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Samson the Nazerite, Ze’ev Jabotinsky (1927)

A political parable for the ages

by
Liel Leibovitz
September 17, 2013

The Zionist leader was also a brilliant novelist whose take on the biblical story of Samson is rich with blood and lust. But given the author’s identity, the book, while hugely entertaining, never strays far from political parable. As it draws to its end, the blind and defeated Samson has this advice for the Israelites as they once again face their sworn enemies: “they must get iron; they must choose a king; and they must learn to laugh.”

Liel Leibovitz is a senior writer for Tablet Magazine and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.

Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and a host of its weekly culture podcast Unorthodox and daily Talmud podcast Take One. He is the editor of Zionism: The Tablet Guide.