Shaping a Mobilized Culture: The 1936 Riots and the Hashomer Collection

Abstract

The Yishuv in Palestine paid a heavy price in blood during the 1936 Riots and as a result there arose a need to strengthen the spirit of a mobilized society, which served as the basis for the unity of the Yishuv. Against this background, two commemorative books were published in 1936 and 1938: The 1936 Riots and the Hashomer Collection. They were written by an elite group of authors on the Left and both focused on security and toil. The theme of The 1936 Riots was the ethos of the present while that of the Hashomer Collection was the myth of the recent past.

In this article, I examine the two books from various perspectives and investigate their role in reinforcing the culture of a mobilized society. I interpret the characters of the authors and their style of editing and in this way identify the values that the authors tried to convey to the readers and their methods of doing so. Three such values, namely settling the Homeland, work and defense, were considered to be the fundamental values of the mobilized Hebrew society. In addition, the article looks at the way in which the editors chose to present role models in the books. I will try to provide support for the claim that the books are an example of the way in which a mobilized society seeks to instill emotions. It will be argued that the objective of the books was to rebuild the resilience of the Yishuv in Palestine and to show the way forward for the mobilized Hebrew society in a time of crisis.