Middle East Books

This book is a must read for anyone interested in the "Peace Process". It should be readily available to all American Universities which sadly, as I can attest, are lacking. I borrowed my copy from a neighboring state's christian college through interlibrary loan. Sadly too, I can reveal there are over 40 copies of former President Jimmy Carter's Peace, not Aparteid in my county adjacent to Atlanta. Don't know the grand total of this worthless book in the greater Atlanta area.... I was going to review that book, but I will not waste my time. I don't want to make it appear to anyone that he is being victimized. I'm sure he's well protected anyway.

But not so for the Israelis. Their state is in a precarious position and is at the mercy of higher powers.

I laughed when an American diplomat wrote that an arab replied that only 10% of muslims are extremists: "Well, call me a taxi! That means there are only 100 million Islamics who want to kill Americans instead of one billion. I don't find that very comforting."

Another way to look at it is there are 900 million who are not extremists. If the greater international community will fight a war on terror with us, and continue homeland and international security vigilance, maybe peace would be around the horizon.

If you can find this book, I recommend HIGHLY that at least the last 2 pages be read; they are a summary of the book which is a compilation of 40 or so mini essays written by Israelis, American and British statesmen, diplomats, and religious leaders. The sixth item of fourteen on the last two pages states: "The U.N. is morally bankrupt and cannot function as the instrument of justice. Alternatives must be examined."
I loved the South African Rev. Malcolm Hedding's article entitled "Anti-Semitism: the Basis of Immorality".

Zechariah 8:18-23 (English Standard Version)

And the word of the LORD of hosts came to me, saying, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: The fast of the fourth month and the fast of the fifth and the fast of the seventh and the fast of the tenth shall be to the house of Judah seasons of joy and gladness and cheerful feasts. Therefore love truth and peace.

"Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.

Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

This is a great book about the Arab-Israeli conflict, the war on terror, and the prospects for peace. Three dozen people contribute their perspectives on these topics.

The book consists of the best presentations from the first Jerusalem summit, held in October, 2003, in Israel's capital. That summit focused on developing a moral and efficient alternative to the failed Oslo process and mapping out ways to bring democracy and freedom to the Middle East.

Here are some of the points from the summit:

1) US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a good idea, and might at least remind people that Israel is here to stay with Jerusalem as its capital.

2) The present international bodies designated to protect international law have sunk into immorality, corruption, and inefficiency. The UN is morally bankrupt and can not function as the instrument of justice; alternatives must be considered.

3) Ultimately, Arabs must liberate themselves from their irredentism. But we Westerners can help by not leading them towards more of the same.

4) For the first time in history, nihilists will actually have the means to match their ends. That means that civilization is indeed at stake.

5) Panting for peace with terrorists merely makes terrorists the masters of the situation. What we need to do instead is defeat the terrorists. Otherwise, the only way we'll get "peace" is to let the terrorists do whatever they please with us all, "peacefully."

6) Peace can be accomplished only by facing the truth. Those of us who are for human rights and justice need to go out and support it with our words at the very least. We are speaking the truth. We have nothing to be ashamed of. Let's do it!

7) A new Levantine Arab state would be a bad idea. It would be a terrorist state, and it would endanger Israel (and maybe Jordan as well). And it would have absolutely no moral or historical justification.

8) Israel must neither rule over a million Arabs nor cede them complete sovereignty within the borders of the 1930s British Mandate.

9) Israel is not a foreign occupying power in Yesha. Thus no international law prevents Israel or its citizens from establishing civilian towns on state lands.

10) Israel in 1967 did not "occupy" a Levantine Arab "nation." University professors ought to be the first ones to point out this obvious lie. But for the most part, they haven't.

11) There can't be peace if anti-Jewish incitement doesn't cease, and that includes the force-feeding of propaganda to schoolchildren.

There are several proposals for peace in the book. They emphasize the need to separate the combatants. A typical and excellent idea is to let Arabs vote in Jordanian elections and Jews vote in Israeli elections, independent of which side of the border they might actually live on.

While I don't agree with all the ideas in this book (a wide variety of ideas are covered here), I find them all interesting, valuable, and sincere.

Some people may assume that this book is of no use, because a majority of the people in the world disagree with what it says. They may consider the contributors to be a political fringe. And on some issues, they may be right. But when a political fringe tells us the truth, or requests sanity rather than arbitrariness, that fringe will be proved correct in the long run. This is a book that we all ought to read now, when there is still a clear chance to make things better for everyone.

I was present at this symposium and attended many of its sessions. For me the major element was in hearing so many different voices who are essentially sympathetic to Israel, this at a time when the Jewish state is under propaganda attack from the extreme left and the extreme right everywhere. But the major idea of the Summit, it seems to me, is especially important. The idea that moral clarity about the conflict between Jews and Arabs in the Middle East can come through understanding the historical reality seems to me a sound one. For if one has an idea of objective truth, and fairness- and if one believes in Justice then one should be able to weigh conflicting claims, and look to an answer for the conflict. The fact is that most of the claims of the Jewish side have been ignored and distorted by the other side since the beginning of the conflict. And there has emerged a strange process by where the Jews bend over backwards to understand and give to the ' other side' while the other side denies any Jewish claim and history to the Holy Land. This running away from Truth on the part of the Arab side, this refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the other is what has led to disastrous perpertuation of the conflict.
Many outstanding people spoke at this conference, from former Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Richard Perle, Alan Keyes, John Loftus. I would simply like to commend one speaker especially the historian Joel Fishman who gave a telling analysis of the connection between the Soviet - and Vietnamese conception of ' total war' and the strategy adopted by Yassar Arafat for destroying Israel. The key point here is that the aggressor will sacrifice the good and well- being of its own people in order to destroy the enemy. This explains Arafat's action when in September 2000 he opened up the latest terror war phase against Israel. It did not matter how much his own society suffered as long as he would move the process forward of destroying the enemy. Fishman's exposure of this line of thought made what seemed to be an irrational process ' rational'.
On the whole this work gives great new insight into the Arab- Israeli conflict. And it makes it clear that without real change on the Arab side toward recognition of the reality and legitimacy of the other there can be no peace in the Middle East.

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 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.

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!

The book not only accurately re-tells the story of a once vibrant Jewish community living in Lebanon, but also offers a lot of history about the formation and the two civil wars of Lebanon in order to put the Jewish story in context.
The style is inviting, though boring at first. Even though the book was published in 2001, research and interviews were done much earlier, in mid 1990s.
Everyone who enjoys reading about Lebanon, or for that matter, the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli relations, should read this book. The author strips the story of Jews in Arab countries from myth and puts it in a new context which has it that the Jewish community in Lebanon, like the other remaining faith groups, prospered as the country prospered and dwindeled with the nation's diminishing fortunes.
Despite the author's apparent Jewish roots, objectivity runs high in the book and Schulze knew perfectly well when to describe the Lebanese Jews as aloof from Zionism and when to report on the single incident of aleviating non-Lebanese Israeli sympathy that led to spying in Israel's favor.
Finally, it felt sad that some Lebanese Muslim radicals kidnapped and killed 11 of their Jewish compatriots. This savagery stands as a proof to the amount of radicalism that small nations like Lebanon imported from regional neigbors like Iran. This imported policy reached to the extent that one deputy, Najah Wakim, accused Prime Minister Rafik Hariri of striking partnerships with Edmond Safra, a Lebanese Jew, as a sign of pro-Israeli collaboration. Wakim is a well-known Syrian puppit.

I have not yet read this book, and may never do so unless I can find a copy for a more reasonable price. I do not understand why books about Lebanon (with a few exceptions) are so hard to find and/or so incredibly expensive. I am an Irishman (my ancestral village is in that part of Ireland which is still under British occupation...), and a student of history, so for obvious reasons I find Lebanese History fascinating. I also believe that the decision of the U.N. to send Irish troops to Lebanon as peacekeepers was far from accidental... In the Detroit area are many Lebanese; and of the handful of Lebanese men with whom I have had more than a nodding acquaintance two are Muslim, one a Maronite, one a Druse, one a Jew, and for the rest I am unaware of their religious background. Three of them, oddly enough, came from Sidon- one gentleman had even been the Governor of that city at one time. Obviously, they all have had wildly differing perspectives on the recent History of their native land. One of these men, who owns a business down the street from my house, is the only person I have ever met who actually reads as much as I do. We occasionally loan each other books, and discuss them; he has been quite helpful in explaining various aspects of Lebanese History and culture, but that only goes so far. More, and more easily accessible books on the subject would help a great deal. I hope I can get a copy of this book- the Lebanese Jew I knew was a fairly tragic individual. Culturally, he was for all intents and purposes (his native language was Arabic, etc.) an Arab- but he was a Jew. He hated Israel (and Syria for that matter...) both for what it had done to his country, and for causing the anti-Jewish backlash which directly resulted in his leaving- but he was a Jew. Unfortunately, I lost track of this guy several years ago, and I don't even remember his name. I look forward to reading the story of his people, and hopefully gaining some understanding of that aspect of Lebanese History.

Dimestore Liam

In the winter of 1999, I was with a friend in one of Sodeco Square's movie theaters, watching "The Confession," starring Ben Kingsley and Alec Baldwin. When the movie was over, we left disappointed because of the massacre perpetrated by the censors against the movie. And we were not alone. Collective sighs could be heard from the audience every time an edited-out scene was announced by the appalling noise that accompanies the cut. My friend and I could not understand why some scenes were taken out. The movie was about a man (Kingsley) who killed a doctor and a nurse in revenge for their causing of his only son's death through negligence. Then he turned himself in and insisted on pleading guilty even if that led to his execution. We did not expect from the context that the edited-out scenes were of the sexual nature that the censors believe we are too immature to see.
But when I saw the same movie on a satellite movie channel, I noticed that the scenes in question included quotes from the Torah by Kingsley to his attorney (Baldwin), then to the judges and jury, to explain why his love for his only son was a part of his duties as a religious Jew. Then I said to myself: "Is the Torah banned here, though it is recognized as sacred by both Christians and Muslims?"
Since then, Lebanese censors have stripped all films of any scenes related to Jews or Judaism. I do not mean "only" the scenes that may draw the sympathy of viewers for the victims of the Holocaust. But even if I accept, for the sake of argument, that cutting out scenes related to the Holocaust can be somehow justified, why have Jews and their religion become a taboo? I have the right to ask this question in Lebanon because in this country Judaism is one of the 18 officially recognized sects. Ironically, Sodeco Square is very near to the Jewish cemetery, which have been rehabilitated by the remaining Lebanese Jews a few years ago, as newspapers reported. So what is our problem with the Jews of Lebanon? How many of them are still among us, and have the others left Lebanon for the West of for Israel, like so many other Jews in the Arab World after 1948?
The answers to these questions and others can be found in Kirsten Schulze's good book, "The Jews of Lebanon: Between Coexistence and Conflict", which appeared in London a few weeks ago. The book tells the story of Lebanon's Jews since the beginning of history, but it emphasizes the period between the arrival of Allied troops to the Near East in 1918 and the launching of the reconstruction process in postwar Lebanon in the mid-1990s, when leftist MP Najah Wakim criticized Prime Minister Rafik Hariri for allowing Jews to buy shares in Solidere, the company in charge of the process. Schulze argues that Lebanon's Jews were different from their co-religionists in other Arab countries because of their heartfelt identification with their fellow Lebanese In other words, they were Arabized and Leventine. Lebanese Jews believed in Lebanon as a permanent country for them and sympathized with Israel in a religious sense only. Interestingly, those who had left during the two civil wars of 1958 and 1975, feeling that the Lebanon of religious tolerance and cultural pluralism had ceased to exist, actually went to Europe and the Americas instead of to Israel
Lebanon's Jewry had a special affinity for France, whose Jewish Alliance schools did their best to propagate French language and culture among Jews in the Arab World. Lebanese Jews had a newspaper in Arabic. According to Schulze, while the numbers of Jews in other Arab countries were decreasing in the 1940s, the number of Lebanese Jews doubled to 14,000. Syrian and Iraqi Jews, fleeing the fallout of the conflict in Palestine, came to this oasis of freedom, and were welcomed by the Lebanese authorities, thought they were not given the Lebanese citizenship. Wadi Abu Jamil, or "the Jewish Street," was no ghetto; it was just a Jewish neighborhood, as there were neighborhoods for Sunnis, Shiites, Orthodox Greeks, Syriacs, etc. This is the standard neighborhood demography of any Leventine city. Many Lebanese Jews were economically prosperous, and the wealthiest left the neighborhood to more classy areas, like Ras Beirut and Qantari. Owners of real estate in Wadi Abu Jamil were granted shares in return for their property appropriated by Solidere, similar to Muslim and Christian compatriots.
Almost each family had two homes: one for the winter in Beirut or Sidon and another for the summer in Bhamdoun and Aley. There were 14 synagogues. News about the few Lebanese Jews who went to Israel did not encourage other Jews to follow in their footsteps. Work in kibbutzim was tedious, while services or electricity, water and telephone were poor, and leisure time non-existent. While most were fluent in Arabic and French, their weakness in Hebrew disappointed the Zionists in Palestine. Jewish life was not always easy in Lebanon, nevertheless, Lebanese Jews continued to develop their cultural, educational and religious institutions here after 1948. Lebanese Jews had famous doctors, like neurologist and Community Council President Joseph Attieh, who represented Lebanon in international medical conferences in the 1950s and 1960s. They also had famous journalists, bankers and merchants.
The book, despite some faults, like its irregular English and its failure to elaborate on interesting events, is informative. It is based on many good references, documents and interviews. And it sheds light on a period of tolerance in Lebanon that no other Arab country knew. In Lebanon's heyday, the country's Muslims chose it over Arab unity, its Christians over European protection, and its Jews over "the Promised Land." Maybe reviving tolerance - starting, perhaps, with movies - can help this country regain a role it lost.

Loved this book as a quick guide. The overlays added to the visual effect. I acrually carried this with me on a hike through Petra and was able to identify several locations by the photos.

I got this book, AFTER I visited these places and I'm glad I did. Very effective way of comparing what one can see nowadays and what it must have been like in its time. Useful before travelling, after or even if only interested in finding out more about the region. Perfect size book and very easy to consult. A friend saw my copy and immediately ordered one for herself. It is that interesting. Recommend highly

Overlays of the past and present are fantastic! Gives a wonderful visual overview of Petra, Jerash, Amman. Worth every penny!

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

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.

A very humane and sensitive account that explores the world view of people far from the beaten track. Despite the differences we are led to understand their concerns which turn out to be far less foreign than the material setting would suggest.

Chaffetz does an admirable job of describing northwest Afghanistan as it was circa 1975 and the effect that the country and its people had upon him. As one who had passed through the country in the late sixties, there was much I could recognize in both the stimulus and the author's response. Particularly gratifying to me was the "update" aspect - the provision of information from that particular time period, of which I had previously read and heard only the barest political and economic facts. Chaffetz ably uses history to inform and frame the life and times he experienced. A further enhancement is the author's knowledge of Farsi and the inclusion of translations into English of words, old inscriptions, and occasional couplets of Persian poetry. The title of this review is taken from one of those couplets. The book is evocative and commendable.

Chaffetz book "A memorial" is the last in my trilogy of readings on Afghanistan for this year. First, I read about Nic Danzinger's travels through the area in recent years. Next, I jumped back to the 1950's and '60s with Sir Wilfred Thesiger's--"Among the Mountains". I finished with Chaffetz's "A Journey Through Afghanistan". They are all brilliant but Chaffetz's book stands out as a scholarly piece and could well be used in anthropological circles for it's in depth study of the urban and nomadic Afghanis prior and during the Russian invasion. The recent drought that has affected the Hazarajat and Kuchi nomads of Afghanistan was brought that much closer with this book. I had bought this book in the late 1980's but between different trips to the Near East--I had fogotten where I left it. As a result, it took me 10 years to actually get around to reading it and after finishing it, I wondered why I hadn't cracked the spline earlier. Chaffetz' style can be a bit off-putting but his travelling companion is a perfect foil to David's abrasive personality. I would really like to know why Chaffetz was studying Parsi in pre-revolutionary Iran or was that just a cover?

Salloum's book is a reflection of one of the true periods of Arab glory and civilization. It is replete with historical anecdotes and at the same time, interspersed with reflections of history in the present. Not only does the reader learn facets of the conquest of Spain by the Arabs, but the myriad of contributions made through it to the Western world. It is an easy reading study of factual information of this period of world history. The author enters Andalusia the way his forefathers did. As well, the book includes various anecdotes of the author's family life as immigrants to a new land. Awaiting a sequel!

Salloum's book is easy reading and informative, filled with historical information yet easy to read. The book allows the reader to journey with the author and his family to Arab Spain and learn of the contributions the Arabs/Moors made to world civilization. Valuable for any student.

This book is a must for anyone interested in the details of what the Arabs and Islam contributed to the West by way of Arab Spain (Andalucia). The author provides details of the history of the magnificent research and intellectual movements initiated by the Arabs while rulers and even later as the conquered in Andalusia. The author relates this history by way of a travelogue searching for the Arab roots in Spain along with his family. Anecdotes and poetry add to the unique quality of this historic saga. The reader is moved by the details of what was then and what has happened now. An absolute must for anyone interested in the history of the Arabs (Moors) of Spain and the contributions of the Arabs and Islam to the West.

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.

This book presents the life stories of five working class women from Egypt in the 1970s. Atiya has masterfully written the tales in the voices of the women who told them to her. The stories contain fascinating ethnographic information about living conditions and customs of the region and the time. Together, they give a picture of women's issues in Egypt, especially regarding family bonds and power, women's work, establishment of gender roles, marriage, and female circumcision.

My primary interest was "Ancient Egypt" when I first arrived in Egypt, but I quickly became fascinated by the contemporary culture as well. I searched for books that would illuminate what I was seeing around me, in vain. I was especially interested in the plight of women in Egypt, and there didn't seem to be much writing on the subject. Luckily I came across this gem of a book which turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The stories of 5 Egyptian women are lucidly told by this remarkable Egyptian author. This book gives a glimpse into a world one must usually be born into in order to understand. Thank you Ms. Atiya!

Khuul-Khal is an excellent insight into the life of Egyptian women. The way the author has kept the women's own style of telling their stories, made me feel as if they were talking to me directly. I felt deeply touched by some of the stories. Khuul-Khal is a very moving book and I can't recommend it enough to anybody who wants to learn more about Egyptians and their customs.

thinking about kibbutz? this is the book to get

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!

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