Unpacking Israeli History Holy Wars and Sacred Ground: Live from Atlanta with Yardena Schwartz
Mar 31, 2026
Yardena Schwartz, journalist and author of Ghosts of a Holy War, explores contested holy sites and hidden turning points in Israeli–Palestinian history. She highlights six pivotal but underknown moments shaping Al-Aqsa and Hebron. The conversation traces disinformation, religious identity, and how sacred places keep reappearing in political mobilization.
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Grand Mufti Appointment Shaped Palestinian Leadership
- Haj Amin al-Husseini's 1921 appointment as Grand Mufti centralized Palestinian leadership and set a pattern of incitement and disinformation.
- Yardenna Schwartz argues Herbert Samuel appointed him despite prior riots, and his rhetoric opposed any Jewish sovereignty, shaping later leaders like Yasser Arafat.
Kishinev Catalyzed Modern Zionist Urgency
- The Kishinev pogrom of 1903 crystallized Zionist urgency and accelerated Jewish migration and political action.
- Noam Weissman links Bialik's poem and the Uganda debate to how Kishinev convinced many Jews that sovereignty was necessary for safety.
Nebi Musa Riots Sparked Jewish Self Defense
- The 1920 Nebi Musa festival turned into anti-Jewish riots and exposed British inability to protect Jewish subjects.
- The riots prompted the formation of the Haganah and grassroots self-defense efforts led by figures like Jabotinsky.
