There are few events in the history of Israel’s democracy which have had a greater impact than the elections of 1977. When all the votes were counted three decades of Labor Zionist rule had come to an end and Menachem Begin and his Likud party was victorious. It is known in Israeli history as ‘the earthquake’ or ‘upheaval’ and this episode explores what forces underlay such a tectonic shift in Israel’s political system.

Learn about the Leah Rabin’s Dollar Account affair, the Sephardic Jewish experience, the Buzaglo test and the socio-political intersectionality that led to Begin’s defeat of Shimon Peres for Prime Minister of the State of Israel.