Peace or War For Book Publishing & Jews?

 

 

Anger.
Sadness.
Fear.
Hate.

Israel and Jews worldwide have been feeling these things since the barbaric terrorist attack that was perpetrated by Hamas on October 7th.

Many Jews may want revenge, but more importantly they want safety and need security. A solution is needed on the fate of Palestinians, too, but no matter what, Hamas needs to no longer be a functioning entity. And its need to exist must disappear.

A swift and strong response to terrorism is always needed. Unfortunately, it will yield the unleashing of more cycles of violence. Deaths, injuries, and communal destruction of the innocent non-soldier Palestinians, when mixed in the carnage that Hamas deservedly suffers, makes for a mess that damns another generation to fight out the animosities of generations past.

In moves indoctrination, unawareness of other facts, radicalization… and Hamas 2.0 is born of the survivors and children of those lost as a result of collateral damage. To save many good people — whether Jews or Palestinians— the bad must be hunted and killed. But this means innocents and innocence die too.

When will we see the return of these?

Love.
Happiness.
Trust.
Hope.

Mix them in with an open mind, a strong moral compass, empathy, and exposure to other views, peoples, and experiences, and we can eventually have a prevailing cycle of tolerance, friendship, and peace.

For this moment not to repeat itself, Israel must fight the war to end all wars in the Middle East. They are acting as the police, tracking down criminals, and seeking to stabilize things. But in the process of achieving this, it will first get uglier.

Jewish people have succeeded wildly beyond their numbers if you look at combined wealth, the level of jobs and positions they have held, and the contributions they have made to society — inventors, surgeons, lawyers, entrepreneurs, philanthropists. Not braggin’, just sayin’. But as true as one may find that statement, it is also true that no one group has been attacked more often in more places for longer than they. Neither one can be easily explained — and for both to be true just breaks the longest of odds.

The book industry has a disproportionate number of Jews, from its authors  and publishing executives, to its literary agents and bookstore owners. Even to its consumers.

In America, we are moving from tolerance and acceptance of the Jews,  to opposing anti-Semitism and to now fighting a war alongside them.

The US used to see itself as a broker of peace and a financial supporter of Israel, the lone Middle East democracy. Now it is on the brink of literally fighting side by side with Israel.

Folks, we are at the precipice of two tipping points, and we may be on course for something that could rival or dwarf the 9/11 hysteria, chaos, anger, and fear. This not only causes a great unrest and disturbance to life in America, but it greatly impacts the news media cycle, social media interactions, and even what gets published.

Will Books Survive A War On Terror?

The war and protests have already landed in Israel and it is starting to unfold here, in America. What is worse, America is not fully united. Over the last decade, it seems like an already-divided nation became more polarized and extreme.  There is infighting in both major political parties and most Americans do not want a Trump-Biden choice for 2024.

Our streets feel a little less safe these days. Whether it is rampant inner-city crime and streets held hostage by homeless people, including violence from the mentally ill, Americans are not feeling so secure. Now we have the Israel-Hamas War, one that could easily escalate into a regional battle that could involve widescale US military troops against multiple nations or terrorist groups.

Protests across cities and campuses are ramping up acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Arab hatred.  The news media cycle is non-stop about the war fought abroad and at home. National and local news media outlets rightfully cover this, but books suffer as a result.

Will the war on Jews be won through a war of propaganda? It will be up to our books to make sure history is recorded properly while alternate ways of putting things into sane perspectives are desperately needed.

Books alone may not get us to peace in the Middle East— but they can help inform, inspire, and enlighten people on the issues. Book publishing needs to lead the way and lead in the information wars, to ensure facts and reason defeat lies and lunacy.

On the three-month anniversary of the worst single-day attack on Jews anywhere in the world since the Holocaust eight decades ago, may we pray for peace — and for the civilized education of all on the fight for the survival of Jewish people. 

Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with 3.6 million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2024. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This award-winning blog has generated over 3.6 million pageviews. With 4,800+ posts over the past dozen years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” For the past three decades, including 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and director of publicity positions at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler. He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.