L IFESTYLE /C ULTURE
‘Upheaval’ Captures Menachem Begin’s Essence
FI L M
ANDY GOTLIEB | JE MANAGING EDITOR
IF “UPHEAVAL: Th e Journey
of Menachem Begin” had
been a Netfl ix-commissioned
documentary, we’d be subjected
to six one-hour episodes with
countless repetition, speculation
and other means of fi ller.

And considering that it now
takes Hollywood nearly three
hours to tell the back story of
Spiderman, Batman or even
the third-tier superheroes,
“Upheaval” is a breath of fresh air.

Clocking in at a spare
one hour and 26 minutes,
“Upheaval” smartly tells the
epic life story of the seminal
Israeli leader. Director Jonathan
Gruber eff ectively mixes new
interviews, with notables such
as former Israeli ambassadors
to the United States in Michael
Oren and Ron Dermer, and news
footage with archival accounts
of Begin’s (and Israel’s ) history
with no wasted motion.

“Upheaval” begins with a
montage of accounts of recent
antisemitic attacks around the
world as a way to show that
Begin’s lifelong struggle to provide
security for Jews continues today.

That theme continues
18 JUNE 3, 2021
Menachem Begin speaking before a crowd from the Northern
settlements at a ceremony held near the “Lion” Memorial at Tel Chai.

Menachem Begin at his fi rst meeting with Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat at the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

through the fi lm’s fi nal moments.

“Begin’s Israel is an Israel of
proud Jews who are not going
to take antisemitism any more,
but are going to unite and fi ght,
and that’s a power lesson from
Begin’s life,” former vice presi-
dential nominee and U.S. Sen.

Joseph Lieberman said.

Gruber follows a conven-
tional chronological format in
detailing Begin’s career.

Born in Brest, Belarus,
Begin’s Zionism is established at
an early age when he meets Ze’ev
Jabotinsky, who espouses the
love and need for a Jewish state.

Begin soon leads Betar, a Zionist
a bit more depth — even 10
minutes — would have been
helpful. As you’d expect, Begin’s upset
1977 election as leader of the
Likud Party and the subsequent
peace talks with Egypt occupy a
signifi cant chunk of the movie.

While those events are
familiar and well-documented,
the fi lm’s account is far from
rote, with archival footage
conveying a lot of meaning in
short snippets.

“Th e real prize is peace itself,”
Begin says over the telephone to
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat
while discussing their winning
of the Nobel Peace Prize.

At perhaps the height of his
powers, Begin establishes the
Begin Doctrine — sort of a
“do unto others before they do
unto you” — in 1981 with the
bombing of Saddam Hussein’s
unfi nished nuclear reactor.

“Israel has nothing to apolo-
gize for,” Begin defi antly said.

“We decided to act now before
it’s too late.”
Unfortunately for Begin, the
beginning of his end was near.

Th e 1982 Lebanon War became
his Waterloo (or Vietnam).

While Minister of Defense
Ariel Sharon is oft en blamed for
extending the confl ict far beyond
its original scope — and for the
Israel Defense Forces not doing
enough to prevent the Sabra
and Shatila massacre — Begin
Courtesy of Abramorama / Chananya Herman. 3/16/81
youth movement Jabotinsky
founded. Around the same time, he
meets Aliza Arnold, who he
marries at 19. She becomes the
rock in his life.

During World War II, Begin
is arrested for “Zionism,” as he
describes it, and, without being
tried, ends up in a Siberian
gulag. He gets a reprieve of
sorts when Germany invades
Russian, as he’s conscripted to
fi ght the Nazis.

Upon arriving in Palestine
in 1942, Begin immediately
begins to chafe against the
British mandatory government,
proclaiming a revolt two years
later and going underground.

Th e fi lm continues through
events leading to Israel’s 1948
founding, exploring the confl ict
between the more hardline
Begin and his rival, Israeli
founder and fi rst Prime Minister
David Ben-Gurion, who was
more conciliatory.

Begin didn’t want to accept
reparations from Germany, but
Ben-Gurion thought the money
would help build for Israel —
and wins that battle.

If there’s any drawback to
the fi lm, it’s at this point, which
largely skips over the next 29
years, noting that Begin spent
that time in the opposition,
largely with the Herut party
he formed. Granted, more
important moments await, but
JEWISH EXPONENT
Courtesy of Abramorama / Photographer Ya’acov Sa’ar. 4/25/79
took responsibility, as well as the
political hit.

Between that and his wife
dying in November 1982 while
he was away on a visit to the
United States, Begin was never
the same. Plagued by depression
and his own health issues, he
resigned in August 1983, staying
mostly secluded until his death
at 78 in 1992.

While Begin earned his
reputation as a hardliner, the
fi lm reminds us that nothing
is ever as simple as it seems,
pointing to his willing-
ness to transfer control of
the Sinai as a way to broker
peace with Israel, as well as
his advocacy for inclusiveness
that included Israeli Arabs and
his support for the immigra-
tion of Ethiopian Jews, Russian
Jews and the Vietnamese boat
people. Ultimately, his goal was
the same as nearly everyone’s
else’s: peace
“Peace is the beauty of life. It
is sunshine. It is the smile of a
child. Th e love of a mother. Th e
joy of a father. Th e togetherness
of family ...” he said.

The virtual premiere of
“Upheaval” is at 8 p.m. on June
7 with a Watch Now @ Home
cinema release on June 9. Visit
upheavalfi lm.com for details. ●
agotlieb@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0797
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM