Israel Books

"Biblical History of Israel and the Kingdom of God" should help Christians and non-Christians understand why God nurtured a people to become His "kingdom of priests, a holy nation." It should give America and the nations lessons to avoid the fate of biblical Canaanites as well as that of Israel. It presented convincing arguments that Jesus' presence (parousia) rather than actual physical return was the trigger in the setting up of the "Kingdom of God on Earth" with the glorified Jesus reigning "from another place" or in heaven over God's Kingdom on Earth - and will never return until God has succeeded to make Jesus' enemies a footstool for his feet." The book also presented irrefutable arguments why present-day Israel must accept all Christian nations as co-heirs with the Jewish people to God's promise to Abraham to make him the "father of many nations." This book is a "must read" for every Christian, Jew, and Muslim as well as for all the nations if they are to understand future historic developments in Palestine.

Yair Davidiy is an expert in his field and well respected around the world - his book on "Biblical Truth: The Lost Ten Tribes of Israel in the West, according to the Book of Genesis" is suberb in identifying the tribes of Israel. It is in my collection.

On November 25 2001 Margaret Rawson died at the age of 102. I'm privalged to have known her. At 101 her mind was as sharp as ever! She will be well remembered for her work dealing with dyslexia. She will be missed. God bless you, Mrs. Rawson!

This is a fabulous 272 hardback book, including more than two dozen color plates of the birds of Israel. The volume includes more than 30 new species discovered since the last survey conducted in the region by Meinertzhagen for his 1954 volume, The Birds of Arabia. Many of the more than 470 species to be found in Israel range as far as the Caspian Sea, northern Russia and Siberia, and into Europe Eastern and Western Europe.

These birds reside throughout Israel, as well as the Judean Desert and Samaria and into the Straits of Tiran.

One especially gorgeous bird is the Smyrna Kingfisher, with a tiny white breast, and deep turquoise back and red head and shoulders. But there are also several lovely species of sandgrouse, including the Lichtenstein's, Crowned and Black-bellied, at least five species of terns, and many of seagulls.

The shorebirds, including plovers, and the collared pratincole, are also wondrous indeed.

All nature lovers who reside in or visit Israel should definitely purchase a copy of this book.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Simha Flapan who is an Israeli of the MAPAM party debunks some of the most common spewed out myths of how the state of Israel was founded. Using the documentary record and declassified diaries of David Ben Gurion, the truth behind what really happened becomes clear. A must for anyone who wants to know the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

This is an incredible book. Totally opposite of everyting that I have been taught. It covers questions that have never been answered until now. I am sending a copy to my friends and my minister. Anyone who is in search of truth and the reasons why the world is in such upheavel today must read this book. It will shock you. It will destroy all your preconcieved notions and plant you on higher ground.

E. Jones
California

I discovered this book in my college library when conducting research about a year ago. It is really a wonderful work. It humanizes the politics by simply asking a cross section of Irish folk what 'the Border' means to them. One will not of couse understand the byzantine politcs of the paramilitaries or the complex history of Ireland but read in conjunction with other works one will come to a deeper understanding.

Boris Carmi was one of the premier Israeli photojournalists from the time of the founding of the nation through the 1970s. This book, BORIS CARMI: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM ISRAEL provides an excellent introduction to his photography and overview of his career. Three introductory essays set the context for his photography and then the photos take over. The first several sections are the most fascinating, documenting the Arab-Israeli war of 1948 and the arrival of Jews in the new nation of Israel from around the world--old world European Jews as well as Jews from places like Morocco and Yemen. The hopefulness and determination in the faces and the beauty of the land (urban and rural) is inspiring, even as the viewer remains aware of the people displaced to make way for such scenes (Palestinians are shown only in defeat and surrender in the photos from 1948, and fleeing into Jordan in photos from the 1967 war).

Other sections include a chapter of landscape photographs, photos of Tel Aviv, shots of historical contemporaries from David Ben-Gurion to Golda Meir, Robert Oppenheimer to Leonard Bernstein, and artistic photos of women.

Beyond their subject matter, the photographs are great examples of mid 20th century black and white photojournalism, very much like the best of Life magazine in their style--crisp, clean, clear and iconic. An excellent book and an excellent tribute to a master photographer.

Having had the good fortune to know the Bostoner Rebbetzin, reading her memoirs is for me a way to reconnect with this special person who passed away two years ago, after a rich and varied life of giving.

You will see much humor despite the the tremendous heartbreaks she endured. Her own parents divorced shen she was small, her mother remarried, causing them to relocate to Cleveland Ohio, leaving the rich legacy of Chassidic Poland behind, for good. Helpless when her beloved sister walked to her death an ocean away, along with so many precious, pious relatives in a holocaust that was her personal story too. Her dear stepfather passed away after a lengthy illness.

And what did Raichel Horowitz do? She moved forward despite her losses. She and her husband, the Bostonner Rebbe, struggled in an often thankless job to re-establish Chassidut in a new land after its destruction in the old. She connected with and encouraged anyone who came her way in the Berditchever tradition of tolerance. She kept smiling and told others to smile also. She lived to a ripe old age with humor and love. And near the end of her rich life, she was given a glimpse of the redemption that she worked tirelessly for: during a depressing visit of decimated Jewish Poland, she saw the mural of the Leviathan on the ceiling of her beloved former synagogue, now a Polish library. She could have been bitter...but no, she was overjoyed.

If you have ever read a book on the art of negotiation this book is a must read case study.
General Dayan writes an even handed report on the process which established the admittedly "cold" peace between Egypt and Israel in 1979. The pressures from the Carter White House as well as from the various Arab Nations and the Palestinian Arabs as well factor into a highly complex interaction and Dayan reveals the strategies employed by all sides as clearly as he can perceive them. Personally I think there is a lot of valuable insight here not only for the student of negotiation but for anyone who is currently a player in the area of international relations. Very worth the time it takes to read and digest the material. I find it has illumined the current world political scene for me in profound ways.