“We were all absolutely enthralled by Elon’s talk and just regret that we were constricted for time. Would that there were more Elon Perrys in this world…”  Carrol Nathanson, London

“Elon is a very intelligent lecturer with an amazing memory who can cover 100 years of historical facts and events. His lectures are attracting so many people that we have had to get in more chairs.”  Professor A.Klieman

“Amazing! Both an erudite and charismatic speaker, the audience hanging on to every word. The animated question time following the talk showed the keenness of the audience to ask many searching questions, testament to his qualities as a talented speaker.”  Susan WIZO 

Topics: 

Child under war

A talk based on real events about courage and survival against apparently overwhelming odds. A story of millions of children around the world who live out their childhoods under the terrifying threat of war, finding themselves spending days and nights in shelters, living in constant anxiety, unable to play freely in their own yard for fear of sirens and shells. Vulnerable children who spend most of their life in severe poverty and deprivation due to a situation of incessant war, which sucks up a nation’s budget to the point of starvation. I was one of one of them. A child trapped in relentless bloody conflicts in the Middle East over holy land and religion – nonsenses that pompous people labelled politicians took very seriously.

As an inspiration to others, I describe how the difficulties I experienced in my childhood have followed me throughout the rest of my life and taught me how to make do with little, to appreciate everything, and live modestly.

The Great Empires that ruled the Holy Land

I will talk about Persians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Mamluks, Ottomans, and the British Empire. The bloodshed and many wars that took place over it for the past 4,000 years. The benefits and usefulness in controlling the Holy Land during the 1917-1948 Mandate that was granted to the British by the League of Nations. A mandate that promised to support and assist the Jewish people and ensure the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. The Holy Land and Jesus. The story of a tiny piece of land that is sacred for Jews, Muslims, and Christians – three religions living in harmony under Israeli rule.  The Kingdom of Solomon and David. The story of the Exodus from Egypt. The birth of Jesus Christ and the birth of Christianity. How this young Jew from Nazareth became the greatest and most famous leader in history. His journey through the Holy Land from Nazareth through Bethlehem to Jerusalem where he was captured by the Romans and crucified.

                                                                

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict

The historical background and the main reasons for the long-going bloody conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. The historical background and events that led to the establishment of the Zionist movement, which was the outcome of the many pogroms and became the trigger for the establishment of the Jewish state, and ironically caused the ongoing bloody conflict with the neighbouring Arab countries and Palestinian terror organisations.

Audiences love to hear my unique insights on these topics, from my having been a commando soldier who took part in many operations and battles in pursuing terrorists in Gaza, the West Bank, and in Lebanon, where explosives damaged my respiratory system.

I will also present testimonies from Palestinians, whom I interviewed as a journalist in the Gaza Strip, in which they describe their fear of the Hamas leadership and their longing to live under Israeli rule, which had improved their lives and provided them with a livelihood.

As a combat soldier in a commando  unit of the Israel Defense Force who took part in the wars between Israel and the Palestinians, I break down misconceptions and misinformation about what is really happening between Israel and the Palestinians and the truth about the conflict, beyond what we see in the media.

 

Elon Perry during his service in a commando unit of the I.D.F

                                                                          

 

Entebbe Operation

Operation Entebbe (in which I took part) was a successful counter-terrorist hostage rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Army at Entebbe Airport in Uganda.

I will describe the renowned Entebbe operation in full detail from the planning and training stages, to the assault on the terminal and the release of the hostages in Uganda. I will also share details that remained secret and banned from publication for 30 years and have now been allowed to be disclosed to the public.

                        The morning after returning to base   

 

                      

Fauda – The undercover unit

The secret and dangerous activities of the undercover daredevils as seen in the popular TV series “Fauda”.

As a commando combatant who took part in various activities alongside the undercover Mista’arvim, I will share experiences and dangerous situations, some of them face-to-face battles in which we found ourselves in Gaza and in the West Bank.

While assimilating among the local Arab population, we were commonly tasked with performing intelligence gathering, law enforcement, hostage rescue and counter-terrorism, and to use disguise and surprise as our main weapons to accomplish their missions.

Despite the danger of such an action, putting our head directly into the lion’s mouth, we never backed down from embarking on an activity however dangerous it was.

                                                                          

History of Sephardi Jews

An exploration of the history of Sephardic Jews from north African roots, through to mediaeval Spain and Portugal. How and when did the split in the Jews into Ashkenazim and Sephardi come about? Their contribution to society in business, art, commerce, politics. The conflict and social divisions between the Sephardi and Ashkenazi communities. The humiliating discrimination experienced by Sephardic Jews from the Ashkenazim who ran the young Jewish state. I will also talk about the difficulties of the first mega Aliya (Immigration to Israel) project.

                                                                                

The Crusades

Among most of the Europe and Mediterranean countries, the Crusaders were regarded as immoral, bloody and savage. Their goal was to spread Christianity worldwide by the sword and liberate the Holy Land from Islamic rule, led by the Muslim leader Saladin. This talk explores a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. Beginning with the First Crusade which resulted in the recovery of Jerusalem in 1099, dozens of Crusades were fought, providing a focal point of European history for centuries.

The ruthless and widespread massacres of Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians, resulted in a bitter resentment that persisted for many years. The Crusade’s kingdom over Jerusalem lasted nearly two hundred years, from 1099 until 1291 when its last remaining possession, Acre, was destroyed by the Mamluks who conquered the Holy Land from the Crusaders in 1291. We will explore what happened in the Middle East from the Rise of Islam to the founding of the Seljuk Empire and explain why that Empire failed to stop the invasion of the First Crusades and discuss the foundations of the Four Crusader Kingdoms of Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli, and Jerusalem.

One Canal and Three Wars

  

In this lecture I will talk about the importance of the Suez Canal. When was the Suez Canal dug and for what purpose? How important was it for the Mediterranean region, and whose interests did it serve? I will talk about the wars between Egypt – Britain – France – Israel that took place over it when the Egyptian President Nasser closed the canal and prevented freedom of navigation between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea and the Gulf.  I will describe one special heroic operation that had never been undertaken before. This operation, conducted by the Israeli general Ariel Sharon, became legendary and it is still taught in many military academies around the world. Towards the end I will describe Israel’s peace with Egypt and the assassination of Egyptian President Sadat, the first Arab leader to have signed a peace agreement with Israel.