Amotz Asa-El's 'The Jewish March of Folly' stresses the importance of Jewish unity – interview

Amotz Asa-El's new book, "The Jewish March of Folly," argues that Jewish political leaders' misguided decisions, particularly internal divisions and civil wars, were significant factors in historical Jewish catastrophes, rather than solely divine punishment or external enemies. Drawing inspiration from Barbara Tuchman's "The March of Folly," Asa-El examines 12 civil wars across 12 centuries of ancient Jewish history, starting from the Book of Judges and concluding with the Roman destruction of Judea. He contends that a recurring theme of internal conflict weakened Jewish society, citing examples like the tribal war against Benjamin and Judah's abandonment of Samson to the Philistines. Asa-El also re-evaluates the destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria as a "forgotten Holocaust" due to its demographic impact. He suggests that post-catastrophe, a "trauma followed by denial" led to theological explanations rather than confronting political mistakes. Asa-El emphasizes that "It wasn't because of our sins. It was because of our mistakes – and not our mistakes, but our leaders' mistakes. Mistakes that we must not repeat." He draws contemporary parallels, criticizing the judicial overhaul for attempting to impose fundamental changes without broad consensus, contrasting it with earlier Israeli leaders who sought common ground.