolation is not as complete as it was twenty – thirty years ago. This book is a celebration of youth, dreams, innocence and love. It is a celebration of the purity of purpose with which we hurled rocks at the sacred cows of our society.

Looking over the pamphlets, ‘zines, comic strips and poems, one might think that each generation had been passing the torch to the next. False. Generally speaking we have found ourselves “reinventing the wheel” with minimal input from our elders. At the same time there are elements of style, a certain ironic humor and issues of interest that carry over from one independent effort to another. Not one of us has been solely responsible for creating the culture of resistance in Israel – it exists everywhere and at all times. Each person’s contribution has been to energize and give expression to our rebellion with the means at their disposal. Given the small size of our community of objectors, our means of inducing change have been quite limited. Until recently ‘zines and leaflets were all that we had. None of the organizations run by “responsible adults” approved of us, and we weren’t numerous enough to hold large demonstrations or rallies. There has also been a tendency to quarrel amongst ourselves over theory and practice.

What we have continued to develop is a culture of resistance. This is in contrast to the more moderate political forces who see themselves as a kind of “loyal opposition.” From the start we realized that no one represented our views, our voices and discontents. We had to present them ourselves even though we were aware of the risk of distancing ourselves even more from the mainstream. Our activities have left in their wake greater political space for others who have since achieved a great deal in struggles for civil liberties, anti-Zionism, draft dodging and conscientious objection, unconditional solidarity with the Palestinians, animal rights and grassroots environmentalism. To this list we should add the popularity of both ‘zine culture and the punk/hardcore scene. Today there is much movement and networking between the different groups working on these issues. Draft resisters, direct action environmental campaigners, supporters of Palestinian human rights, animal rights activists, anarchists, communists and radical Buddhists all interact with ease. This, too, is part of our legacy in that we have tried to ensure that the emphasis remains on personal relationships within the community. After all, it’s the same fucking struggle. Along the way we have proven how invalid the predominant patterns of thought are, and that you don’t need to be a Palestinian to be opposed to Zionism, nor do you need to belong to a party to organize a revolution.

This collection fairly represents most of what was going on during each time period within our milieu. The dates on each page refer to the year the material first appeared and the book is organized roughly in chronological order. Influences from outside of Israel are noticeable, as many of the graphics have been reproduced and appropriated; however this does not render them unoriginal. Printing them in Israel gives them a whole new context and significance; these influences have contributed to the shaping of the Israeli radical scene. Much of the material reflects personal opinion of its producers and does not necessarily represent any organization. Production value, including grammar and punctuation, was never as important as getting the shit out and into peoples’ hands as quickly as possible. We have always thought that as we openly called for the divulging of official secrets, encouraged draft dodging, and agitated against our enemies from the state, our poor language skills would become less and less relevant. Maybe we was right.

Board of Directors

iT’s aLl LiEs

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