Přestože Izrael poutá pozornost celého světa, neexistovala dosud žádná historicky důkladná a vyvážená kniha, která by vyprávěla jeho příběh širšímu okruhu čtenářů jako tato. Její detaily nezamlžují celkový příběh. Gordisova kniha poutavě vysvětluje samotnou myšlenku židovského státu – kde se zrodila, jak se udržovala při životě a jak se tento sen proměnil ve skutečnost. Kniha Izrael: Stručné dějiny znovuzrozeného národa líčí příběh státu, který je navzdory očekávání už tak dlouho úspěšný, ale přesto čelí hrozivým – někdo by řekl neporazitelným – nepřátelům a překážkám. Je to příběh národa, jenž se znovu zrodil, ale za obrovskou cenu. Příběh o Izraeli je komplikovaný, dramatický i smutný. Je ohromující i inspirativní a ovlivňuje náš svět téměř všude, kam se podíváme.
Set against the backdrop of 1998, the narrative follows Daniel Gordis and his family's transformative journey from Los Angeles to Jerusalem. Initially intended as a year-long stay, their experience leads them to embrace a permanent life in Israel, driven by the hope that their children will be part of a peaceful generation. The book captures their adaptation to a new culture and the complexities of life in a region marked by conflict, exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the pursuit of peace.
Focusing on spirituality and faith renewal, the book offers a modern perspective on traditional Jewish rituals, prayers, and ethical teachings. It encourages contemporary Jews to reconnect with their heritage and explore diverse paths to God, promoting a fuller, richer life. Through its insights, it aims to inspire readers to embrace their Jewish roots and deepen their spiritual journey.
Reviled as a fascist by his great rival Ben-Gurion, venerated by Israel's underclass, the first Israeli to win the Nobel Peace Prize, a proud Jew but not a conventionally religious one, Menachem Begin was both complex and controversial. Born in Poland in 1913, Begin was a youthful admirer of the Revisionist Zionist movement. A powerful orator, Begin was imprisoned by the Soviets in 1940, joined the Free Polish Army in 1942, and arrived in Palestine as a Polish soldier shortly thereafter. Joining the underground paramilitary Irgun in 1943, he achieved instant notoriety for the organization's violent acts. Intentionally left out of the new Israeli government, Begin's right-leaning Herut party became a fixture of the opposition, until the surprising parliamentary victory of his political coalition in 1977 made him prime minister. Welcoming Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to Israel and cosigning a peace treaty with him on the White House lawn in 1979, Begin accomplished what his predecessors could not. His outreach to Ethiopian Jews and Vietnamese "boat people" was universally admired, and his decision to bomb Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981 is now regarded as an act of courageous foresight. But the disastrous invasion of Lebanon, combined with his declining health and the death of his wife, led Begin to resign in 1983. He spent the next nine years in virtual seclusion, until his death in 1992. Begin was buried not alongside Israel's prime ministers, but alongside the Irgun comrades who died in the struggle to create the Jewish national home to which he had devoted his life. Daniel Gordis's perceptive biography gives us new insight into a remarkable political figure whose influence continues to be felt throughout the world.--From publisher description
"In 1948, Israel's founders had much more in mind than the creation of a state. They sought not mere sovereignty but also a 'national home for the Jewish people,' where Jewish life would be transformed. Did they succeed? The state they made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering. Now, as the country marks its seventy-fifth anniversary, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders? Using Israel's Declaration of Independence as his measure, Gordis provides a thorough, balanced perspective on how the Israel of today exceeds the country's original aspirations and how it has fallen short"-- Provided by publisher
This work offers a daring reassessment of the complex relationship between American and Israeli Jews, challenging conventional narratives. The author, a National Jewish Book Award winner, delves into historical tensions and seeks to provide a fresh perspective on the future of Jewish identity and community. Through insightful analysis, the book invites readers to reconsider their understanding of Jewish life across different cultures and contexts.
The author loves his adopted homeland without ignoring its blemishes. He
treats the most contested episodes in Israeli history, such as the plight of
both Arab and Jewish refugees during the 1948 War of Independence, honestly
and fairly. Wall Street Journal číst celé
With his children marching willingly into the Israeli army and a future potentially devoid of peace due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Gordis peers deeply into the soul of a country where the more people appear bound together, the more completely they're torn apart
Is Israel worth saving, and if so, how do we secure its future? The Jewish State must end, say its enemies, from intellectuals like Tony Judt to hate-filled demagogues like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Even average Israelis are wondering if they wouldn't be better off somewhere else and whether they ought to persevere. Daniel Gordis is confident his fellow Jews can renew their faith in the cause, and in Saving Israel, he outlines how. 2009 National Jewish Book Award winner Addresses the most pressing issues faced by Israel-and American Jews-today, without recycling the same old arguments Lays to rest some of the most pernicious myths about Israel, including: Jews could thrive without Israel; Israeli Arabs just want equality, and Palestinians just want their own state; peace will come, if Israel will just do the right things "Morally powerful . . . from a writer whose reflections are consistently as intellectually impressive as they are moving. . . . Gordis addresses the exigencies of our time with the urgency they overridingly demand, and with the depth of feeling they inspire."-Cynthia Ozick Gordis has written many popular personal essays and memoirs in the past, but Saving Israel is a full-throated call to arms. Never has the case for defending-no, celebrating-the existence of Israel been so clear, so passionate, or so worthy of wholehearted support.
75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders' Dreams?
416 stránek
15 hodin čtení
Through a nuanced exploration of Israel's past, present, and future, the author examines the aspirations of Israel's founders in creating a "national home for the Jewish people." He evaluates whether these dreams have been realized by comparing contemporary Israel to its Declaration of Independence. The book addresses Israel's cultural flourishing, economic achievements, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and its unique form of Judaism, while providing a balanced perspective on the nation's successes and shortcomings. Ultimately, it presents Israel as a success beyond its founders' expectations.
