Israel Books

The story of Adam takes you from post WW II germany to the land of Israel in a flash back & present telling tale of one man's journey back from the brink of self-destruction. A Famous Eurpean Clown forced to be a dog during the Holocaust, living by wit & his Commander's wims & then having to keep his commander alive after the war ended. Adam finds himself returning to Institution life, too smart to be cured and too scared to stay in the outside world. Adam terrorizes the staff, tantalizes his lover (the head Nurse) and mesmorizes all the other patients with his charm and wit. Adam finally begins to heal as he attempts to heal a young boy who thinks he's a dog.

I absolutely love this book - it has brilliant images of contemporary artists work, and detailed reviews of the art and artists as well as reference to historical and contemporary issues of politics, gender, ethnicity and religion in relation to Israeli art. Each author gives an individual and detailed contribution to the book. It cannot be missed by anyone who is interested in Israeli art and the issues surrounding it.

I ordered "Air War: On the Edge" with significant doubt since I already possessed virtually every existing English work on Hiel ha avir. There would have to be a lot of new material to justify the $90.00 sticker price. I was not disappointed.

If you are seriously interested in the Israeli Air Force and not just stories or glosses, this book is a must have. It has a total list of all of the aircraft that have been flown, captured, or evaluated by the Israeli Air Force. Squadron histories, serial blocks of recent major acquisitions, and color plates of all actual and fake squardron round out the work.
I would estimate that 75% or more of the photographs do not appear in any book in my collection which contains virtually every every English language book the the bibliography.

While Norton is a himself a aircraft modeler, he points out that this is NOT a book for modelers. There are no cockpits schematics or walk around detail photographs for the super detailers, no tips on Israeli modifications or markings. That was not his goal.
Norton has produced the definitive encyclopedia covering 55 years of Hier-ha-avir, the Israeli Air force.

Cooley was a staff correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor and ABC News and has written widely on the issues (including six other books on the Middle East). Drawing on published and much unpublished works (including his own personal interaction with people like Ben Gurion), he focuses on Iraq as how it was/is impacted by Israel and the US. It is a concise description of the tragic history of ancient Babylon and modern Iraq in the context of meddling and/or occupation by outside powers (from the Ottomans to Britain to Israel and the US). It describes for example, the Zionist manipulation of Iraqi Jews to force them to flee their country. It describes how the CIA "gave Saddam a leg up" (Chapter 6). The detailed discussion of the history goes through the periods of the Iran-Iraq war when the US continued to back Saddam but also made dealings with Iran to keep them killing each other), o the period of the Kuwait episode (some call it gulf war I), Sanctions, and then the latest war on Ira that is still ongoing. The last chapter its titled "Endgame: Iraq democratized or dismembered?" and it deals with a range of issues from the neoconservative (Zionist) cabal in action to dismember Iraq with the help of Israeli intelligence and military support, the sharing of weapons and training, Abu Ghreib nightmare, Israel relationship with Turkey and Kurdish areas, and the alliances that are being built at the expense of native people in Iraq and Palestine.

A great first work from this young author. The story is of a forbidden love between a therapist and her young patient that takes a turn for the worst. Prurient at times, and vile at others, the story courses the young protagonist's view of a relationship with his attractive therapist as it morphs from wishful thinking, to mind-blowing reality, and finally to a self-destructive nightmare.

Shlomo Argov was an Israeli diplomat serving in London when a terrorist's bullet incapacitated him for the rest of his life. These speeches which were written before this evil act constitute a solid description of the situation of Israel during his time of service. They constitute a powerful set of arguments in defense of Israel.
Argov as one who served in the Palmach during the War of Independence and grew up with the state knew Israel well. He writes here not only of the Israel of the elites, but that of the poorer classes of the people He has a warm sympathetic view of the people as a whole.
He explains the anomalous situation of Israel, a democracy seeking peace with its neighbors- the only country in the world whose very existence is persistently threatened by those same neighbors without them receiving worldwide censure.
This book is introduced by another Israeli of great accomplishment Teddy Kollek. He tells of trying to persuade his friend Argov to work for the government at home. But he agrees that Argov did the people of Israel a true service by becoming one of its leader diplomats and defenders abroad.

As Edward Glick reports, polls show that sixty percent of Europeans believe that America and Israel are the two most dangerous countries on the planet. Not North Korea, Iran, or Saudi Arabia. And he asks what is going on across the pond.

Now, it is true that Israel is far from defenseless. But it would be suicidal for it to make any genuinely aggressive moves. And it is true that America is very strong indeed. Still, calling us "dangerous" for reacting to the September 11, 2001 attacks is something of a stretch.

The author points out that in the case of Israel, European attitudes are at best delusional, and at worst antisemitic. And in the case of America, Europeans seem deluded as well. After all, people from all over the world are flocking to America. Far fewer are running away from here.

I agree with Glick that many Europeans fail to understand that most Israelis "are determined to ensure that the spectacle of Jews being killed and maimed with impunity" won't happen again, especially in the Middle East.

The author indicates that if Europeans want peace in the Levant, they ought to try persuading the Arabs to abide Jewish rights in the region. But do the Europeans want peace? Glick isn't sure they do, and neither am I.

Davidson's America's Palestine is an excellent documentation of Anglo-American perceptions of the still today disputed Middle Eastern territories. Various media citations are included, such as the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and the LA Times. Discussion of the State Department's evolving position from neutrality to full fledged support of the Zionist agenda is included. The book is eye opening and gives a good history of how these early Anglo-American perceptions of the Arab-Israeli conflict distorted the realities of the Middle East.

This book, now twenty years old, is a special volume in my library. Harold Sack regales us with fascinating stories from the early days of dealing and collecting in the 20th century. I think any student of the American decorative arts should add this volume to their collection!

Professor Jonathan D. Sarna and Professor Jonathan B. Krasner combine their scholarly and teaching expertise in The History of the Jewish People Volume 1: Ancient Israel to 1880's America, an consumable textbook designed to involve junior high and high school students deeply and personally in the flow of history. Sample questions and observations with blank lines for the student to write in an answer include "Describe one way you may have influenced a non-Jew by teaching him or her about Judaism and Jewish culture", and "In what ways are modern ghettos similar to those that were first established for Jews? In what ways are they different?" Each chapter includes a historical overview, investigative questions for students to explore, key vocabulary words, maps, spotlights of famous personages, and "then and now" sidebars that encourage reflection. Full color illustrations enrich this interactive text created especially for young Jewish students.