JVL Introduction

Leon Rosselson, as this book’s blurb reminds us, has been at the forefront of songwriting in England for over sixty years. He started his performing career in the early days of the folk revival, began writing songs seriously (and humorously) in the early 1960s and has yet to stop.

And all the while being a committed socialist, a  democrat, an activist and agitator, performing on the road in the UK and worldwide.

Here he reflects on a long and productive life, on songs and words, and on love and politics besides. Long may he continue.

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi reviews his book, available in England from Hive here (there really is no need to use Amazon…)

Where Are The Elephants?

By Leon Rosselson

PM Press 2023, Oakland CA.

Reviewed by Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi

This is a gem of a book from Leon Rosselson, singer, composer, writer of children’s stories and angry, beautiful song lyrics, class warrior and merciless critic of Israel and Zionism. Its modest 162 pages range over a wide variety of themes emerging from his nearly nine decades on this planet – his father’s dogged commitment to the Soviet Union, the role of folk music in the class struggle, the relative merits of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, Jacques Brel and George Brassens, the Labour Party’s love affair with Israel, Leon’s encounters with that country and its people, his long career as a politically engaged writer and performer of meticulously crafted songs.

The book includes an interview with long-time collaborator and fellow performer Robb Johnson, who describes what he calls “Rosselsongs” – “asking awkward questions, with Leon’s characteristic blend of wit and anger, tenderness and intelligence.” The same could be said of “Where are the Elephants?”, described in the back-cover blurb as “fierce and funny.” But neither description does it justice. Leon’s writing is often laugh-out-loud hilarious. At other times it is moving and reflective. It combines trenchant political critique with historical analysis – of the British labour movement, the origins of the state of Israel, antisemitism and Theodor Herzl’s Zionist vision, the birth of Christianity, the defeat of the Corbyn project and much more.

So we learn of “an outbreak of zionusitis” afflicting airline passengers confronted with a menu that included ’Palestinian Couscous Salad.’ Their disease was so contagious that the offending P word had to be deleted from the menu. Leon writes: “The source of this illness has been traced to a small self-styled democracy somewhere in the Middle East which calls itself Israel and claims to be Jewish. Whatever that means.”

He was devastated by the Labour’s 2019 general election defeat and remains outraged at the subsequent attempts to erase any trace of the hopeful Corbyn project from Party. He is critical of concessions made such as accepting the IHRA definition of antisemitism and contemptuous of the new leader who has described himself as “a Zionist without qualification”.

In discussion with Robb Johnson, he reflects on his journey towards understanding song and singing “as an uplifting experience, an expression of solidarity  and a way of sharing stories and raising political awareness.”   It all began with the school scouts singing Ging Gang Goolie round a campfire. “That we were singing gibberish in no way lessened the feeling of being elevated.” In the Zionist youth movement, Hashomer Hatzair, he experienced an excited feeling of togetherness singing Israeli songs about driving south through the desert to Eilat, not realising that they were celebrating the theft of Palestinian land.

Later he discovered the power of song that enthused the Industrial Workers of the World in early 20th century America with hope and courage – a tradition sadly lacking in the English (though not the Scottish or Irish) labour movement. There was something of a revival of political songs in the 1990s, amidst the turmoil arising from the collapse of the Soviet Union and the bleak era of Thatcherism. Leon collaborated with Reem Kelani, Grace Petrie, Peggy Seeger and others to form the Anti-Capitalist Roadshow, aiming “to spark an uprising that would overthrow capitalism and usher in that kind, peaceful society we had long dreamed of. Alas the power of song has its limits.”

Leon’s portrait of Israel’s founders and those who continue to support what he calls “a psychotic state” is merciless. After cataloguing some of the worst atrocities of the 1948 Nakba, he quotes a debate among ministers of the new Israeli state in which one said, “This is something that determines the character of the nation.…Jews too have committed Nazi acts.” Finally, Leon says, “it was decided that, in order to preserve Israel’s image, nothing should be admitted.” Plus ça change.

He examines Herzl’s motivation for initiating the Zionist project and finds little affection for Judaism or its adherents. As a citizen of the Austro-Hungarian empire before WW1, Hertzl advocated conversion to Christianity and refused to have his own son circumcised. He envisaged Jews who chose not to live in his planned Judenstaat assimilating and thus gradually disappearing from history. This was a prospect he welcomed since he regarded Jews as a contaminated race who carried the seeds of antisemitism with them wherever they went. “It is no surprise then,” Leon writes, “that antisemites were fans of Herzl’s project.”

He is no fan of Christ as portrayed by the Apostles, and scathing about their vilification of Judas Iscariot – one of the Zealots who rebelled against Roman occupation in a way that Jesus of the Gospels did not. “The gospels are a deliberate distortion of history; they are anti-Jewish pro-Roman propaganda.”

The lyrics from his song “Stand Up for Judas” are among many included in the book. Their presence is one of the pleasures of reading “Where are the Elephants?” If you want to know the origin of the title, you’ll have to buy a copy.

We have republished a number of Leon’s articles over the years – all highly recommended:

Leon Rosselson: what does it mean to be Jewish?

‘A Zionist without qualification’

Reclaiming Judaism from Zionism

Leon Rosselson on Gaza

You can find many of his songs on the net. Start with Leon’s own website:

Leon Rosselson

Bio, discography, gigs and blogs from singer-songwriter Leon Rosselson

Here are a few personal favourites:

The World Turned Upside Down

A Song for Gaza: The Ballad of Rivka and Mohammed

The Battle Hymn of the New Socialist 

Palaces of Gold