Best of
Israel

2001

Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East


Michael B. Oren - 2001
    Every crisis that has ripped through this region in the ensuing decades, from the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to the ongoing intifada, is a direct consequence of those six days of fighting. Michael B. Oren’s magnificent Six Days of War, an internationally acclaimed bestseller, is the first comprehensive account of this epoch-making event. Writing with a novelist’s command of narrative and a historian’s grasp of fact and motive, Oren reconstructs both the lightning-fast action on the battlefields and the political shocks that electrified the world. Extraordinary personalities—Moshe Dayan and Gamal Abdul Nasser, Lyndon Johnson and Alexei Kosygin—rose and toppled from power as a result of this war; borders were redrawn; daring strategies brilliantly succeeded or disastrously failed in a matter of hours. And the balance of power changed—in the Middle East and in the world. A towering work of history and an enthralling human narrative, Six Days of War is the most important book on the Middle East conflict to appear in a generation.

The Olive Grove: A Palestinian Story


Deborah Rohan - 2001
    Near the end of the First World War, Ottoman soldier Kamal Moghrabi is imprisoned by his Turkish masters. Reunited with his family after being freed by British soldiers, he marries his childhood friend Haniya.But their happiness is short-lived as their homeland is ravaged by violence between the local Arab population and Jewish immigrants fleeing Europe. Any hope of an independent Palestine is shattered and the Moghrabis are forced to flee their home with its cherished olive groves.Based on a true story, this family saga is a universal depiction of Palestinian life and culture with a warm and engaging love story at its heart.Deborah Rohan met Hamzi Moghrabi in 1993. Over the course of several years and many interviews with Hamzi and his family, she wrote the story of one family’s experience of the turbulent events that have shaped today’s Middle East. She lives in Colorado, USA.More information about The Olive Grove can be found on her website www.theolivegrovebook.com.

Your People Shall Be My People: How Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church Will Come together in the Last Days


Don Finto - 2001
    Like Ruth in the Old Testament, every Gentile believer has come out of the land of famine and into the spiritual realm of abundance in the name of Jesus. But unlike Ruth, we have turned our backs on the Jewish people, the relatives of the Messiah. We need to confess personally and corporately on behalf of the Church for centuries of persecution of the Jewish people, looking in these days for every opportunity to bless and not curse them. Once again, Israel and her people are center stage at a crucial moment in world history, and this book shows why the Church must effect reconciliation and why our prayers are vital in this hour. If we will make the same covenent pledge to Israel that Ruth made to Naomi, the Church will never be the same!

Yoni's Last Battle: The Rescue at Entebbe, 1976


Iddo Netanyahu - 2001
    Their captors were Arab and German terrorists, aided by the Ugandan army; their liberators were members of Israel's elite commando unit, Sayeret Matkal, simply known as the Unit. Lt.-Col. Yoni (Jonathan) Netanyahu, the Unit's commander, earned world-wide fame in the wake of the operation's stunning success. He was the only Israeli soldier killed in the Entebbe raid. As a brother of the rescue force's commander, and himself a member of the Unit, Iddo Netanyahu had ready access to the participants in the raid. He was able to obtain detailed accounts from the men of the Unit who, for the first time, described the planning and preparations for the mission and its near-perfect execution. What emerged from their accounts is a powerful and stirring story of how the daring undertaking was accomplished after only 48 hours of frantic preparations. Yoni's Last Battle portrays the men who carried out an incredibly hazardous operation in far-away Africa. Above all, it depicts the heroic - and tragic - figure of their commander, Yoni.

The Foods of Israel Today: More Than 300 Recipes--And Memories--Reflecting Israel's Past and Present Through Its Many Cuisines


Joan Nathan - 2001
    She takes her reader on an extraordinary journey through the history of the land of Israel and the development of modern Israeli food. I was delighted to visit all the different ethnic communities that have contributed to Israeli cuisine, and my mouth watered just imagining the feast that Joan Nathan describes."--Teddy Kollek, former mayor of JerusalemIn this richly evocative book, Joan Nathan captures the spirit of Israel today by exploring its multifaceted cuisine. She delves into the histories of the people already settled in this nearly barren land, as well as those who immigrated and helped to quickly transform it into a country bursting with new produce. It is a dramatic and moving saga, interlarded with more than two hundred wonderful recipes that represent all the varied ethnic backgrounds. Every recipe has a story, and through these tales the story of Israel emerges.Nathan shows how a typical Israeli menu today might include Middle Eastern hummus, a European schnitzel (made with native-raised turkey) accompanied by a Turkish eggplant salad and a Persian rice dish, with, perhaps, Jaffa Orange Delight for dessert. On Friday nights she visits with home cooks who may be preparing a traditional Libyan, Moroccan, Italian, or German meal for their families, the Sabbath being the focal point of the week throughout Israel (all her recipes are accordingly kosher). And she takes us to markets overflowing with vegetables, fruits, herbs, and spices.To gather the recipes and the stories, Nathan has been traveling the length and breadth of Israel for many years--to a Syrian Alawite village on the northern border for a vegetarian kubbeh and to Bet She'an for potato burekas; to the Red Sea for farmed sea bream and to the Sea of Galilee for St. Peter's fish; to Jerusalem's Bukharan Quarter for Iraqi pita bread baked in a wood-fired clay oven, to the Nahlaot neighborhood for Yemenite fried pancake-like bread, and to a Druse village for paper-thin lavash; to a tiny restaurant in Haifa for Turkish coconut cake and to a wedding at Kibbutz May'ayan Baruch in the upper Galilee for Moroccan sweet couscous; and to many, many other places. All the while, she seeks out biblical connections between ancient herbs and vegetables and their modern counterparts, between Esau's mess of pottage and today's popular taboulleh, and she delights us with tales of all she encounters.Throughout, Joan Nathan shows us how food in this politically turbulent land can be a way of breaking down barriers between Jews, Moslems, and Christians. Generously illustrated with colorful photographs, this enormously engaging book is one to treasure, not only as a splendid cookbook but also as a unique record of life in Israel.

At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew's Search for Hope with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land


Yossi Klein Halevi - 2001
    Louis Post-Dispatch While religion has fueled the often violent conflict plaguing the Holy Land, Yossi Klein Halevi wondered whether it could be a source of unity as well. To find the answer, this religious Israeli Jew began a two-year exploration to discover a common language with his Christian and Muslim neighbors. He followed their holiday cycles, befriended Christian monastics and Islamic mystics, and joined them in prayer in monasteries and mosques in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden traces that remarkable spiritual journey. Halevi candidly reveals how he fought to reconcile his own fears and anger as a Jew to relate to Christians and Muslims as fellow spiritual seekers. He chronicles the difficulty of overcoming multiple obstacles—theological, political, historical, and psychological—that separate believers of the three monotheistic faiths. And he introduces a diverse range of people attempting to reconcile the dichotomous heart of this sacred place—a struggle central to Israel, but which resonates for us all.

Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict


Mitchell G. Bard - 2001
    Israel's roots. The Arab-Israeli wars. The United Nations. The refugees. The treatment of Jews in Arab/Islamic countries. Human rights in Israel and the territories. The Palestinian War. Jerusalem. U.S. Middle East policy. The peace process. Settlements. The arms balance. The media. Arab/Muslim attitudes toward Israel. New maps and charts."--P. [4] of cover.

A Table for One: Under the Light of Jerusalem


Aharon Appelfeld - 2001
    Appelfeld found that it was only in a cafe - and only in a Jerusalem cafe - that he could write his novels, shaping meaning and wholeness out of the fragments of his painful past. A TABLE FOR ONE is an interchange between one artist and another, father and son, about their city, Jerusalem. It brings together an unknown side of Aharon Appelfeld's writing, with the subtle, haunting paintings of his son, Meir Appelfeld, who studied fine art at the Royal Academy of Art, London, and exhibits widely.

Aleppo Tales


Haim Sabato - 2001
    This collection of three stories interlaces the history of one Aleppo family?the author's own?with the social and political turmoil spanning over a century, reaching from Syria to France to Israel. A master of Hebrew ancient and modern, Sabato has been hailed as Agnon's successor. Philip Simpson's translation from the originally entitled Emet Mi Eretz Titzmach lifts a veil on a lost world.

Holy Land, Unholy War: Israelis and Palestinians


Anton La Guardia - 2001
    Their tiny patch of land, desperately crowded and with few resources, has been a focus for so many years of rival claims and counter-claims that it has become almost impossible to make sense of the daily reporting. The best guide to the region is Anton La Guardia’s highly acclaimed Holy Land, Unholy War. More than any other book, Holy Land, Unholy War disentangles myths and realities and gives a brilliantly clear and thoughtful picture of an unhappy place. This new edition is fully revised and updated to late 2006.

Plucking The Eagle's Wings


Perry Stone - 2001
    From the back cover: "In this book, author Perry Stone documents the often astonishing Hebraic link between the history of ancient Israel and the patterns of the United States of America." In the introduction the author talks about the connections and parallels between America and ancient Israel. He also tells us he will take us on a journey into the prophetic destiny of several American presidents. All Scripture, unless otherwise indicated, is taken from the King James translation of the Bible.

Where Jesus Walked: A Spiritual Journey Through the Holy Land


R. Wayne Stacy - 2001
    Wayne Stacy uses the geography of revelation to provide important insights for understanding the meaning of Scripture, particularly the messages of Christ. Enhanced by breathtaking photography, each chapter introduces readers to a place that figures prominently in Jesus' life. A description of the geography and history, of the site is followed by a new translation of a Scripture passage depicting that site and concludes with a brief meditation. Where Jesus Walked is ideal for anyone planning a trip -- both real and virtual -- to the Holy Land.

Sanity and Sanctity: Mental Health Work Among the Ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem


David Greenberg - 2001
    Their relationship with secular society is characterized by social, religious, and political tensions. The differences between the ultra-orthodox and secular often pose special difficulties for psychiatrists who attempt to deal with their needs. In this book, two Western-trained psychiatrists discuss their mental health work with this community over the past two decades. With humor and affection they elaborate on some of the factors that make it difficult to treat or even to diagnose the ultra-orthodox, present fascinating case studies, and relate their observations of this religious community to the management of mental health services for other fundamentalist, anti-secular groups.

The Battle for Jerusalem


John Hagee - 2001
    As he left, more than 200 Arab protesters surged forward, throwing stones and finally forcing Israeli police to fire upon the crowd. The incident launched a series of bloody battles that mirror conflicts between Arabs and Jews through the ages. Written in Pastor Hagee's no-holds-barred style, The Battle for Jerusalem explores the heart of the current conflict, the history behind the antagonism between Arabs and Jews, and the powerful significance of the thirty-five-acre parcel that is the most fiercely-contested real estate on the planet. He also discusses the most recent American election, and explains why President Bush will not be able to reach a peace accord in the Middle East. Must-reading for every concerned Christian and all who struggle to understand the unique and continually unresolved conflict in Israel, The Battle for Jerusalem takes a hard look at Israel, Arafat, and the United States… and illustrates how they fit into God's plan for the ages.

Hebrew from Scratch


Shlomit Chayat - 2001
    It's a comprehensive textbook, grammar and exercise book for the beginner adult student. Widely used by high school and university students. The instructions for the exercises as well as the translations of the vocabulary lists are in English. Otherwise, the course is based on Hebrew-only instruction.

Jerusalem in the Time of the Crusades: Society, Landscape and Art in the Holy City Under Frankish Rule


Adrian J. Boas - 2001
    Adrian Boas's combined use of historical and archaeological evidence together with first-hand accounts written by visiting pilgrims results in a multi-faceted perspective on Crusader Jerusalem.Generously illustrated, this book will serve both as a scholarly account of this city's archaeology and history, and a useful guide for the interested reader to a city at the centre of international and religious interest and conflict today.