Wewill meet again on Tuesday, April 16, via Zoom, to discuss thenonfiction book, Israel: AConcise History of a Nation Reborn, by DanielGordis. The book was published in October 2016 and is 546 pages. It isavailable at Oakland and Berkeley libraries, as well as throughLink +: https://csul.iii.com/search?/XIsrael%3A+A+Concise+History+of+a+Nation+Reborn&SORT=DZ/XIsrael%3A+A+Concise+History+of+a+Nation+Reborn&SORT=DZ&extended=0&SUBKEY=Israel%3A+A+Concise+History+of+a+Nation+Reborn/1%2C4%2C4%2CB/frameset&FF=XIsrael%3A+A+Concise+History+of+a+Nation+Reborn&SORT=DZ&4%2C4%2C The book is also available in audio and ebook formats throughlocal libraries and Hoopla.
Israel: A Concise History ofa Nation Reborn, by Daniel Gordis
Winner ofthe Jewish Book of the Year Award
The first comprehensive yet accessible historyof the state of Israel from its inception to present day, from Daniel Gordis,”one of the most respected Israel analysts” (The Forward) living and writing inJerusalem.
Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has capturedthe world’s attention, aroused its imagination, and lately, been the object ofits opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns?More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies inits future? We cannot answer these questions until weunderstand Israel’s people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes anddesires, that have animated their conversations and actions. Though Israel’shistory is rife with conflict, these conflicts do not fully communicate thespirit of Israel and its people: they give short shrift to the dream that gavebirth to the state, and to the vision for the Jewish people that was at itscore. Guiding us through the milestones of Israeli history, Gordis relays thedrama of the Jewish people’s story and the creation of the state. Clear-eyedand erudite, he illustrates how Israel became a cultural, economic and militarypowerhouse—but also explains where Israel made grave mistakes and traces thelong history of Israel’s deepening isolation.
With Israel,public intellectual Daniel Gordis offers us a brief but thorough account of thecultural, economic, and political history of this complex nation, from itsbeginnings to the present. Accessible, level headed, and rigorous, Israel sheds light on Israel’spast so we can understand its future. The result is a vivid portrait of apeople, and a nation, reborn.
