Shlomo Sand Professor of General History at Tel Aviv University Date of Birth: 10.09.1946 Country: Israel

1. The Early Years: Surviving the Holocaust and Emigrating to Israel
2. From Factory Work to Military Service
3. A Pivotal Encounter: Meeting Mahmoud Darwish
4. Political Activism: From Leninist to Anti-Zionism
5. Academic Career: Exploring History, Nationalism, and Identity
6. A Critical Voice: Political Commentary and Advocacy
7. Personal Life and Legacy

The Early Years: Surviving the Holocaust and Emigrating to Israel

Born in Linz, Austria, to Polish Jewish parents who had survived the Holocaust, Shlomo Sand spent the first two years of his life in a displaced persons camp in Germany. In 1948, his family moved to Israel, where they initially lived in an abandoned Arab house in Jaffa. His communist father worked as a courier and night watchman while his mother earned money as a cleaner. Both refused reparations from Germany on principle.

From Factory Work to Military Service

At the age of 16, Sand was expelled from school and started working in a radio factory. He also attended evening classes in electronics and joined the youth organization of the Israeli Communist Party. From 1965 to 1967, he served in the Israeli army, participating in the Six-Day War as a soldier in the "Jerusalem Brigade."

A Pivotal Encounter: Meeting Mahmoud Darwish

After his military service, Sand met the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who inspired him to question his place in Israel. This encounter sparked the famous poem "Soldier Dreaming of White Narcissus."

Political Activism: From Leninist to Anti-Zionism

Sand worked in various jobs before joining the radical anti-Zionist and anti-capitalist movement "Matzpen." He was repeatedly detained for distributing their materials but eventually left the group in 1970.

Academic Career: Exploring History, Nationalism, and Identity

Sand began his academic career as a historian of ideas, eventually expanding his research to intellectual history, political and social history, and the relationship between cinema and history. His current work focuses on nationalism and the history of national identities.

A Critical Voice: Political Commentary and Advocacy

Sand is a regular contributor to political newspapers, publishing critical articles from a left-wing perspective on Israeli government policies. He is also a professor of history at Tel Aviv University and the École des hautes études en sciences sociales in Paris.

Personal Life and Legacy

Sand is married and has two daughters, Edith and Liel. His post-Zionist views have sparked controversy, but he remains a respected and influential figure in Israeli historiography and political thought.