Begin's 'Chachachim' Speech Galvanized Likud Ahead of 1981 Election Victory
Translated & summarized from 0404 by baba
In June 1981, entertainer Dudu Topaz insulted Likud voters, calling them "chachachim." Three days before the election, Menachem Begin responded with a powerful speech, defending Mizrahi Jews and invoking fallen Etzel fighters. Begin's "Ashkenazi? Iraqi? Jews! Brothers! Fighters!" speech became a campaign symbol, and the Likud party went on to win the election.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Menachem Begin's 1981 speech, responding to Dudu Topaz, became a symbol of the election.
- Topaz insulted Likud voters as "chachachim" days before the 1981 Knesset elections.
- Begin defended Mizrahi Jews and invoked Etzel fighters Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barzani.
- The speech's climax was the phrase "Ashkenazi? Iraqi? Jews! Brothers! Fighters!"
- Begin mobilized Likud activists to spread his message across Israel.
- The Likud party won the 1981 election following the speech.
In June 1981, just three days before the 10th Knesset elections, entertainer Dudu Topaz mocked Likud voters at a rally, calling them "chachachim" (a derogatory term implying uncouthness) and claiming they had barely served in the army. His remarks were met with applause.
The following day, at a Likud rally in the same location, Menachem Begin delivered a sharp response. Begin accused Topaz's words of stemming from condescension towards Mizrahi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent).
At the climax of his speech, Begin invoked the memory of Etzel fighters Meir Feinstein and Moshe Barzani, one of European descent and the other an Iraqi Jew. Both were slated for execution by the British. Begin recounted how, on the eve of their deaths, they detonated a grenade to die together rather than be executed separately. He then uttered the phrase that became iconic: "Ashkenazi? Iraqi? Jews! Brothers! Fighters!"
The speech became a symbol of the 1981 election campaign. Begin used the controversy to mobilize Likud activists, urging them to call acquaintances nationwide and inform them of Topaz's remarks. The Likud party subsequently won the election days later in a historic political upset.