Guerrilla Tarbut
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Guerrilla Tarbut () is an
activist Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...
group of Israeli poets. Founded in 2007, the group aims to promote social and political causes through poetry, both in
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
and in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
, performed by its members during demonstrations against social injustice.


Activities

Guerrilla Tarbut's activities take a form which is somewhere between a demonstration, and a poetry reading using a
megaphone A megaphone, speaking trumpet, bullhorn, blowhorn, or loudhailer is usually a portable or hand-held, cone-shaped horn (acoustic), acoustic horn used to amplifier, amplify a person's voice or other sounds and direct it in a given direction. ...
. The poets involved with Guerrilla Tarbut's activities read of their works during demonstrations. Sometimes singer-songwriters will attend also, and perform live during the activities in various musical styles. Although independent by nature, many of the group's activities are sponsored by Israeli poetry magazines, and coordinated with Israeli
non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
s, including B'Tselem,
New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund (NIF; ; ) is a United States–based NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil society ...
, and the
Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition The Mizrahi Democratic Rainbow Coalition () is a social justice organization among Mizrahi Jews (Jews from Arab and Muslim lands and the East) in Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, ...
. Participants include poets and musicians of various ages and artistic styles, Jews and Arabs alike.


Publications

Guerrilla Tarbut's poets have also published three collections of their poems. The first collection, named ''Aduma'' (), was published 1 May 2007 and concerned with workers' rights. The second collection, ''Latzet!'' (), was published in January 2009 as a response to the
Gaza War The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
. The third, ''Poetry Dismantles A Wall'' (), was published on 25 March and was a bilingual collection of Arabic and Hebrew poetry against the
Israeli West Bank barrier The West Bank barrier, West Bank wall or the West Bank separation barrier, is a separation barrier built by Israel along the Green Line (Israel), Green Line and inside parts of the West Bank. Israel describes the wall as a necessary securi ...
.


Participants

Poets who have taken part in Guerrilla Tarbut's events include: Eran Tzelgov, Aharon Shabtai, Yudit Shahar, Roy "Chicky" Arad, Mati Shemoelof, Ronny Someck, Yuval Ben-Ami,
Joshua Simon Joshua Simon (; born 1979, Tel Aviv) is a curator, writer, publisher, cultural critic, poet, filmmaker and public intellectual. He currently lives in Philadelphia. In 2024, Simon curated a seminal art project in Vienna Secession titled SLIM Pri ...
, Maya Bejerano, Almog Behar,
Vaan Nguyen Vaan Nguyen (; born Nguyễn Thị Hồng Vân; April 18, 1982) is an Israeli poet, actress, journalist and social activist. Early life Nguyen is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees, who were part of a group called the Vietnamese boat people. ...
, Bo'az Yaniv, Ronnie Hirsch and others.


Past events

* The Waitress' Poetry (December 2007) Solidarity with the waitresses of a coffee-shop in Tel Aviv University, protesting against the management's policy to appropriate their tips to itself. * Polgat Poetry (April 2008) Solidarity with workers of a closed textile factory in the city of
Kiryat Gat Kiryat Gat () also spelled Qiryat Gat, is a city in the Southern District of Israel. It lies south of Tel Aviv, north of Beersheba, and west southwest of Jerusalem. In it had a population of . The city hosts one of the most advanced semicondu ...
. * The Poetry of Science (December 2008) Solidarity with temporary workers of the "Science Garden" in the
Weizmann Institute of Science The Weizmann Institute of Science ( ''Machon Weizmann LeMada'') is a Public university, public research university in Rehovot, Israel, established in 1934, fourteen years before the State of Israel was founded. Unlike other List of Israeli uni ...
, in
Rehovot Rehovot (, / ) is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. In it had a population of . Etymology Israel Belkind, founder of the Bilu (movement), Bilu movement, proposed the name "Rehovot ...
. * Akirov Poetry (January 2009) An event in front of Akirov Towers in Tel Aviv, exclusive residence of Israeli Defense Minister
Ehud Barak Ehud Barak ( ; born Ehud Brog; 12 February 1942) is an Israeli former general and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister from 1999 to 2001. He was leader of the Israeli Labor Party, Labor Party between 1997 and 20 ...
, during operation
Cast Lead Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William ...
. * The Poetry of the Closed University (May 2009) Solidarity with workers of the
Open University of Israel The Open University of Israel (, ''Ha-Universita ha-Ptuha'') is a distance education, distance-education university in Israel. It is one of ten public universities in Israel recognized by the Council of Higher Education (CHE). Open University ...
, who had gone on a strike, in front of the university president's home in
Kfar Saba Kfar Saba ( ), officially Kfar Sava , is a List of Israeli cities, city in the Sharon plain, Sharon region, of the Central District (Israel), Central District of State of Israel, Israel. In 2019 it had a population of 110,456, making it the 16th-l ...
. Despite police efforts to ban it, the event took place as planned. * The Poem of the Refugees' Daughters (August 2009) A protest against the Israeli government's intention to deport children of labour immigrants and refugees, near an Immigration Police facility in an industrial area near the city of
Holon Holon (, ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the Gush Dan, Gush Dan metropolitan area. In , it had a population of , making it the List of cities in Israel, tenth most populous city in Isra ...
. * Poets Against Big Brother (November 2009) A protest against a proposition to establish a biometric database of all Israeli citizens, in front of Israeli government offices in Tel Aviv. * Poetry Not Walls (December 2009) Poetry reading near the
Israeli West Bank barrier The West Bank barrier, West Bank wall or the West Bank separation barrier, is a separation barrier built by Israel along the Green Line (Israel), Green Line and inside parts of the West Bank. Israel describes the wall as a necessary securi ...
in
Abu Dis Abu Dis or Abu Deis () is a Palestinian village in the West Bank, in the Jerusalem Governorate of the State of Palestine, bordering Jerusalem. Since the 1995 Oslo II Accord, Abu Dis land has been mostly part of " Area B", under Israeli military ...
, Eastern
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, in cooperation with B'Tselem. * The Poetry of Yeruham (January 2010) Solidarity with workers of the Akerstein tile factory in the city of
Yeruham Yeruham () is a local council (Israel), town in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel, in the Negev desert. It covers , and had a population of in . It is named after the Hebrew Bible, Biblical Jeroham. Until early 2011 th ...
, in their struggle to improve working conditions and gain management recognition for their own self-elected worker's union. * The Poetry of Ramla-Lod (May 2010) Solidarity with the people of the unrecognized Arab village Dahmash, in the outskirts of
Ramla Ramla (), also known as Ramle (, ), is a city in the Central District of Israel. Ramle is one of Israel's mixed cities, with significant numbers of both Jews and Arabs. The city was founded in the early 8th century CE by the Umayyad caliph S ...
, campaigning for government recognition and basic facilities. * Pirates' Poetry (May 2010) A protest against the IDF raid on the
Gaza flotilla Gaza flotilla or Gaza Flotilla may refer to: * Gaza Freedom Flotilla, 2010 aid flotilla from Cyprus to Palestine ** List of participants of the Gaza flotilla ** Gaza flotilla raid Ships of Gaza flotilla raid, Six civilian ships of the Ga ...
, in front of the Israeli Defense Ministry. * The Poetry of Sheikh Jarrah (June 2010) Solidarity with Arab residents of
Sheikh Jarrah Sheikh Jarrah (, ) is a predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in East Jerusalem, north of the Old City, on the road to Mount Scopus. It received its name from the 13th-century tomb of Hussam al-Din al-Jarrahi, a physician of Saladin, located ...
neighborhood in
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
, in their struggle against eviction and dispossession. * Poetry of the Minimum (July 2010) A protest against the Israeli government's indifference to the economic inequality in Israeli society, evident in the
Knesset The Knesset ( , ) is the Unicameralism, unicameral legislature of Israel. The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President of Israel, president and Prime Minister of Israel, prime minister, approves the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet, and supe ...
's decision to refrain from raising
minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...
, while voting for a raise in the salary of the ministers and PM's themselves. In front of the
Bank of Israel The Bank of Israel (, ) is the central bank of Israel. The bank's headquarters is located in Kiryat HaMemshala in Jerusalem with a branch office in Tel Aviv. The current governor is Amir Yaron. The primary objective of the Bank of Israel is to ...
's building in Tel Aviv. * Poetry of the Bedouins (August 2010) in the unrecognised Bedouin village of Al-Araqeeb, protesting its repeated demolition by Israeli authorities and calling for a fair resolution to the land dispute surrounding it, as well as other unrecognised villages.


Ideology

The group doesn't subscribe to a particular political manifesto, nor is it associated with any political party or movement. Similarly, the participating poets employ various poetical styles.


Critical commentary and response

The group's activities draw significant attention in the Israeli mainstream media, and in literary circles.
Yitzhak Laor Yitzhak Laor (; born in 1948) is an Israeli poet, author and journalist. Biography Yitzhak Laor was born in Pardes Hanna. Literary and journalism career He is the author of ten volumes of poetry, three novels, three collections of short stories, ...
, prominent leftist poet and publicist, argued that poetry cannot bring about change, and "teaching literature in the periphery is more important than reading poetry in front of a factory". Elsewhere, Mr. Laor hinted that Guerilla Tarbut's activity "has emptied the term Guerrilla of all meaning". Some poets object to the mixture of poetry and political activism, claiming that this mixture is "
narcissistic Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive preoccupation with oneself and one's own needs, often at the expense of others. Narcissism, named after the Greek mythological figure ''Narcissus'', has evolv ...
", and self-serving for the poets themselves. The group members, on the other hand, point out that less than a week after the poetic demonstration in the Akerstein factory in Yeruham, the hard-liner local executive was fired and some of the workers' demands were accepted. Similarly, following the demonstration in the coffee-shop in Tel Aviv, the waitresses' demands were fully granted. Each and every event gained valuable publicity for the corresponding campaign. Moreover, as one of the striking Akerstein's employees put it: " uerrilla Tarbut's visitis empowering us in our struggle, it raises our spirits."


References


External links


Guerrilla Tarbut's homepage (English)

"The Poetic Science of Resistance", JVoices.com
{{Authority control Human rights organizations based in Israel Protest tactics Political art