Israel Books

Beate Hamizrachi's book is an incredible addition to any library dealing with Israeli-Lebanese relations, the "Security Zone" or on the early SLA (South Lebanon Army). Hamizrachi details the first connections between Israeli and the northern (Mount Lebanon area) Christian militia groups and with southern villages. Her first hand interviews with Saad Haddad are both interesting and informative. She additionally talks in detail (including the force numbers and even the types of weapons used) about the battles fought by Haddad's militia to secure south Lebanon from the PLO and Islamo-Leftist forces.

Yoram Hamizrachi certainly must have been the major co-author of this book attributed to his wife Beate. A historical record of conflicts in Lebanon during the 1970s based upon first hand knowledge.

Ephraim - The Gentile Children of God is a must-have book for all serious researchers of the lost tribes of Israel. Yair Davidi [aka Davidiy] is the leading authority on the history and identity of the lost tribes of Israel.

It is a very good book on the tribe of Ephraim and the tribes role in biblical times up to today as the nation of Great Britian and her colonies.

In this book, journalist Richard Oesterman presents a window into viewing Israeli society and life from a multi-angle lens perspective ... These stories do not make newspaper headlines, they are not sent on the AP wire, nor are they shown on C.N.N. news. The different angles from which to understand Israeli life include: arts and culture, the Muslim experience, historical viewpoints, kibbutz lifestyle, important political figures, integration of immigrants, religious transformation, guest workers, archeological and Biblical digs, health perspectives, and survival stories.

The author presents the reader either new stories or those which have previously been published - either way - reading them is an eye-opening experience. The reader begins to appreciate the complexity of living within Israel, the only democratic country in the Middle East which has strong ties to Europe and the USA. It is a country and society which was built by both realistic and idealistic people. These strong willed people of faith built the country from the ground up, facing the most formidable challenges of both nature and politics and even today, and everyday, they continually face potential danger right within their own borders.

The reader develops a strong appreciation and admiraton for the people of Israel and what it takes to live there. The reader sees the deep spiritual basis of what it means to live in this land where so much history and Biblical archeology surrounds them around every corner. The reader appreciates how so many different people from so many different countries use their common heritage on which to build a working democratic society where Middle East politics and hostile surrounding neighbors threaten their lives daily. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

In this imaginative and insightful book the author seeks to show that there is "nuanced picture of Israel" that doesn't just include the `occupation' and suicide bombings. This is a mighty task and this short read goes a long way towards achieving the goal. Replete with pictures and insightful articles, each of which stand alone, the reader is walked through a typical journey of Israeli life. Various chapters examine the Israeli leadership, the Ethiopian immigrants, `honor' killings among Palestinians, Ariel Sharon, the history of the Hebrew language and bird watching, among other topics. The diversity is what makes this book so wonderful. There are numerous insights, some of which are not really about Israel but about Jews or Arab culture, for instance that out of 750 Nobel prizes, 139 went to Jews. There is a separate sections that details the Jewish quarter of Venice and Jews in Iran. In one of the last chapters the exploits of Count Folke Bernadotte are investigated through a recently published dissertation on the man. Bernadotte was responsible for lat minute negotiations in 1948 between Israel and the Arab states and he was assassinated by the Stern group. Many have subsequently portrayed him as a hero fighting for peace, however the truth is that he was a member of the collaborationist Swedish government that permitted Nazi troops passage through their country during the Second World War. In addition he only pretended to be interested in Liberating Jews but he made sure that the Swedish government never informed the allies of their knowledge about the Holocuast. New information has come to light on his role in these affairs and the information is quite enlightening. It is too bad the author did not include more modern information about anti-Semitism among Swedish officials today, for instance attempts to ban kosher food and make circumcision illegal.
The strength of this collection is in its diversity and the true extent of the topics covered. The interviews are unquestionably a good snapshot of Israeli society in all its oddities and richness. A great introduction to Israel and also a valuable resource as a primer for a variety of obscure topics.

Seth J. Frantzman

This very moving book covers the story of the "Exodus", the unarmed ship carrying more than 4,500 Holocaust survivors seeking refuge in "British occupied" Palestine during 1947.

The ship, a former tourist vessel designed to carry only 400 passengers, is described as having been rammed and boarded by the British Royal Navy which was determined to prevent the Jewish Holocaust survivors from finding refuge in Palestine. The entry of the "Exodus" into Haifa harbour is further described amidst a British military blockade. But the story in this book is not so much about the ship, but about the individuals on board, their history & personal suffering, together with what faced them following their arrival in "Palestine" and the process outlined with such clarity in this work, which saw them being used as "political pawns" by the British Government.

The book begins with a description of the "Displaced Persons" camps of Europe, where those fortunate to survive the "Concentration Camps" were housed. The book recounts how some 70,000 Holocaust survivors "found their way out" of the "Displaced Persons" camps and made the tortuous journey across land borders, forests, mountain ranges, the Alps until they eventually located "secret" ports in France and Southern Italy where they climbed aboard a motley fleet of virtually obsolete vessels, including cutters, leaky fishing boats, cargo vessels, icebreakers, banana carriers, yachts & steamers (one called Exodus 1947) upon which they embarked upon their desperate journey to reach their ancient homeland of Eretz Israel, the "Promised Land".

The journey on the "Exodus" itself is described as being endured under extremely insanitary and unbelievably cramped conditions, whilst always under the threat of being arrested as "illegal immigrants" during the British blockade.

The book is replete with many photographs documenting the above and the story reaches the night of 17th July 1947 when "Haganah boys" pasted handbills on the shop windows of Netanya, Haifa and Jerusalem depicting the plight of the "Exodus" and describing it's cargo of 4,554 refugees consisting of 1,600 men, 1,282 women, 1,017 young people and 655 children. The posters also advising readers that the ship had been spotted by the British Navy and that five destroyers and a cruiser were closing in on the vessel.

The book documents the subsequent broadcast from the "Exodus" itself, which related how the Royal Navy had attacked the vessel at a distance of "17 miles from the shores of Palestine" in "international waters". The "Exodus" described as having been rammed from three directions and subjected to gas bombs and gunfire which left one Jewish civilian dead, five dying and some twenty wounded. The boarding of the "Exodus" by British troops is also detailed. Photographs of the damage to the vessel and the wounded Jewish civilians are also included. The book then describes the plight of the Jewish refugees as they are then forcibly ejected from the "Exodus". The ensuing public reaction is also described.

As the story proceeds, the book cites the British authorities as describing the prison camps of Cyprus as being "too good" for the Jewish refugees and outlines how the British "decided to make an example of them" by returning the Holocaust survivors upon three ships to Port-de-Bouc in Southern France. A measure portrayed in the book as a deterrent to others who would "dare run the British blockade".

Amidst further British threats to then transfer the Holocaust survivors to Germany the book shows the reaction on board ship as a British flag is painted with a "swastika" below the Union Jack. The described plight of the refugees is heartbreaking as they are disembarked in Germany where the book recounts so many having been murdered by the Nazi regime. (Being British, having served in our military & studied the Holocaust for many years, I feel very uncomfortable at the described behaviour of my "compatriots".)

The book also details how, having been forcibly returned to Europe and incarcerated in these "camps" in Germany, many of these self same Jewish refugees/Holocaust survivors began repeating their individual, tortuous process of escaping. The book depicting how they once more embarked upon their journeys back to their ancestral homeland, with many having reached Israel when their nation was re-born on 15th May 1948. Many described as forming part of the fledgling Jewish forces which met the combined invasion from the surrounding Arab nations immediately after the Jewish nation's declaration of independence.

This is an extremely moving, often disturbing book, about an often overlooked period of history. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in Jewish history and events surrounding the re-birth of the Jewish state of Israel. The excellent photographs themselves are worthy of a special mention. Thank you.

Ruth Gruber's EXODUS 1947: THE SHIP THAT LAUNCHED A NATION
In 1945, President Harry Truman, learning of the horrible DP(Displaced Persons) camps in Germany asked Ernest Bevin, England's foreign minister to open the doors of Palestine to 100,000 DP's. A committee was formed that voted to open the doors, but Bevin refused. The ship named Exodus 1947, carrying 4,554 refugees, met resistance for this destination of Palestine. As noted in Gruber's book, Exodus, 1947: The Ship That Launched A Nation, a predominantly Jewish city, Tel Aviv, was on strike to protest this as it shut down for an entire day.
Following this, the ship, landed in Haifa as a battered vessel and Ruth Gruber documented the surge of heartbreak and hope, emotion and enormous anxiety to desperately reach the homeland. Exodus, 1947 came out in America recently and just came out in England after being banned for sixty years. It is now receiving rave reviews. One headline in London's Sunday Express read, "I SAW JEWS FORCED INTO SHIPS FROM DANTE'S HELL", and the article described the shameless way the Jews were treated.
Some reporters wrote the Jews of the Exodus were sent to Cypress. It is not true. Bevin considered Cypress a prison hell hole of sand and wind-too good for the Jews of the Exodus. They were sent to Germany in three prison ships. Gruber was selected to represent the entire American Press aboard the prison ship Runnymede Park. When she climbed the top deck the Holocaust survivors raised a flag. They had printed the Swastichka on the British Union Jack. Gruber's photo of the flag became Life Magazine's photo of the week. These Jews were defying not only the British Empire. They were defying the whole world. The refugees managed to escape from the prison camps in Germany and were in Palestine when it became Israel on May 14, 1948.
Gruber's words paint a picture of what the refugees endured between surviving the Holocaust and being settled afterwards. Her insight into the resourcefulness and creativity of people in the camps revealed a people with a fierce determination to rise above a sad past and still difficult present environment. Exodus 1947: The Ship That Launched A Nation chronicles the journey of hope and desperation for Holocaust survivors.

Review by Phyllis Johnson, author of Being Frank with Anne- the poetic interpretation of Anne Frank's diary- Community Press

Unless you are a history major from a very enlighten University I doubt you know even part of the history of the Christian Church and the Jewish People. This book opens a window into the soul of the relationship of the failure of the "Religion of Christianity" to minister the teachings of Jesus Christ to the Jewish People and it is long past time for individual Christians (and those within the organized Christian Church) to put the Teachings of Jesus (Yeshua) into POSITIVE ACTION toward God's Covenant People! The "Religion of Christianity" as practiced by too many in this world has led the way to anti-Semitism if not turned a blind eye to it and it is time for Christians to hold up Israel, the Jewish People Worldwide, Bless Them and Pray for them as this book so eloquently shows! If you believe in the word of God then this book is a must read!!!

This is a MUST READ for anyone who has a heart for the nation and people of Israel. Mr. Goll does an outstanding job in relating the history of the Jewish people as well as compel the reader to respond to the current, critical situation of the Jewish people in Israel and around the world. This book has prompted me to take on a fervency in prayer for Israel, as well as look for opportunities in my community to stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Thank you, Jim Goll, for giving us such wonderful information.

One of the best books on psycholgy and society in the last fifty years. Great food for thought and better understanding. I can not suggest this work enough for the positive developement of the mind.
Mr. Charny is years ahead of the pack in his thinking and insight, a humanist head and shoulders above the rest.

Five plus stars.

This is a significant book. Charny outlines the differences between fascist thinking, which leads to unproductive overcertainties in one's personal life and society, and democratic thinking, which centers around respect for others and the understanding that life is complex and often ambiguous, and that we cannot always get the answers when and where we want or need.

Democratic thinking leads to opportunities for growth and humility and fascist thinking leads to repressive totalitarianism. His focus is not so much on the social side, since we all know how that plays out, instead he emphasizes personal responsibility for being democratic with others and with ourselves. he teaches how to overcome our own fascist tendencies, since we all default to them on occasion.

This book is fascinating and built on his experience as a shrink and a genocide scholar. If you are interested in psychology, spirituality, politics,sociology or anthropology this is an excellent choice.

I have been studying this book for about 30 years and am now on my second copy. The author packs a lot of information on each page. There is more relevation and insight in this than any of the many I have read on the subject. The author allways submits to scripture rather than place any human reasoning over truth.

Kevin J.Conner is simply superb in his knowledge of comparing "spiritual things with spiritual things." This book takes the feasts of the Old Testament away from the usual mundane and dry interpretations. It heightens the love and appreciation of Israels great festivities to a greater level than most christians have thought could be possible. The method of comparing Old Testament shadows with New Testament realities brings the average christian to an excellent view of the feasts of Israel and their fulfillment in Christ and the Church

If you have never studied the Old Testament Feasts, you might think they would make for dull study. I did for many years. But I have found this one of the most fascinating areas to study in the entire Bible! This book is a great place to begin.

This fine work is great for a general read or as a useful tool for Bible teachers. It is written from a solidly evangelical perspective, the kind of viewpoint we expect from the publisher, Friends of Israel. It is clear and thorough but not tedious. It describes the natue of the 7 Feasts of Leviticus as well as the Sabbath and the Minor Feasts.

The author begins with and always considers himself accountable to the Bible. Additionally he explains the Jewish customs and understanding of the Festivals, and then demonstrates how some of the aspects of the festivals foreshadow the Messiah or New Testament truths.

The volume is filled with Scripture references (and thus well documented) and takes a respectful approach toward the Jewish roots of our Chrisitan beliefs, as well as a belief that God has a future for the nation of Israel.

Lots of solid doctrine. The insights and implications of the Feasts are a fascinating read for anyone dedicated to understanding the faith of the Bible or growing deeper in the Lord.

My only gripe is that the author follows the traditional Jewish practice of lumping the first three Levitical feasts together: Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits (since they occur within the same week). Separate treatment would have been better in my view. But, all in all, a fine, faith-building volume!

I have read a number of books on the feasts. Each having information about the feasts the other books didn't include, I have enjoyed them all. This book was my favorite of them all. No, the feasts are not just some boring Old Testament stories. They are picutes of what the the Father (Yahweh is his Hebrew name) and his son, our Messiah, our doing throughout history. And the feasts aren't just for the Jewish people.
They are for those believers who have been grafted into spiritual Israel as well. So if you have been wanting to better understand the Old Testament passages of Scripture that describe the feasts, this book will certainly assist you in that goal.

With every word, every phrase, Israel Shamir displays his love
of the holy land. I've read lots of books on the Middle East,
but this is - by far - the most compelling. I really cannot
express how important this book is to me, so I'll include a
quote from Nick Pretzlick, which I agree with wholeheartedly:

"Israel Shamir is in love with the Holy Land. He has a
passion for the land and its people; he believes the
two are umbilically linked. For him there is only one
viable solution to the conflict that has ravaged the
region for so long and that is the one state solution.
Shamir is a humanist and although he is scathing about
Palestine's enemies - the Jewish elite - he takes
pride in and writes lovingly about the courageous
Jews, who resist Israeli crimes.

Flowers of Galilee is a collection of essays, so full
of affection - such an elegy of love - that, reading
it for the first time, I felt impelled to delay the
turning of pages, preferring instead to linger over

images - to savour the sentiments.

Shamir does not pull any punches. He challenges
conventional thinking, but he does so with honesty,
affection and such thorough understanding and
knowledge that his outspokenness is reasonable and
rational. Flowers of Galilee is an eye opener - a
learning experience. It is also enchanting."

Many of us - and this specially applies to the allegedly democratic and prosperous West - have come to realise that there is something deeply amiss with our societies. Our leaders seem strangely alike, bland corporation men in suits, who blindly lead us into wars against popular will, at the same time as they slash away at social provisions that have stood and served us well for decades.

Ordinary people too have come to understand that the mainstream media only provides a slick but highly slanted view of world events. We hear much talk of Palestinian terrorists, but never of Palestinian poets. Alternative viewpoints are desperately required in times like these. Such a new outlook is provided by Flowers of Galilee.

Its author, Israel Shamir, is a true Palestinian poet, though an adoptive son of Palestine, rather than a native. Gently Shamir leads us from the local and the particular, to the global and universal. The olive trees and blossoms of Palestine lead in an entirely natural and unforced fashion to the great questions.

Why do we stand - apparently - on the very brink of World War III? Why is the Left fading away into 'business friendly' neo-liberalism? What about the increasing brutalisation of society, and growing gulf between rich and poor?

Reading Shamir's analysis of Palestine and the world is like seeing a metaphorical onion being peeled away, till you finally come upon the kernel of truth. This stripping away of the layers of illusion is bound to be an almost painful and traumatic process for many readers, so it's good that Shamir's friendly tone is there to guide you through. The example of the British Prime Minister is always there to warn of the dangers of believing your own falsehoods and illusions.

It's unfair, perhaps, to categorize any author in terms of his peers, but those who are unfamiliar with Israel Shamir's writings might imagine something of a combination of Lawrence Durrell and John Pilger. It would be out of place for this brief review to attempt a detailed description of the collected essays that comprise Flowers of Galilee : all however make fascinating reading and re-reading. Individually, the essays vary in overall tone from the largely amusing such as 'Up to a Point', to at least one - 'Cornerstone of Violence' - that will scare the hell out of its reader.

But amid all the moving or philosophical passages, there remains a gentle vein of serious humour :

'The instant recovery of a hijacker's passport, intact on the scene of jet crash, should be counted among the most spectacular miracles of all times, well ahead of Daniel's trip into the fiery furnace. The old Babylonian furnace surely had not built up to the temperature of burning jet-fuel. Arab-language flying manuals in the trunk of a car,
inaudible videotapes and other conveniently recovered exhibits make of the Moscow trials of 1937 a shining example of justice uncorrupted. The Afghani prisoners of war have been kept away from prying eyes, in the limbo of Guantanamo Bay, lest they disclose the greatest secret of all: their innocence.'

Despite the fact that the collection was written during 2001-2002, Flowers of Galilee retains an absolute contemporary immediacy.

For example, he leaves us in little doubt what a victory for the 'Mammonites' of the USA would mean for the world :

'Their programme of globalisation would eliminate all beauty and specific quality of the world, kill the spirit, undermine art, wipe out spirit, destroy nature, undo social achievements, divide mankind into Masters and Slaves. Wherever they go, old cafès and restaurants disappear and Starbucks and McDonalds take over. Workers lose their working places, museums are filled with trash, art is replaced by TV. Still, they should be contained, not destroyed.'

Shamir seems to imply that an alliance of the outsiders of far left, far right and Muslims could defeat the forces of Mammon and the globalisers. But above all, he is convinced that the future of the world will be settled, one way or another, by the struggle for Palestine : 'The fall of the Holy Land would create a point of no return for mankind and signify Man's total enslavement by the forces of domination. Our victory will set the world free.'

Is the Jewish homeland a more metaphorical concept than it seems? "For the Love of Israel and the Jewish People: Essays and Studies on Israel, Jews, and Judaism" argues that the Jews never lost Jerusalem, but took it with them as they were spread throughout the western and eastern world. Looking at the state of Israel, it examines both sides of the debate of the state's history and its roots in the Jewish faith. "For the Love of Israel and the Jewish People: essays and Studies on Israel, Jews, and Judaism" is an essential addition to any Judaic studies collection.

On the one hand I am deeply appreciative of this book. It shows a great love of Israel and the Jewish people. It has a deep awareness of the historical connection between the people of Israel and the land of Israel. It argues for and understands the central role of Jerusalem in Jewish history. It has great sympathy for the victims of the one - hundred year war of Terror waged against the Jewish people in the land. It has an awareness of different forms of Jewish creativity and contribution to Mankind. It is aware of many of the problems Israeli society is facing in its religious- secular divide.It also contains a whole host of interesting essay material on a wide range of subjects. Nonetheless I have a certain problem with a number of conceptions central to the book. One is the sense that the problems of Israel come largely from its secular population. This is a half- truth. The failure of a good share of the religious population to participate fully in the society, including the work of its defense is an increasing problem of Israel. I too am troubled by a certain sense that the answers to all the pains of Jewish history are somehow known to us. And this when I once again share and endorse wholeheartedly the major message of this book.,