Israel Books

I am an advanced amateur photographer who has been photographing for almost fifty years. On reading "Israel Through My Lens" there is an immediate connection between Mr. Rubingers experiences and those of any serious photographer/photojournalist. Through his remembrances the reader not only relives the history of Israel and the Middle East in the 20th century but also the very simple joy of being a photographer, getting the good shot. This is a simple story of his life and his relationships that have led to a brilliant career as a photojournalist. I enjoyed the book because I am able to feel his excitement in getting the picture. Rubinger is not a 'god' of photography, he is simply a talented photographer who clearly describes for the rest of us the fun and excitement of photography and photojournalism. All this while telling a wonderful personal story and national history.

David Rubinger has laid it out as he saw it and lived it. This is a VERY personal book with little if anything held back. From his youth to the present, Rubinger gives a verbal as well as photographic picture of himself and the Sate of Israel growing up, maturing and "getting on". From his time in the British army to the horrific death of a woman he cared for deeply, this book tells it all. It is easy reading yet compelling. I was carried into a very personal environment and felt as if I were at each event, meeting each person, taking part in each "adventure". David Rubinger's life appears to be a string of wonderful and not-so-wonderful experiences. And you are right there. The country comes alive through the eyes and life of this exceptional man. I have read it twice and have given it as gifts to friends. Oh, yes, I highly recommend this book!!

As a photographer, I loved this book. As good as the photographs are, the writing is even better. Great stories about working as a Time photographer in the Mid East, growing up in Europe during WWII, and wonderful vignettes about Israeli leaders. Highly recommended.

Ms. Roarabach has done an incredible job clearly presenting both the history and present conditions of Palestine and Israel in one amazingly compact book. I would highly recommend "Israel-Palestine in a Nutshell" to anyone traveling to either of these countries or if you simply want to familiarize yourself with Palestine or Israel.

Highly Recommended!

This compact little book does a very good job of distilling both sides of one of the most confusing conflicts currently brewing. Chock-full of both facts and the historical narrative used to evaluate those facts, this is a valuable addition to the library of anyone wishing to understand how each side sees the region and the issues. If we are to have peace, understanding both sides is an important first step.

Israel/Palestine In A Nutshell is really two books in one. On one side is "Palestine in a nutshell". Flip it over and you have "Israel in a nutshell" on the other side. What is provided is the history of the current conflict presented from both the perspective of the Israelis and the Palestinians. A welcome addition to International Studies reading lists, Israel/Palestine In A Nutshell offers a informed and informative tour through the series of peace treaties between the two opposing communities from the Camp David accords down to the latest 2003 Geneva proposal. Also very highly recommended are the four other "World in a Nutshell" titles from Enisen Publishing: Afghanistan in a Nutshell; Iraq in a Nutshell; Pakistan in a Nutshell, and Islam in a Nutshell.

If there was one book I would like to put in every library in America - it would be this book! I would have to say that this books is the most complete book I have ever read in explaining clearly what is wrong with the occupation and how absolutely awful it really is. Both anecdotally and with facts and figures, the book lays out in very clear and concise terms what is wrong with the whole Oslo process and post Oslo negotiations and what is wrong with the kind of two-state solution Israel and the U.S. are trying to foist off on the Palestinians.

To those who are not familiar with Jeff Halper's work; Professor Halper is Professor of Anthropology at Tel Aviv University and he is founder of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition.

Please allow me to quote from the first paragraph of the first chapter of this excellent book:

Quote:

"I first became aware of being an "Israeli in Palestine" on July 9, 1998, the day my friend Salim Shawamrch calls "that black day in my life and the life of my family." On that day the bulldozers of Israel's Civil Administration, its military government in the West Bank, demolished his home for the first time. It was an act so, unjust, so at odds with the ethos of the benign, democratic, Jewish Israel fighting for its survival I had absorbed on "my side" of the Green Line that it was inexplicable in any terms I could fathom. It had nothing to do with terrorism or security. It was not an act of defense or even keeping Palestinians away from Israeli settlements or roads. It was purely unjust and brutal. As the bulldozer pushed through the walls of Salim's home, it pushed me through all the ideological rationalizations, the pretexts, the lies and the bullshit that my country had erected to prevent us from seeing the truth: that oppression must accompany an attempt to deny the existence and claims of another people in order to establish an ethnically pure state for yourself."


Many people are under the absolutely false impression that most house demolitions are demolitions of the homes of suspected terrorist. Actually 95% of home demolitions are done ostensibly on the ground that the homes were built or extended without building permits. And the occupations authorities and even the civil authorities inside Israel rarely grant building permits to Palestinians either in the Occupied Territories or even within Israel itself, no matter how drastic the housing shortage is. Most Palestinians on both sides of the green line who have the means and the desire to build a house, spend thousand of dollars in fees and fines and wait years and years only to have their permits denied again, again and again.

Professor Halper's opinions are much more nuanced than some would presume. Dr. Halper actually supports the the two-solution and does not particularly favor the single state or binational state solution although he is favorable to their democratic principles. Dr. Halper does not describe himself as either a Zionist or an anti-Zionist. In fact he is quite favorable to the whole concept of cultural Zionism - the Hebrew cultural revival and renaissance; but not political Zionism which he views as an idea rooted in outmoded 19th Century Eastern European "ethnocratic" nationalism. His main point is that for there to be long term peace in the region, Israel must move beyond an ethnocratic, "state for the Jews' and become a real multi-ethnic, multi-religious modern democracy that is a state for all of its citizens.

Another point Dr. Halper emphasizes is that Israel must completely move away from the whole confrontational, " Iron Wall" approach to the Arab and Muslim world and seek full integration into the region. His long term picture is a situation in which Israel eventually becomes part of an EU type configuration with their neighbors. His actual view is a two-state solution that hopefully can evolve into a binational state in an economic and political community with their neighbors. This would be among other things a way to help resolve the refugee problem. The right of return would be far more acceptable to Israelis if Palestinians who chose to live in Israel would either be citizens of a Palestinian state or of neighboring countries. The issue of settlers would be completely different if those Israelis who chose to live within a Palestinian state would remain Israeli citizens but living as equals in the West Bank, East Jerusalem or the Gaza - which would be far more acceptable to Palestinians if the settlers were living as equals and they - the Palestinians also had the right to live in Israel. And of course the whole issue of Jerusalem would be put on an entirely different level.

A few decades ago Australia moved away from the concept of being a western outpost in Asia - to recognizing that their own viability and long term survival required Australia to seek integrating into East Asia and become a vital part of the East Asian family of nations. It's hard to imagine today, but only in the 60's Australia had a "white Australia" policy which essentially only welcomed White-Christians as citizens. NO amount of military power and prowess can out muscle geography and demographics forever. Dr. Halper challenges everyone to move from the "Iron Wall" - either we win and they lose or they lose and we win paradigm to a win/win paradigm.

As Professor Halper points out, integration into the region is for the Israelis not simply a matter of idealism or multiculuralism. It is a matter of viability and even survival. And as Professor Halper points out in his book, the one real power the Palestinians have is that they - the Palestinians are the gatekeepers of Israel's acceptance and integration into the Middle East.

Professor Halper's main point in discussing the two-state solution which he does support - is that the type of two-state solution currently being cooked up for the Palestinians is an nonviable apartheid arrangement that will not bring independence, peace, justice or security or acceptance into the region. It must be vigorously opposed.

Professor Halper has goes into great detail in his book and he has written elsewhere about how the whole system of how settlements, bypass roads, walls, tunnels, borders controls and infrastructure completely dissect the entire West Bank and Occupied Territories into a system of economically and politically nonviable cantons which make political and economic independence absolutely impossible and creates a Matrix of Control over virtually every aspect of their lives.

You can also read more about how this Matrix of Control operates in the real world at this website:

[...]

The book goes into far more details of the on-the ground realities


I cannot recommend this book enough. Some have asked, "what can be done to really help the Palestinians and improve their situation while recognizing that only a full end to the occupation is the real answer?" This is a hard question to answer considering that it does not look likely that a full end to the occupation is coming any time soon. In 1996 Professor Halper took this question to numerous Palestinians. What can we do to help that can both thwart the occupation and contribute to its demise while at the same time doing something productive that helps Palestinians in their day to day lives? That is when he joined with others in founding The Israeli Committee Against House Demolition.

For a Youtube interview with Jeff Halper - bottom of the page:

[...]

Website for the Israeli Committee Against House Demolition:
[...]

Jeff Halper, a Jewish Israeli peace activist, lays out in devastating detail the horrors of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. This book is so well documented, it seems impossible to refute. It's really difficult to read. Not that it's difficult to UNDERSTAND... not at all. But what Israel has done -- and continues to do -- to the Palestinians is so atrocious, it actually hurts me to read it.

This book is CHOCK-FULL of unbelievable facts and statistics that demonstrate the utter complexity, completeness and cruelty of the "Matrix of Control" that Israel maintains over the Palestinians. I would like to quote just one section. It will give you an idea of how devastating the occupation is for the Palestinians:

"The [Jewish-only] settlement blocs are consciously built atop the [occupied] West Bank aquifers from which Israel draws about 30 percent of its water in violation of international law, which prohibits an Occupying Power from utilizing the resources of an occupied territory. Indeed, 80 percent of the water resources of the West Bank and Gaza are under Israeli control, and a full 80 percent of the water coming from the West Bank goes to Israel and its settlements. Only 20 percent is allocated to its 2.5 million Palestinian inhabitants, and they receive none of the water pumped from the Jordan River. As for consumption, the settlers use six times more water per capita than Palestinians. Per capita water consumption in the West Bank for domestic and urban use (drinking, washing, consumption by public institutions, watering parks, and so on) is only 60 liters per person per day, far below the minimum water consumption of 100 liters per person per day recommended by the World Health Organization; Israelis consume 350 liters per person per day. Mekorot, the Israeli water carrier, which controls all the water of the country, allocates 1,450 cubic meters of water per year to each settler, while a Palestinian receives only 83. Around 215,000 Palestinians living in 270 West Bank villages have no running water at all. The destruction of Palestinian wells and water mains, which has intensified with the construction of the ["separation"] wall over the main aquifers, creates months of water shortages, while the need to purchase water from Israeli tank trucks, costing $3 during the rainy season and up to $8 in the dry months, is beyond the financial resources of the impoverished population. As a final blow, Palestinians are forbidden to collect rainwater in open reservoirs."

The Israeli state is absolutely brutal in its treatment of the Palestinians... of this there can be no doubt. Another thing Halper makes painfully clear is that Israel has no intentions of negotiating a contiguous, viable and truly sovereign Palestinian state. It has already established "facts on the ground" that preclude such an entity.

I haven't quite finished the book yet, but it seems obvious to me that what Israel wants to do, vis-a-vis the Palestinians, is to make life so intolerable for them in the Occupied Territories that they will give up their dreams (and their rights!) and leave their homeland.

If you really want to understand what is going on in the Middle East, PLEASE read this book. Halper is a genius at explaining what Israel is doing... and why.

I have just finished reading Jeff Halper's An Israeli in Palestine and found it almost impossible to put down.
Halper has laid out the history of the establishment of the Zionist state in an easy to read manner although what he has written is not easy to digest.
As an American Jew who once staunchly supported Israel, I am horrified at how that state came into being with the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians who had been on the land for many generations. Halper quotes early and later Zionist leaders who acknowledge that with a large Arab population there could not be a Jewish state. He shows how the dispossession of the Palestinians was accomplished. this included the destruction of at least 500 Palestinian villages and taking the lands of the Arabs who remained, many of whom now live in what Israel calls unrecognized villages which lack electricity, roads and water supplies.
Halper has coined a more apt word for Israel than "democracy." Israel, he says, is an ethnocracy run for the benefit of the 70% Jewish population. In Israel today Arabs are barred from living on 93% of the land and, while they pay the same taxes, they do not get the same services. I wonder how America's Jews would feel if, in this so-called "Christian" nation we were barred from living on 93% of the land. I imagine that we would fight like hell against such blatant discrimination.
But it is in the Occupied Territories that Israel has committed the greatest sins. Since 1967 Israel has demolished at least 18,000 Palestinian homes. Palestinians cannot build new homes without permits but the irony is that the permits are rarely, if ever, granted to Palestinians who must pay large fees for the "privilege" of applying. When the permits are turned down the Palestinians, who are in dire need of housing, will build without the permit. Sooner or later it is likely that the bulldozers will arrive to destroy the house and everything in it. Jewish built homes built without permit are never bulldozed.
It is interesting to note that the Palestinian who last week overturned a bus in Jerusalem with a bulldozer was the victim of an Israeli bulldozer that demolished his home a few years ago.
Halper points out that Israel has for years avoided any chance of making peace with the Palestinians if that peace meant giving up the land and water resources it had already stolen. In the paperback version of the book he devotes six pages to listing all the opportunities for peace at which Israel thumbed its nose.
Halper makes it abundantly clear that what Israel wants is as much land and resources as possible with as few Palestinians as possible on that land. That is not a formula for peace.
This is a book that I wish would be read by every American whose tax dollars go to support the apartheid Israeli system. I wish that it would be read by every member of Congress who, if they were not too cowed by AIPAC, might just get up and say "Not one penny more."

This book is a great overview of a complex city from it's beginnings. Nicely illustrated. Wonderful and not overdone timeline of events and architecture.

Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archeology Review (BAR) Magazine, offers an unrivaled look into the ancient City of Jerusalem. His concise descriptions and beautiful pictures captivated this reader and helped me to finally understand the relationship between biblical narrative and archeological evidence in the capital of Israel. Famous sites ranging from Hezekiah's Tunnel, to the Western Wall, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to the Dome of the Rock are wonderfully elucidated within their historical context. If you are interested in the Bible, the history of Jerusalem, or Archeology in general, this book is a MUST!

Hershel Shanks, editor of the magazine 'Biblical Archaeology Review', put together this wonderful volume on the archaeology of Jerusalem in honour of the 3000th anniversary of the establishment of the city by King David (a date of conjecture, to be sure, and with some variability even within the conjecture). In the introduction, Shanks states:

'Through the archaeology of Jerusalem, one can learn about almost everything even remotely connected to the ancient Near East: from Bible and ancient history, art and architecture, burial practices, languages and scripts to geography, water supply systems, chronology, theology, pottery typology, archaeological methodology, warfare and daily life.'

Jerusalem is at or near the centre of three major faiths that have had profound and lasting impact not only on the city or region, but upon the entire world. Jerusalem has long been at an important crossroads in history--military expansion of major empires have had to go through the city; trade routes east and west have always been through or nearby the city -- indeed, Jerusalem has been conquered 23 times in its history. From the sack of the city Salem by King David (who had to conquer it three times before being able to hold it from the Jebusites) to the Moslem reconquest from the Crusaders, archaeological evidence is rich in diverse time periods.

This makes Jerusalem rather like the wall made of successive layers of wallpaper with subtle but distinct patterns--it is hard, when scrapping away layers, to discern accurately which layer belongs to which period.

The first chapter begins with Jerusalem before the Israelites. Despite the year 2000 celebrating the 3000th anniversary of the city, it has in fact a much longer history. Egyptian hieroglyph records show the existence of a city on the site of Jerusalem as early as 1850 B.C.E., called Rushalimum. Continuous occupation can be seen from various records (such as Armana letters) to the year Davidic conquests. However, yet other evidence points to even earlier settlement; pottery dating back to the Chalcolitic period, and architectural remains point to inhabitation as early as 3000 B.C.E., making this truly one of the oldest cities in continuous occupation in the world. From earliest times, Jerusalem has been a 'cosmopolitan' place; even the Bible attests to the fact that despite conquest, the Jebusites remained inhabitants alongside the Israelites. This of course give more credence to the idea of assimilation of the cities and tribal/pastoral groups in Canaan, as opposed to the military conquest idea which is high on glory and patriotic ideal, but short on archaeological evidence. Obviously, if Jebusites still held Jerusalem, Joshua could not have truly conquered the entire land.

Other articles explore the strongholds of Jerusalem, the possible tombs of David and other kings; intrigues about finding (and not finding) evidence of the first Temple, and the difficulties involved in working around presently-functioning holy sites; the Babylonian period of destruction, including preserved clay bullae, one of which bears the name of the prophet Jeremiah's scribe, dated to the proper time period; Jerusalem during the time of Herod and Jesus, including a discussion of the authenticity of 'holy sites' that are pilgrimage sites today; Roman destruction, Byzantine reconstruction, Moslem conquest, Crusader conquest, and Moslem reconquest.

This book has an extensive collection of beautiful photography, timelines, maps and charts. From collections of art and ruins to panoramic views including the beautiful Dome of the Rock, a magnificent piece of Moslem architecture which remains substantially unaltered since it was built 1300 years ago, standing on the site of the Temple mount; to recreations of architecture to textual analysis, this is a book that will treat the eyes and the mind with fascinating detail and general ideas about the sweeping history of this city, and with this, a greater sense of the history of the religions that have shaped the world.

This book was given to me as a gift from my friend Monty, and I continue to be grateful for it - a magnificent gift indeed.

by Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
May 17, 2002

Once in a great while, a cookbook comes along so utterly gorgeous it practically springs from my kitchen shelf and hurls itself upon my coffee table.

Marlena Spieler's latest, "The Jewish Heritage Cookbook" (Lorenz Books), subtitled "a fascinating journey through the rich and diverse history of the Jewish cuisine" is so leap-off-the-page lusciously photographed you can practically taste the food. But lest you think this book is just another pretty face, Spieler, author of over 30 cookbooks, includes informative chapters on the history of Jewish cuisine, the holidays and kashrut as well as general guides to the preparation of all foods Jewish, everything from grilling mamaliga to pounding hawaij and berbere (spice mixtures).

"This is my first Jewish cookbook," said the California native on a recent visit to San Francisco from her home in London. "I've done theme books, like Mediterranean and olive oil and mushrooms, but I've always had a Jewish touch somewhere, including dishes either from Israel or my travels or my Jewish family and friends."

Spieler fondly remembers Sundays in her grandmother's kitchen, her early inspiration. "My grandmother ran a law firm and worked until a few days before she died at 93. Well, she had to cut back a little -- she only worked from 9 to 5 then. But on Sunday morning, people would start coming, and she would start cooking. I couldn't say they'd come for breakfast, lunch or dinner, because it was all one meal.

"We would smell the chicken soup as we went off to synagogue school, and by the time we got home she'd have matzah brei and kasha varnishkes and meat patties with onions. This went on until late evening. Bachi really gave me the love of cooking."

Spieler traveled widely as a young adult, even lived in Israel for a year, and was working as an artist in Greece when she started including recipes with her drawings of food. A publisher offered to publish the recipes (minus the drawings) launching her career as a food writer, broadcaster and columnist.

These days, Spieler divides her time between San Francisco and London, where she is a frequent guest on the BBC. Her column "The Roving Feast" is carried by the New York Times Syndicate and the San Francisco Chronicle.

"The Jewish Heritage Cookbook" is a truly international celebration of Spieler's curiosity about Jewish people and Jewish food. "I love meeting Jews from different cultures, because they have different dishes on the table," she said. "I love to cook and hear their stories and find it really exciting that people with such different cultures share the same heritage and holidays."

The book's section on the festival of Shavuot (literally "weeks," because it occurs seven weeks after Pesach) is accompanied by a magnificent illustration from a 13th century manuscript of the Book of Ruth, the portion read on this holiday.

Shavuot, which began at sundown on Thursday, May 16, commemorates the giving of the Torah as well as the offering of the first fruits of the season. Spieler notes that although Shavuot meals are based on dairy products, "there are no rules that say this must be done."

Why dairy? Scholars differ, she says. Perhaps the tradition evolved because spring grazing produces more milk at this time. Also, in "Song of Songs," the Torah is associated with milk and honey. Some suggest that while the Israelites were receiving the Ten Commandments, they were gone so long their milk turned to cheese; others contend that upon their return they were too hungry for anything but milk to sustain them.

Whatever the explanation, for Ashkenazim it's bring on the blintzes, while Sephardim enjoy cheese filled borekas.

A typical Shavuot starter in central Europe is Hungarian cherry soup perfumed with cinnamon and almond flavor. "The nice thing about this soup," Spieler noted, "is at Shavuot the days are beginning to get warm, and it is really refreshing. I eat it as often as a dessert as with a meal."

Summer squash and baby new potatoes in warm dill sour cream is a festive Israeli celebration of spring and perfect for Shavuot with its fragrant dill and sour cream or yogurt topping.

While cheesecake is traditional fare for Shavuot, we opted for cheese-filled Jerusalem kodafa drenched with syrup, an unusual dessert popular throughout the Middle East, where it is commonly made with a shredded wheat-like ingredient called kadaif. Spieler substitutes couscous as it is prepared in Jerusalem.

"In the Old City, when things were good and people were more friendly, they would make it in these big metal trays that they'd carry on their heads," she noted. "I've had it in the Lebanese community of London as well, but in Jerusalem, all the little tea and coffee shops serve it."

This book has changed the way I think about Jewish cooking. Instead of the heavy, starch-and-fat dishes I know, Spieler's recipes include a lot of vegetarian dishes and mediterranean flavors. The recipes are easy to make, unlike many ethnic cookbooks. I made the tomato and Israeli couscous soup last night and it tasted as good as the picture looked. I got this book as a gift from my mom, and she done good on this one. You won't regret buying this.

What a beautiful book both visually and for the taste of the recipes! Marlena provides a context for these recipes by writing a lovely history of the jewish people as it relates to their disbursement throughout the world and their use of the local foodstuffs. Great for jews and gentiles alike!

I still open this book from time to time on any page and start reading about these wonderfull objects from all over the world. Sometimes a mezuzah from Morroco from twohundred years ago, sometimes a Italian torah binding or a marriage contract from a place where jews were forced to convert but kept the tradtions or a simple contemporary spice box. This book invite us for a travel in time and space into the milenar jewish culture.

I picked this book intending to give it but kept it as the information and how it is presented was so wonderful. I enjoyed seeing the art work from all over the world from the Jewish community as it expressed the oneness of the community itself and the region where the item was made. One day I hope to see these items in person.

I have had the pleasure of visiting the 'Israel Museum' in Jerusalem many times. Thus it was a delightful surprise to come across this volume which excellently provides reproductions of its most important holdings. The Museum is very rich in Archaeology of the Holy Land, in Jewish enthnography and culture. The illustrations here are beautifully done. The accompanying texts are informative in regard to describing the artifacts themselves.
I myself would have wished another feature, additional text containing various samples of Jewish traditional literature, from Bible, Midrash and various sages.
But the volume as it is is truly a small treasure.

I just wanted to thank you that you wrote this book

I want everyone to know that this book was a labor of love. I want to help make people aware of the life and the legacy of Ilan Ramon, a hero and inspiring figure for all of us.

Saturday February 1, 2003 was a sad day for the U.S.: The shuttle Columbia disintegrated in space, killing flight commander Rick D. Husband; pilot William C. McCool; payload commander Michael P. Anderson; mission specialists David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark; and Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon.

It was especially difficult for Israel and the Jewish people, who had placed so much pride and hope into the voyage of Ramon, the son of a refugee from Germany and a veteran of Israel's War of Independence and a mother who had survived Auschwitz. In 1981, he had flown with seven other Israeli F-16 pilots who destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad. "If I can prevent another Holocaust, I'm ready to sacrifice my life for this," Ramon had selflessly told his comrades.

All Israel and the Jewish people considered Ramon's mission a source of honor, a testament to positive spirit, despite a troubled time that had claimed 768 Israelis in terrorist attacks since September 2000.

Ramon was cool-headed, modest, "a humble hero," who although he was not an observant Jew, took with him Jewish symbols into space--a small Torah smuggled out of Bergen-Belsen by a Holocaust survivor, a mezuzah wrapped in barbed wire, and the drawing of a moonscape by a victim of Theresienstadt. For Israel and the Jewish people, he had said, it was "a very symbolic mission."

And so it was. For Ramon reminded the Jewish people, said a Jerusalem Post editorial after his death, "we can make the desert bloom and build modern cities on sand dunes. And we can reach for the stars."

This book is a fitting tribute to a Jewish hero.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Eliezer Goldman, the editor, has done an excellent job in presenting the ideas and views of Leibowitz to the English speaking public. This collection of articles gives a broad overview of the Jewish faith, the relationship of religion to the people and the state of Israel, the political problems of the Israeli state and finally the relationship of Judaism to Christianity. It is a thoroughly honest exposition of the problems inherent in the various topics and it is a pity that the book has not become more widely known and reviewed.
It should be of interest to a Jewish as well as Gentile readership and had his warnings after the 1967 war, in relation to the occupation of the conquered territories, been heeded Israel would not be in the difficult straits the country finds itself in today.
His discussion of the Judeo-Christian heritage and refusal to accept the term is also valuable. He does not mind explaining "the repugnance Judaism has for Christianity" as seen from a genuine orthodox Jewish perspective, rather than from any of the other parts of the spectrum which comprises today's Judaism.
While some may not agree with all of his views, they are honest, well reasoned and therefore important to be listened to.

As another review points out, Leibowitz believes that the purpose of Judaism and mitzvot is "the religious perfection of man", and that mitzvot (commandments) should be observed for their own sake rather than for external ends. According to Lebowitz, it follows that religion is completely separate from morality; if serving God is the most important end in life, it takes priority over man's perceptions of morality. Rather than seeing the almost-sacrifice of Isaac as an aberration, Leibowitz sees it as a classic example of how Judaism should function - obedience to the divine command for its own sake. Leibowitz has a point: certainly, God does not exist to serve man. But I wonder if Leibowitz somewhat oversimplifies Judaism; halacha (Jewish law) is based in part on broader perceptions of morality (though on the other hand, that morality comes in part from halachic tradition).

Leibowitz follows his logic to a variety of conclusions, including:

*rejection of messianism, because hope in a worldly Messiah "undermine[s] the motivation to serve God in the world as it is" and thus leads to defections from Jewish practice when the Messiah fails to come and the "cheerless day-to-day practice of Torah and Mitzvoth" (p. 71) fails to inspire.

*Rejection of the idea that Jews are naturally holy. Holiness, according to Leibowitz, comes from following Mitzvoth, and thus a belief in holiness by birth is merely "racist chauvinism."

*Rejection of Christianity because "in Christianity it is not man who serves God but rather God serves man." (p. 98).

*Rejection of Kabbalah because Kabbalah interprets mitzvot as "a method for mending disruptions in the world of divinity" (p. 111) and thus falsely elevates man to a divine level.

*Rejection not of Zionism, but of the idea that Zionism has religious significance. The state of Israel is not bound by halacha, and is thus a secular state like any other. Because the state is not a Jewish entity, it can (and should) give up territory where appropriate to satisfy the Zionist goal of Jewish self-government, a goal frustrated by Israel's occupation of Arab-inhabited land.

*Rejection of the idea that religion is necessary for a decent social order. Leibowitz points out that if "To know God and cleave to Him is the ultimate value" such that "all human considerations must be set aside" (p. 160), then the social benefits of religion (or lack thereof) are of no importance.

On the other hand, Leibowitz seems to flinch from his halachic rigor in discussing equal treatment of women. Rather than endorsing traditional theories that women should stay out of government, Leibowitz asserts that religious Jews "cannot perpetuate the halakhic decisions of our fathers dating from a social reality which differed radically from our own." Leibowitz draws a distinction between laws that reflect "a given sociocultural milieu and its prejudices" and "unconditional prescriptions [such as] the laws of incest, family purity and so on." (p. 131). But if (as Leibowitz asserts) halacha transcends ethics, why should this distinction exist? Why not just assume that seemingly unethical halachot are part of divine service?

I'm not sure I agree with, or even understand, everything Leibowitz writes. But he is certainly provocative and interesting.

Perhaps the best introduction to Yeshayahu Leibowitz in English is Eliezer Goldman's prefatory essay to the volume he edited, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, Judaism, Human Values, and the Jewish State (Cambridge, MA: Harvard, 1992). This volume contains 27 translated essays, most of which come from Leibowitz's Hebrew collection, Yahadut, Am HaYehudi u-Medinat Yisrael (Jerusalem: Schocken, 1975). Goldman's recent collection of his own essays, Mehkarim ve-Iyyunim (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1996) contains a number of pieces on Leibowitz as well.

Yeshayahu Leibowitz (1903-93) was the often paradoxical, so-called "conscience of Israel"--a philosopher, controversial social critic, and sharp-tongued Socratic gadfly. He was born in 1903 in Lithuania, and was educated in Germany prior to settling in Jerusalem in 1934, where he taught chemistry, physiology, and the philosophy of science at the Hebrew University. He was an author and editor of the Encyclopedia HaIvrit, and taught, lectured, and wrote on a wide range of issues throughout his long life.

Beyond his political thought, Leibowitz is perhaps best known (and critiqued) for his radical conceptions of Judaism. In brief, his position focused on the centrality--indeed, exclusivity--of mitsvot as the constitutive factor in Judaism. Observing the commandments (i.e. fulfilling the divine will) is an end in itself, and not a means to achieve personal, spiritual, or communal benefit. The significance of a religious act, argues Leibowitz, is in its performance qua worshipping God. To seek any meaning beyond that is, in his opinion, idolatry. Critics took Leibowitz's position as atheistic--and indeed, he effectively removes God from the human experience of religion: God as the transcendent being is unimportant to Leibowitz, only the service of God holds any meaning. The relationship between man and God can only exist in the arena of the normative practice of halakhah (Jewish law).

Leibowitz feared (and in this many feel he was prescient) that the continued entanglement of religion and state would ultimately lead to a corruption of religion. He felt that the inability or unwillingness of rabbinic authorities in the early years of the State to forge innovative halakhic approaches to unprecedented situations (engendered by the return of Jewish sovereignty in the modern era) would turn religious Jews into parasites. Leibowitz further articulated views on the State, such as positing that the ascription of inherent sanctity to the land is a form of idolatry, and that viewing the state as a value in and of itself (rather than a vehicle for social or national good) is a precursor to fascism. He believed that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza after the 1967 war would ultimately corrupt the state in the way in which all colonial regimes become corrupted. All of these elements bear the common thread of his repugnance at the use of religion to justify what he saw as political corruption or oppression.

He remains an original (albeit controversial) voice on every issue within the Israeli social discourse. This helped generate the visceral connection the Israeli public has to Leibowitz and the issues on which he wrote. This volume introduces the reader to these compelling issues, and to a thinker who articulated positions which anyone interested in understanding Jewish life in the Jewish State in the modern era must contend with.

The PBS series The Jewish Americans happened to be showing, while I was reading this book, and the two complemented each other very well. I wholeheartedly recommend both. World Jewry numbers around 13 million, maybe as many as 18 million, depending on whom and how you count. More than 6 million live in the US, more even than in Israel itself.

Being British, Solomon presents a somewhat Eurocentric view, but not to the extent that it is a problem, and I don't think American readers are for the most part troubled by the occasional British spelling or usage.

It must be a daunting prospect for a scholar, having to condense a vast store of knowledge into one of these little books, deciding what to include and what must go, but Solomon judges this well. He emphasizes the diversity and continuing evolution of Judaism, correcting common misconceptions about how ancient or orthodox certain aspects of Judaism are. He also lays special stress on the importance of the Holocaust and of modern Israel in shaping contemporary Jewish thought.

There are plenty of basic facts - descriptions of festivals, etc - included here, as you would expect. It also raises a great many issues and cites a number of authors, making this an excellent place to begin a more detailed study, if you wished.

Solomon writes well, with a light, sometimes even humorous touch, where appropriate. He was a lecturer at Oxford when this book was first published in 1996, but is now retired, I believe. A revised edition wouldn't go amiss. Perhaps he is too busy working on his Penguin Classics Talmud, which is due out soon and should be worth reading. He is not to be confused with the American activist of the same name, although Amazon does exactly that, so that if you click on either author, you get a list of books by both of them. Take it from me, they are very different!

Complete with fine remarks and introductory tutorials, Norman Solomon exerted accurate perceptions in this pamphlet.
"Judaism: A Very Short Introduction" gave a run-through of every aspect of (ancient and modern) judaism. Its time-saving structure is neat: without omitting any of the vital issues which concerned the religion and its followers. This book is well-blended. It maintained proportionate dispositions towards religious practices, cultural heritage, and evolutionary anthropology. There is hardly any weakness in its presentations.
Anybody who needs an insight into the 'dos' and 'don'ts' of judaism would find it useful. Its summarized contents included all the transformations, which the ancient religion has undergone.

Christians tend to believe they know all they need to know about Judaism because their Old Testament consists of the Hebrew Scriptures. This book does an excellent job of showing Christians (and others) that Judaism today is more than Abraham, Moses and David. With the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE, Judaism was forced to adapt and in many ways redefine itself. This easily read book explains the development of Rabbinic Judaism as opposed to Biblical Judaism. Anyone who claims to be a student of world religions should read it. Any Christian who wants to develop a better understanding of what was happening to Judaism in the early days of Christianity should also read it.

A great book! Packed full of great information for planning volunteer duty in Israel. I am planning my trip with a full understanding of the culture and facts of kibbutz lifestyle, all based on what I learned from the book. I highly recomend this book to any one planning on spending time in the middle east!

thinking about kibbutz? this is the book to get

gives a great overview on what to expect on any particular kibbutz you've been thinking about volunteering on.