Israel
In 2048: The Rejuvenated State, Ambassador Michael Oren sets out his vision for Israel in honor of Israel's 75th Independence Day 25 years in the future. Oren's fantastic work is presented here in three languages: English, Hebrew & Arabic all in one volume, a wonderful metaphor for the peace and unity we all hope for.
Finding Phil:My Search for an Uncle Lost in War and Family Silence
Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?
On Israel's seventy-fifth anniversary comes a nuanced examination of the country's past, present, and future, from the two-time National Jewish Book Award-winning author of Israel.
In 1948, Israel's founders had much more in mind than the creation of a state. They sought not mere sovereignty but also a "national home for the Jewish people," where Jewish life would be transformed. Did they succeed? The state they made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.
Now, as the country marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders? Using Israel's Declaration of Independence as his measure, Gordis provides a thorough, balanced perspective on how the Israel of today exceeds the country's original aspirations and how it has fallen short. He discusses the often-overlooked reasons for the establishment of the State of Israel; the flourishing of Jewish and Israeli culture; the nation's economy and its transformative tech sector; the Israeli-Arab conflict; the distinct form of Judaism that has emerged in the Jewish state; the nation's complex relationship with the Diaspora; and much more.
Offering new angles of thinking about Israel, Gordis brings moderation and clarity to the prevailing discourse. And through weighing Israel's successes, critiquing its failures, and acknowledging its inherent contradictions, he ultimately suggests that the Jewish state is a success far beyond anything its founders could have imagined.
Israel A Concise History of a Nation Reborn PB
Winner of the Jewish Book of the Year Award
The first comprehensive yet accessible history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day, from Daniel Gordis, "one of the most respected Israel analysts" (The Forward) living and writing in Jerusalem.
Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world's attention, aroused its imagination, and lately, been the object of its opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns? More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies in its future?
We cannot answer these questions until we understand Israel's people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes and desires, that have animated their conversations and actions. Though Israel's history is rife with conflict, these conflicts do not fully communicate the spirit of Israel and its people: they give short shrift to the dream that gave birth to the state, and to the vision for the Jewish people that was at its core. Guiding us through the milestones of Israeli history, Gordis relays the drama of the Jewish people's story and the creation of the state. Clear-eyed and erudite, he illustrates how Israel became a cultural, economic and military powerhouse--but also explains where Israel made grave mistakes and traces the long history of Israel's deepening isolation.
With Israel, public intellectual Daniel Gordis offers us a brief but thorough account of the cultural, economic, and political history of this complex nation, from its beginnings to the present. Accessible, levelheaded, and rigorous, Israel sheds light on the Israel's past so we can understand its future. The result is a vivid portrait of a people, and a nation, reborn.
Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth
What would motivate a successful corporate lawyer to trade in his comfortable life in America for three weeks every year to volunteer for manual labor on Israeli military bases? Mark Werner, son of a Holocaust survivor, is an ardent Zionist seeking a personal way to show support for Israel. This book is based on journals he kept during 14 volunteer Sar-el stints on Israeli military bases from 2006 to 2019.
Sar-el is an Israeli organization that enables thousands of volunteers from all over the world to work in a civilian capacity on Israeli military bases. The volunteers' presence benefits Israel in two ways: first, it helps the IDF get routine but essential work done, thus releasing soldiers for more serious duties; and second, it raises the soldiers' morale by showing them that there are others outside Israel who support her.
Werner describes what life is like on Israeli army bases for volunteers, starting with his own experiences-from working through a desert sandstorm, to dealing with a scorpion in his bunk, to taking refuge in a bomb shelter during a Palestinian missile attack. Through simple activities--from packing kitbags and medical supplies for the soldiers to filling sandbags and assembling tank antennas--the volunteers work hard to make their contributions to the defense of Israel. While working side-by-side with Israeli soldiers, a camaraderie develops between the volunteers and soldiers and that camaraderie is the reward for their service.
This book tells the story of a volunteer experience that has enriched the author's life and provides a roadmap for others to show their support for Israel.
The Rage Less Traveled: A Memoir of Surviving a Machete Attack
After being brutally hacked at with a machete multiple times and with her friend murdered in front of her eyes, Kay Wilson somehow managed not only to fool her attackers and play dead, she rose to her feet and gagged and bound, and bleeding to death, staggered barefoot for over a mile. A harrowing and unfathomable ordeal, this book might have been one that people are afraid to pick up. Instead, The Rage Less Traveled is impossible to put down. Most surprisingly of all, it is peppered with an appropriate absurd hilarity. The Rage Less Traveled is as much about humanity as it is about the evil that tries to destroy it. It depicts the defiance of the human spirit to get through the impossible. The Rage Less Traveled is a sobering yet blistering read that is as much about hope as it is about hell.
"Indelible mesmerizing a monumental debut." Julie Burchill, The Sunday Telegraph "An extraordinary account of survival against the terrorism that threatens us all today. Kay Wilson is one of the most heroic people I have ever met." Colonel Richard Kemp CBE, former British Infantry Commander From Amazon Readers: "Won't kid you as this was most hard to read. I was recovering from oral surgery so I could" identify "with great pain. And I almost quit reading as it is such an intense story of the hatred of some towards others who are in some way different. I will NOT give it all away - so a semi-spoiler alert here --- Just as I was about to turn off the Kindle and put the book down ---- I turned the page to the most glorious outcome of it all! lkv " About the BookAfter being brutally hacked at with a machete multiple times and with her friend murdered in front of her eyes, Kay Wilson somehow managed not only to fool her attackers and play dead, she rose to her feet and gagged and bound, and bleeding to death, staggered barefoot for over a mile. A harrowing and unfathomable ordeal, this book might have been one that people are afraid to pick up. Instead, The Rage Less Traveled is impossible to put down. Most surprisingly of all, it is peppered with an appropriate absurd hilarity. The Rage Less Traveled is as much about humanity as it is about the evil that tries to destroy it. It depicts the defiance of the human spirit to get through the impossible. The Rage Less Traveled is a sobering yet blistering read that is as much about hope as it is about hell.