![]() ![]() ![]() While today’s Zionism seems far removed from its early socialistic tendencies (the kibbutzim now being largely a symbolic system), even at its first convention in 1897 it was far from unified. Having limited knowledge of Jewish history myself, Gordis did a good job at presenting the historical political climate Jews experienced in 19th century Europe and how these (oppressive) forces led to the early Zionist movement. Amazingly, he is the first American Jew since 1976 who has written a history of Israel that is not two or more volumes in length! ![]() ![]() Gordis’ achievement is all the more impressive in that his book is a “fun read”, in no ways a slog, and even a bit inspiring. A contemporary book on Israel needs to read well to a modern audience, and within that audience there will be many groups who will each want to know something different: young American Jews, Baby Boomers, evangelicals, etc. How much can an author expect the reader to know about the topic at hand? Will the reader want to know more about the history of the topic or its contemporary politics? Daniel Gordis’ Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn manages to touch on all the necessary particulars to bring a reader up to speed on how the state of Israel has come to assume its current position in both world and regional politics. The problem with writing a “concise” history on any topic is a matter of granularity. ![]()
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