With the recent surge in terror attacks in Israel over the past few weeks (the highest rate since 2006) and the global threat of a nuclear Iran, I cannot stress enough the importance of reading a contemporary masterpiece that I came across a few weeks ago.
The Bloody Price of Freedom by Richard D. Heideman traces the battles that the democratic State of Israel has had to endure since its existence as a legally sanctioned establishment in 1948. Heideman emphasizes that since the emergence of the modern Zionist movement in the 19th century, the idea of the reestablishment of the Jewish national home in its ancient land and Birthright has been under constant assault.
The book educates the reader on the war that the Jewish people have had to fight on all fronts, whether it be the war on terror or the war of public opinion.
To understand why this critically important book was originally written, you need to know who the author is and what drove him to write it. Heideman is a highly acclaimed attorney based in Washington who represents American victims of terror and their families. He has made it his life’s mission to defend the Jewish people, has been involved in Holocaust-era assets litigation, and has submitted filings in support of Israel and the Jewish people at the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Polish Constitutional Tribunal and the US Supreme Court.
Heideman’s communal leadership has included serving as president of B’nai B’rith International, chair of the Institute for Law and Policy at the Hebrew University Faculty of Law, chair of the US Holocaust Memorial Museum Lawyers Committee and he has served as the president of the American Zionist Movement. His expertise has been widely recognized, and he has been invited to testify before the US Congress. Richard cochairs the Israel Forever Foundation with his wife, Phyllis, and is proud to work closely in the pursuit of justice with their three daughters, Stefanie, Elana, and Ariana and his sons-in-law Ben Brodske and Joseph Tipograph Esq. (who added invaluable insight and research assistance for this book as well). Heideman is passionate about his life’s work as he fights the good fight for the Jewish people.
The book starts off by analyzing the insidious attacks, slander and false worldwide propaganda, the economic, academic and boycott attempts (such as BDS), and the misapplication of law that the biased UN have deliberately used against Israel. Among some of the main areas that the book focuses on are the evolution of anti-Zionist boycotts targeting the denial of Jewish self-determination, beginning with the Arab League’s attacks upon Israel immediately upon Israel’s establishment. This includes using the UN as a factory producing antisemitic propaganda in the form of anti-Israel resolutions. There is poisonous dialogue surrounding the Arab/Palestinian conflict that the book exposes, and the false narratives (such as the Jewish people stole the land of Israel from the Palestinian Arabs, which is historically false), and use of those falsehoods in an attempt to delegitimize Israel.
The book goes on to look at other conspiratorial efforts by looking at the ICJ Advisory Opinion concerning Israel’s construction of a terrorism-prevention fence, and misleading references of their opinion in legal and non-legal forums. This variant of antisemitism affects both Israel and the Jewish community worldwide, in which every country in the world is allowed to protect its borders. Why can’t Israel be protected from terrorists illegally coming through the border? The book presents a strategy toward eliminating the anti-Israel/antisemitic initiative by outlining the US government’s efforts to date to combat the false and deliberate boycotts by proposing innovative antidotes that can be used as an alternative to help fight antisemitism.
Finally, the book discusses the historic breakthroughs that were made between Israel and her Arab neighbors, the UAE and Bahrain, which both signed agreements with Israel under the presidency of Donald Trump and his administration. This has led to an interest of even further dialogue that has spanned across Arab countries including Oman, Chad and Saudi Arabia, all of which have shown an interest in having a more public and normalized relationship with Israel as well.
Since the original and historic peace agreements between Israel and Jordan, the Palestinians time and time again have rejected peace and have blamed Israel for their self-inflicted problems. To conclude, if you love Israel and believe in fighting antisemitism and terror, then buy this book today as we fight on a daily basis for the protection of the nation of Israel. ■
The writer received his undergraduate degree in business (cum laude) from Yeshiva University and his MBA with double distinction from Long Island University. He is a financial adviser who resides in New York City, and is involved in Israel-based and Jewish advocacy organizations.