Israel Books

Well-researched and impressively compiled. For those interested in World War II history, this resource is definantly something not to be overlooked!

Out Of The Inferno charts the efforts that went into the rescue of Rabbi Yosef Schneersohn, during which six months of lobbying with countless political figures led to the eventual rescue of the Rebe from World War II Europe. Here are letters, memoranda, and documents detailing the efforts to rescue a revered man - and his trial, which continued even after his journey away from Europe.

An important scholarly contribution to the literature on exile. As a political writer in exile from her native land, I can attest to acuity of Israel's observations.

Of course Outlandish is rigorous and meticulously researched. But it's much more than that. Israel brings energy and even passion - "even" passion? I mean *especially* passion - to his scholarly subject, and the result is an academic page-turner that must now be considered the definitive treatment of the literature of exile. Invest in this book as you would invest in a suitcase out of which you might one day have to live.

There have been flashier histories of Israel's war of independence and longer ones, but none as well informed, more sensible, and more compelling that Gelber's magisterial account. Making full use of the archives and blending them into a lively account, he provides enough specifics to make the hostilities come alive without ever bogging down in detail. He also dismisses with grace and ease the "particularly irritating" work of the self-styled New Historians, which he finds "one-sided and incomplete." The book's only defect is being published in a limited edition and at a vastly too-high price; let's hope an inexpensive paperback follows soon.

Gelber argues that the first phase of the war began just one day after the United Nations decision to partition Palestine on November 29, 1947 and continued through to the British retreat on May 15, 1948. During that half-year, a civil war took place within the boundaries of Mandatory Palestine, with the British not willing to expend lives to stop it. The Zionists won this round with an ease that astounded them almost as much as the Arabs, an ease which Gelber attributes not to their greater martial abilities but to the vast infrastructural superiority they enjoyed. He also makes the interesting point that the voluntary Arab flight from the contested areas fit into a cultural pattern; historically by-standers to the wars of their rulers, the farmers and townspeople escaped the hostilities temporary, then returned when the fighting ended. But Zionists came out of a Europe context in which abandoning the land was tantamount to forfeiting it.

The second round began with the Arab armies' invasion on May 15. Those armies were almost as ill-prepared for fighting as the Palestinians had been and, like them, were soundly defeated, with shuddering consequences for all the regimes involved. But don't be satisfied with this potted version - read the full version Gelber so capably recounts in Palestine 1948.

An amazing up to date account on the history of the israeli palestinian conflict, albeit a fat fat book!

I've walked in Israel and the West Bank before the Intifadas, before the barriers, and subsequently tried to make some sense of the mistakes and the historical horror show that has occurred. I think that the Arabic term "al Naqba", the catastrophe, truly best states what has happened, and what continues for all those who live there.
For everyone who shares the author's love of the land or has any respect for human dignity, this book will make you despair over the tragedy of it all.
Some books on the subject have challenged me, all have upset me, but none have effected me as viscerally as these personal ruminations on the irretrievable loss of the landscape itself.
It's beautifully written. Read it and weep.

I have just made arrangements to go to Palestine and experience walks in Palestine in the midst of a brutal occupation! This is how powerful this book!

McDowall did a great job listing the facts of Palestinian history. He showed how false the Zionist claims are of "land with no people for people with no land", and brilliantly analyzed the causes and effects of the Palestinian dispossession and "expulsion" of their land. He listed the facts and figures associated with the Zionist occupation of Palestine and leading to the Palestinian Diaspora and fight for freedom. Great work.

McDowall did a great job listing the facts of Palestinian history. He showed how false the Zionist claims are of "land with no people for people with no land", and brilliantly analyzed the causes and effects of the Palestinian dispossession and "expulsion" of their land. He listed the facts and figures associated with the Zionist occupation of Palestine and leading to the Palestinian Diaspora and fight for freedom. Great work.

This book is a must read. I was always taught that Rome was the only civilised power in the world, and that never made sense to me. But Collins shows how a nation called Parthia which is apart of the Ten Tribes of Israel riviled Rome in greatness and strength and how the Bible and Parthia have a connection not only culture but also of belifes. I've never heard of Parthia before this book, not even in my collage corses. This book is a must read!

Author: Steven M. Collins

Although little-known to modern readers, the ancient kingdom of Parthia played a key role in historical and Biblical events. In this book, exciting new research is presented proving a Semitic-Israelite connection and even a link to King David within the Parthian royal family.

The names of Israelite tribes and clans are in evidence, and Parthia's first capital city was named after "Isaac." Another surprise: the cover of the book shows a cutaway diagram of an ancient Parthian direct current battery. A number of these batteries have been found, and this book documents the sensational discovery of electricity and examines its possible ancient uses.

Some of the events of Jesus Christ's life become more understandable when they are examined in light of the politics that prevailed between Rome and Parthia at that time. One group of Parthian elites that chose Parthia's emperors was called the "Magi" or "Wise Men." A delegation of these high Parthian officials worshipped the young Jesus.

This exciting story is told with the aid of over 100 maps, charts, and illustrations. Very well researched by historian and writer, Steven M. Collins, with 16 pages of appendices.

This is truly a book you will find hard to set down.
Paperback
256 pages

In this very concise book (only 130 pages), Rubinstein gives the reader a great introduction to the average Palestinian refugee's attachment to the land of Israel. If you want a very easy to read, informative introduction to the attachment of Palestinian refugees to their homes this is the book to read. I highly recommend it!

That this book is out of print is unbelievable to me. It could help so many, today and tomorrow, to understand the Palestinian culture in a way I've never read about in any other book. Mr. Rubinstein is a revered Israeli columnist for Ha'aretz News and acknowledged as the leading Israeli "Arabist". Though his columns are information, this book is truly alive with visual images no where else to be found, with insights so critical for Americans and Israelis. How Random House allowed this timeless book to have only a short shelf life is really astounding and upsetting to me. Try and get it Used and then add your review to mine. You won't be disappointed; this book is a true gem.

This book really is a fantastic introduction to the interaction of politcs and relgiion in biblical Israel, OB Mesopotamia, and Homeric Greece - easy to read, engaging, and informative.

This book is great for anyone interested in learning how kings were viewed in Ancient Greece, Babylon and Israel. It is a wonderful introduction into the documents, stories and myths that informed the decisions and shaped the consciousness of the people. The wealth of knowledge and the summaries of the stories that shaped the people will initiate any reader into the cultures of the ancient world, but the author's examination and evaluation of particular texts can inform the experts as well.

This awakening-to-consciousness journey laid before the reader is rich and enlightening; painting the pictures of lands and beliefs with a full colored brush.
The true story gives us a look into how Nazi Germany bent and broke both Jewish and Christian people in subtle and shocking ways; ultimately-in the wake of its destruction-sending one young man, whose indoctrination into the Hitler youth estranged him from his own family and the reality of the plight of Jewish countrymen, across nations on a spiritual search for meaning in an exploration of the religions of the world.
Information and insights on Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity broaden the reader along with this pilgrim.
The route from conquered Germany through places like impoverished streets of Bombay, a cave in the Himalayas, ashrams in India, sand stormed deserts in Pakistan, Babylonian excavations in Iraq, the Jordanian border to Jerusalem is filled with richly described encounters, hazards and life lessons. Getting from point A to point B is alternately smooth and tense with risks.
The end leaves one wanting to know more; believing that if peace and reconciliation can be possible for this man, with all his baggage on his search for a meaningful life of peace, then it is more than a nebulous vision for the rest of us with our multi-patterned, cultural valises in tow.
I recommend this book to everyone- if for no other reason than to garner a glimpse at Oskar/Asher's winding paths and how it is in the daily existence of those who we may never meet, in lands we may only read about or see in snatches of media.
This author has sensitively and honestly written this insightful biography which shows practical applications for today's journeys to the possibilities of peace between nations and people with myriad belief systems.
It says so completely that it is not necessary to go down the path of destruction again.
This would be an excellent book for reading groups/ethical societies where discussion is included.
My recommendation is: read and share with others.
You will want to discuss this book!

This is an amazing story of a man who was in the hitler youth, and became an orthodox Jew living in Israel. The story of his journey - spiritual and physical - is incredible. The book is written so that you feel as if you are experiencing the story with Oskar/Asher. Definitely recommended reading!

I sent for this book because of my interest in knowing more about the Balfour Declaration than just that it opened a possibility for a Jewish homeland. In this thoroughgoing and apparently fair book I found so many parallels with our situation in Iraq that I abstracted it. It is packed with many interesting and important details that make the book emminently readable and lay bare the roots of the enduring Arab-Israeli confrontation.

This book is a well-written and detailed history of the British mandate rule of Palestine (1920-1947). She is a careful historian who supports her prose with ample references. The tale she tells is a sad one and chronicles the systematic colonial expulsion of Palestinians from their land. Some British were even-handed but the weight of Ms. Shepherd's evidence demonstrates a bias against the Arabs. This is a most timely book because of the continuing struggle of the Palestinians for a fair deal. The facts presented should be considered by Israeli negotiators involved in the so-called "peace process".