Many of the soldiers responsible for that triumph would become the nation's future leaders, including the young paratroopers of reservists' Brigade 55, the unit responsible for restoring Jewish sovereignty to Jerusalem. Yet within a few years, these brothers in arms found themselves heading conflicting political movements that would shape Israeli society and its politics.Through extensive reporting, Yossi Klein Halevi explores the lives of seven members of Brigade 55- a popular songwriter, a soldier-turned-radical, a brilliant economist, and religious revolutionaries-and traces their evolving beliefs. Emerging from a religious Zionist background, one group became founders and leaders of the West Bank settlement movement. The other-peace activists who grew out of the world of secular agrarian communes known as kibbutzim-rose in opposition to the settlements. Both groups agreed that Jewish statehood was a powerful, transformative event: For the founders of the kibbutz-based peace movement, Israel would become the laboratory for democratic communism. For many religious Zionists, Israel would become the catalyst for the messianic era.With a supporting cast of family members, politicians, and rabbis, Halevi captures the urgency of a victorious nation determined to define itself. Following the men of Brigade 55 over four decades, he adds a human dimension to the divergent movements that have had a major influence on this country and this volatile region, and provides a fascinating, in-depth portrait of modern Israel itself.

    Facing unprecedented internal and external pressures, Israel today is at a moment of existential crisis. Through revealing stories of significant events and of ordinary individuals—pioneers, immigrants, entrepreneurs, scientists, army generals, peaceniks, settlers, and Palestinians—Israeli journalist Ari Shavit illuminates many of the pivotal moments of the Zionist century that led Israel to where it is today. We meet the youth group leader who recognized the potential of Masada as a powerful symbol for Zionism; the young farmer who bought an orange grove from his Arab neighbor in the 1920s, and with the Jaffa orange helped to create a booming economy in Palestine; the engineer who was instrumental in developing Israel’s nuclear program; the religious Zionists who started the settler movement. Over an illustrious career that has spanned almost thirty years, Shavit has had rare access to people from across the Israeli political, economic, and social spectrum, and in this ambitious work he tells a riveting story that is both deeply human and of profound historical dimension.As it examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, My Promised Land asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? And can Israel survive? Culminating with an analysis of the issues and threats that Israel is currently facing, both internal and external, My Promised Land uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. The result is a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today’s global political landscape.

    Lev is born in the midst of a terrorist attack. Etgar’s father gets cancer. The threat of constant war looms over their home and permeates daily life.What emerges from this dark reality is a series of sublimely absurd ruminations on everything from Etgar’s three-year-old son’s impending military service to the terrorist mind-set behind Angry Birds. There’s Lev’s insistence that he is a cat, releasing him from any human responsibilities or rules. Etgar’s siblings, all very different people who have chosen radically divergent paths in life, come together after his father’s shivah to experience the grief and love that tie a family together forever. This wise, witty memoir—Etgar’s first non-fiction book, and told in his inimitable style—is full of wonder and life and love, poignant insights, and irrepressible humor.

     In the year 1930, three farmers committed suicide here . . . but contrary to the chronicles of our committee and the conclusions of the British policeman, the people of the moshava knew that only two of the suicides had actually taken their own lives, whereas the third suicide had been murdered. This is the contention of Ruta Tavori, a high school teacher and independent thinker in this small farming community, writing seventy years later about that murder and about two charismatic men she loves and is trying to forgive her grandfather and her husband and her son, whom she mourns and misses. In a story rich with the grit, humor, and near-magical evocation of Israeli rural life for which Meir Shalev is beloved by readers, Ruta weaves a tale of friendship between men, of love and betrayal, that carries us from British Palestine to present-day Israel, where forgiveness, atonement, and understanding can finally happen."

    In “Casualties,” Tsabari takes us into the military—a world every Israeli knows all too well—with a brusque, sexy young female soldier who forges medical leave forms to make ends meet. Poets, soldiers, siblings and dissenters, the protagonists here are mostly Israelis of Mizrahi background (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent), whose stories have rarely been told in literature. In illustrating the lives of those whose identities swing from fiercely patriotic to powerfully global, The Best Place on Earth explores Israeli history as it illuminates the tenuous connections—forged, frayed and occasionally destroyed—between cultures, between generations and across the gulf of transformation and loss.

    Establishing a Palestinian state, so the thinking goes, would be a panacea for all the region’s ills. It would end the Arab world’s conflict with Israel, because the reason the Arab world is anti-Israel is that there is no Palestinian state. It would also nearly erase the principal cause of the violent extremism in the rest of the Middle East. In a time when American politics are marked by partisan gridlock, the two-state solution stands out for its ability to attract supporters from both sides of the ideological divide. But the great irony is that it is one of the most irrational and failed policies the United States has ever adopted. Between 1970 and 2013, the United States presented nine different peace plans for Israel and the Palestinians, and for the past twenty years, the two state solution has been the centerpiece of U.S. Middle East policy. But despite this laser focus, American efforts to implement a two-state peace deal have failed—and with each new attempt, the Middle East has become less stable, more violent, more radicalized, and more inimical to democratic values and interests.       In The Israeli Solution, Caroline Glick, senior contributing editor to the Jerusalem Post, examines the history and misconceptions behind the two-state policy, most notably:- The huge errors made in counting the actual numbers of Jews and Arabs in the region. The 1997 Palestinian Census, upon which most two-state policy is based, wildly exaggerated the numbers of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza.- Neglect of the long history of Palestinian anti-Semitism, refusal to negotiate in good faith, terrorism, and denial of Israel’s right to exist.- Disregard for Israel’s stronger claims to territorial sovereignty under international law, as well as the long history of Jewish presence in the region.- Indifference to polling data that shows the Palestinian people admire Israeli society and governance. Despite a half-century of domestic and international terrorism, anti-semitism, and military attacks from regional neighbors who reject its right to exist, Israel has thrived as the Middle East’s lone democracy.   After a century spent chasing a two-state policy that hasn’t brought the Israelis and Palestinians any closer to peace, The Israeli Solution offers an alternative path to stability in the Middle East based on Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.

    The Feasts of the Bible eBook is a quick overview and summary that celebrates and explains the meanings behind the different feasts and why they are important to God. The eBook contains an easy-to-read list that provides the name and an explanation of each holiday, date of observance, and reveals how each holiday points to Jesus as the promised Messiah. Why should you learn about the Hebrew roots of Christianity? As a Jewish person, Jesus celebrated these feasts and holidays each year. The eBook is an excellent tool to learn about the Jewish roots of Christianity and to discover Yeshua (Jesus) in each "holy day." The eBook shows each feast's Hebrew name and spelling, pronunciation, the symbolism pointing towards Jesus, Bible references and New Testament fulfillment for each of God's appointed feasts: • Passover (Pesach) • Unleavened Bread (Hag HaMatzot) • Firstfruits (Yom HaBikkurim) • Feast of Weeks or Pentecost (Shavuot) • Feast of Trumpets or Rosh HaShanah (New Year) • Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur • Tabernacles or Sukkot (Feast of Booths) • Feast of Dedication or Hanukkah (Chanukah or Feast of Lights) • Feast of Lots or Purim The Feasts of the Bible eBook provides important insights into the works of God on behalf of his chosen people. Feasts of the Bible is a celebration of the rich and meaningful heritage given to believers through Christ. The eBook reveals insightful and historical facts about each of the holidays; for example - • Passover: Did you know a hymn is usually sung at the end of the Passover service, as was the case with Jesus and his disciples during the Last Supper? (Matthew 26:30) • During the Rosh HaShanah synagogue services, the shofar (ram's horn) is blown 100 times • Hanukkah is known as the Feast of Lights or the Feast of Dedication because of a legendary miraculous provision of oil for the eternal light in the Temple • Purim marks the deliverance of the Jews through Queen Esther Feasts of the Bible also includes additional fascinating facts, for instance: • Leviticus 23 is sometimes called "God's calendar of redeeming grace" because the 44 verses tell of God's redemptive plan • God told Moses that seven of the feasts were to be "appointed feasts of the Lord" and were to be proclaimed as sacred assemblies (Leviticus 23:1 & 2) • Three of the feasts were pilgrimage feasts Feasts of the Bible is a fantastic teaching tool if you want to explore your Jewish heritage found in Christ. You will also find the observance of the feasts and holidays as a meaningful way to add depth to your devotion to God.

    Contrary to the conventional view which saw the Dreyfus affair as the trigger for Herzl's loss of belief in the promise of Jewish emancipation, Avineri shows how it was the political crisis of the Austro-Hungarian Habsburg Empire, torn apart by contending national movements, which convinced Herzl of the need for a Jewish polity. In response to the wide resonance for his 1896 The Jewish State, Herzl convened the first Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897, which established the World Zionist Organization with its representative and elected institutions; this in turn became the foundation for Israel's democratic political system. In his efforts to gain international support for a Jewish state, Herzl met with the Ottoman Sultan, the German Emperor Wilhelm II, Pope Pius X, British, Russian and German ministers, as well as an enormous number of other government and public opinion leaders of most European countries. By the time of his early death in 1904 at the age of 44, Herzl succeeded in putting Zionism on the map of world politics, no longer an esoteric idea held by a small group of Jewish intellectuals in Eastern Europe.

    Cursed Victory is the first complete history of the war's troubled aftermath—a military occupation of the Palestinian territories that is now well into its fifth decade. Drawing on unprecedented access to high-level sources, top-secret memos and never-before-published letters, the book provides a gripping and unvarnished chronicle of how what Israel promised would be an 'enlightened occupation' quickly turned sour, and the anguished diplomatic attempts to bring it to an end. Bregman sheds fresh light on critical moments in the peace process, taking us behind the scenes as decisions about the fate of the territories were made, and more often, as crucial opportunities to resolve the conflict were missed.As the narrative moves from Jerusalem to New York, Oslo to Beirut, and from the late 1960s to the present day, Cursed Victory provides vivid portraits of the key players in this unfolding drama, including Moshe Dayan, King Hussein of Jordan, Bill Clinton, and Yasser Arafat. Yet Bregman always reminds us how diplomatic and back-room negotiations affected the daily lives of millions of Arabs, and how the Palestinian resistance, especially during the first and second intifadas, and now in recent tragic developments, have shaped the political arena.As Bregman concludes, the occupation has become a dark stain on Israel's history. Cursed Victory is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the origins of the ongoing conflict in the region.

    Based on a 1991 Smithsonian Institution symposium organized by the Biblical Archaeology Society, this handsomely illustrated book brings together four authoritative and insightful lectures from world renowned scholars that carefully consider the archaeological and historical evidence for ancient Israel’s origins. Furthermore, the new electronic edition of The Rise of Ancient Israel allows readers to take full advantage of all of the portability and functionality of their eReader devices, including convenient in-text links that jump directly to specific chapters and notes.In the book’s introduction, moderator Hershel Shanks, editor of Biblical Archaeology Review, not only defines the broad range of issues involved in tackling Israel’s beginnings, but also provides the basic information needed to appreciate the scholarly debates. William Dever, America’s preeminent Biblical archaeologist, then assesses the archaeological evidence that is usually associated with the Israelite settlement in Canaan beginning in about 1200 B.C.E. The often controversial views presented by Dever are followed by brief responses from leading scholars who study Israelite origins, including Israel Finkelstein, Norman Gottwald and Adam Zertal. In the book’s final chapters, Baruch Halpern, a senior professor of Jewish studies and biblical history at Penn State University, describes how the Book of Exodus may preserve authentic historical memories of Israel’s emergence in Egypt, while famed biblical scholar P. Kyle McCarter, Jr., discusses the fascinating and perhaps unexpected origins of Israelite religion. The book concludes with an informal but revealing panel discussion spurred by questions from Shanks and the symposium audience.

    Mitch Pacwa? Being able to travel with him from the comfort of your home as the holy sites come to life through the pages of this book. With stunning images and thoughtful commentary, The Holy Land: An Armchair Pilgrimage is more than your typical travel guide. It also contains:A short commentary on each site, explaining its importance in salvation historyA meditation for you to consider, encouraging questions such as, “ What can I learn from this place? Why does it matter to me?” Prayers that Fr. Mitch uses on his annual pilgrimages, focusing on a personal faith response to the spiritual events commemorated at each site.Travel with Fr. Mitch to the sites of all twenty mysteries of the rosary, as well as other significant spots in the history of Israel and in the life of Jesus. Whether you’ ve been to the Holy Land, plan to travel there one day, or prefer to stay in your armchair, this classic book will be a beautiful addition to your library.

    In contrast with those who point to the wars of 1948 and 1967, historian Hillel Cohen marks these bloody events as year zero of the Arab-Israeli conflict that persists today.The murderous violence inflicted on Jews caused a fractious—and now traumatized—community of Zionists, non-Zionists, Ashkenazim, and Mizrachim to coalesce around a unified national consciousness arrayed against an implacable Arab enemy. While the Jews unified, Arabs came to grasp the national essence of the conflict, realizing that Jews of all stripes viewed the land as belonging to the Jewish people.Through memory and historiography, in a manner both associative and highly calculated, Cohen traces the horrific events of August 23 to September 1 in painstaking detail. He extends his geographic and chronological reach and uses a non-linear reconstruction of events to call for a thorough reconsideration of cause and effect. Sifting through Arab and Hebrew sources—many rarely, if ever, examined before—Cohen reflects on the attitudes and perceptions of Jews and Arabs who experienced the events and, most significantly, on the memories they bequeathed to later generations. The result is a multifaceted and revealing examination of a formative series of episodes that will intrigue historians, political scientists, and others interested in understanding the essence—and the very beginning—of what has been an intractable conflict.

    Why is this small nation in the headlines so often? What is the biblical position on modern Israel? Why should the Church still care about Israel? Since the book's first publication in 2003, global sentiment concerning Israel--indeed, the whole Middle East--has shifted dramatically, even among Christians who promote "replacement theology" and move to delegitimize Israel. Now newly revised and updated, "Why Still Care about Israel?" draws readers into the heart of this ever-unfolding controversy. With biblical insight, thorough documentation, and a gracious approach to a topic that typically generates strident controversy, Teplinsky explains how the significance of this land affects every believer. Every reader, whether idly interested or seeking depth on this crucial topic, will be touched by Teplinsky's thoughtful exploration of a people living in the front pages of prophecy.

    Sixty years later, the memory of trauma has shaped both peoples' collective understanding of who they are.After a war, the victors write history. How was the story of the exiled Palestinians erased – from textbooks, maps, even the land? How do Jewish and Palestinian Israelis now engage with the histories of the Palestinian Nakba ("Catastrophe") and the Holocaust, and how do these echo through the political and physical landscapes of their country?Vividly narrated, with extensive original interview material, Contested Land, Contested Memory examines how these tangled histories of suffering inform Jewish and Palestinian-Israeli lives today, and frame Israel's possibilities for peace.

    How do we make sense of what we read in the Bible--and what we read in the news? In this Skeptic's Guide(TM), Dale Hanson Bourke sheds light on the places, terms, history, and current issues shaping this important region. Offering an even-handed presentation of a range of views on the most controversial issues, she provides a framework for American Christians to use in understanding why the conflict occurred, why it continues--and what remains to be done. With maps, charts, photos, and quotes, the guide answers such tough questions as:What is meant by a two-state solution?Who are the Palestinian Christians?Do other countries help or hurt the peace process?How does the Arab spring affect the conflict?Easy to read and understand, this dynamic guide offers the type of presentation that has made the Skeptic's Guide(TM) series so popular with individuals and groups. Offering basic information and simplifying complex issues, it is a helpful reference tool for beginners and experts alike.

    You'll discover what the Bible has to say about Israel and its part in God's plan for the future of all nations.

    As the geographic heart and soul of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, millions visit the region each year. But since the fifth century BC, enthusiastic and curious people have needed a guide as they travel to see the sites for themselves. This book not only gives the historical, archaeological descriptions wedded to the biblical text, but it is an appropriate resource for spiritual formation and cross-cultural dialog. Packed with the latest information, this book locates and introduces the reader to popular and less-familiar sites such as Bethlehem, Shepherds' Field, Church of the Nativity, Roman Catholic Church of St. Catherine, the Herodium, Mount of Olives, Old City of Jerusalem, Wadi Kelt, Mt. Sinai, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of Church of St. Mary of the Latins, Temple Mount, El-Aksa Mosque, Dome of the Rock, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the traditional place of the Last Supper, Siloam Pool, the traditional tomb of King David, the house of Caiphas the High Priest, Shrine of the Book, Herod's Antonio Fortress, Golgotha, Bethany, Tomb of Lazarus, Bethphage, Pater Noster Church, Gethsemane, and many others. Each entry explains the history and topography of the site as well as its function and significance as it is linked to the relevant biblical passages. The book shares Scriptural references, along with anecdotes to better help visitors understand the significance behind the location. Its compact size allows visitors to carry it easily in a backpack or pocket for easier access. This book will not only inform you but help you better understand your faith. Journey to the Holy Land with this indispensable archaeological resource that links visitors and armchair travelers alike to the biblical story.

    Outlawed Hope is her story, the story of the Outlaws who birthed her, the Society that raised her, and the infant she finds. Aimee needs to save the infant from a future she knows too well. Through dangerous close calls, Aimee discovers that she isn't who she thought she was, and nor are those around her. Why was she abandoned? Who found her?For the truth, Aimee must face stunning revelations. She is trained to comply, but cannot-it would doom her and the baby she struggles to protect. Can she find another way, and at what cost?Outlawed Hope is a story of loss, unexpected empathy, brutality, and heartfelt resilience."A story of escape and capture, the power of hope, and the heroics necessary to ensure a child's future." Meredith Blevins, The Hummingbird Wizard (The Mystic Café)"Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaiden's Tale, Outlawed Hope is a compelling, fast-paced novel set in a less-than-utopian society. We feel the race of Aimee's pulse as we follow the twists and turns of her journey, meeting various characters who help, hinder, sabotage, and heal both her past and future. In this first novel by Na'ama Yehuda, change is given the ride of its life and hope is anything but outlawed." Adele Ryan McDowell,Author of Amazon Bestseller Balancing Act: Reflections, meditations and Coping Strategies for Today's Fact Paced Whirl

    Offered immediate suffrage rights and, in time, citizenship status, they nonetheless found their movement, employment, and civil rights restricted by a draconian military government put in place to facilitate the colonization of their lands. Citizen Strangers traces how Jewish leaders struggled to advance their historic settler project while forced by new international human rights norms to share political power with the very people they sought to uproot.For the next two decades Palestinians held a paradoxical status in Israel, as citizens of a formally liberal state and subjects of a colonial regime. Neither the state campaign to reduce the size of the Palestinian population nor the formulation of citizenship as a tool of collective exclusion could resolve the government's fundamental dilemma: how to bind indigenous Arab voters to the state while denying them access to its resources. More confounding was the tension between the opposing aspirations of Palestinian political activists. Was it the end of Jewish privilege they were after, or national independence along with the rest of their compatriots in exile? As Shira Robinson shows, these tensions in the state's foundation—between privilege and equality, separatism and inclusion—continue to haunt Israeli society today.

    Written by a distinguished team of authors comprising an Israeli, a Palestinian, and an Egyptian presenting a broader Arab perspective, this textbook offers a balanced and nuanced introduction to this highly contentious subject. This innovative approach provides:• an essential overview of the key developments in the history of the conflict• a sense of the competing narratives that the principle protagonists have developed regarding these developments • a unique analytical framework through which the major developments can be understood • suggested further reading and links to key historical documents to support in-depth exploration of the subject.This is essential reading for students and others wishing to understand the history and politics of the Arab-Israeli conflict and its pivotal role in the Middle East.

    The life of Ariel Sharon spans much of modern Israel’s history. A commander in the Israeli Army from its inception in 1948, Sharon participated in the 1948 War of Independence, played decisive roles in the 1956 Suez War and the Six-Day War of 1967, and is credited here with the shift in the outcome of the Yom Kippur War of 1973. After leaving the professional army, Sharon became a political leader and served in numerous governments, most prominently as the defense minister during the 1982 Lebanon War in which he bore “personal responsibility,” according to the state’s commission of inquiry, for massacres of Palestinian civilians by Lebanese militia. As a general and as a politician, he championed the construction of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. But as prime minister, he performed a dramatic reversal: orchestrating Israel’s unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. Landau brilliantly chronicles Sharon’s surprising about-face, combining the immediacy of firsthand reportage with the analysis and independent insight of a historian’s perspective. Sharon suffered a stroke in January 2006 and remains in a persistent vegetative state. This biography recounts the life of the man who is considered by many to be Israel’s greatest military leader and political statesman, illustrating how Sharon’s leadership transformed Israel, and how his views were shaped by the changing nature of Israeli society.

    Eli Regev, a complete outsider, finds himself in the impossible position of having to confront the experts and try to beat them at their own game in a heroic effort to save his daughter's life. With the odds stacked heavily against him, can he really come up with a viable plan?

    He was standing 300 meters away when the suicide bomber drove his vehicle full of explosives toward the entrance to the Embassy. This was neither the first nor last time Tveit was at the front lines during his more than 30 years of activity in Lebanon as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation’s Middle East correspondent during three four-year periods, as a major in the UN peacekeeping force, and as an author. In Goodbye Lebanon Tveit deals with a series of dramatic periods in Lebanon’s recent history and weaves them together. His main emphasis is on developments following the Israeli occupation of half of Lebanon in 1982, up to the withdrawal in May 2000—a chaos reminiscent of the American withdrawal from Vietnam 25 years earlier. The Lebanese resistance movement, led by Hizbullah, had won. In the book, Tveit also expands on the story of the efforts of the United States, Iran and Syria to control Lebanon. He details how the Iranians, Lebanese, Palestinians and Israelis took hostages to be used as trading pawns. A particularly unafraid Norwegian female diplomat has a prominent place in the book. The same can be said of Norwegian UN soldiers and officers, who went to South Lebanon to create peace, but who themselves became targets. During his work on Goodbye Lebanon, Odd Karsten Tveit gained access to a number of private and public archives. He has obtained first-hand reports from leading Israeli officers, from Hizbullah guerillas, from CIA agents, Mossad and from agents of the Israeli security service, Shin Bet. In addition, Tveit relates his own personal experiences on the Lebanese killing fields.

    It is the apostles' dream of a unified expression of faith in which Jew and Gentile worship the God of Abraham together and serve him in the redemption of the world. What can you do to contribute toward the restoration of this vision? This book may help you find the answer to that question.

    

    Peter Walker unearths the rich layers of history of this sacred place, exploring the backdrop to the events that occurred in Old Testament times through to critical moments such as the Muslim conquest, the crusades, and the modern rediscovery of Bible sites. The Holy Land frequently features in today's headlines as a much fought-for territory. Many know part of its story, as recounted in the Bible, but what happened after Jesus' time? This visually-led guide beautifully captures the richness of the area bringing its story to life in a magical way.

    "Bat Ye'or's pioneering studies of the Islamic concept of dhimmitude have revolutionized our understanding of Islam's past, present and future. She remains one of the few analysts in the world with the courage and insight necessary to tell the truth." -Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch "[Bat Ye'or is] the acknowledged expert on the plight of Jews and Christians in Muslim lands, and their vigorous champion." -Sir Martin Gilbert "Bat Ye'or's scholarship is highly impressive, and her analysis is as persuasive as it is terrifying. (. . .) It is imperative that these issues are openly discussed. There are, however, alarming signs of attempts in the West to shut down such discussion on spurious grounds of prejudice. This is, of course, itself a prime example of the condition of 'dhimmitude' which Bat Ye'or so graphically describes." -Melanie Phillips, Jewish Chronicle "It is not surprising that [Bat] Ye'or's study of jihad and dhimmitude has been stimulating substantial and disturbing discussion in academic and ecumenical circles. (. . .) Perhaps the single most significant contribution of the author is her definition and development of the concept of 'dhimmitude' (. . .) [Bat] Ye'or's books on dhimmitude and jihad have an essential place in the ecumenical world; ignoring them will only perpetuate illusion." -James E. Biechler, Journal of Ecumenical Studies "Bat Ye'or has enriched our understanding of how Islamic societies are structured by defining the concept of dhimmitude. Her contribution to Islam critique can't be underestimated. Yes, she and her late husband, the human rights activist and historian David Littman, are the king and queen of the genre." -Professor Johannes J.G. Jansen

    “Jews Don’t Expel Jews” she cried along with the Zionist activists seeking to stop what they called “The Expulsion.” Once she is dragged out of her home by the Jewish army she had once idolized–and to which her brother lost his life–she decides: Screw it. Screw God. Screw the country. Screw the Jewish people. She sets off for Israel’s big city, Tel Aviv, seductively fertile ground for a religious rebel. The colorful lights and sizzling music of Tel Aviv's world-famous nightclub, Atlantis, ignite her love for dance. Despite herself, she is drawn to its charismatic, liberal owner, Ziv Harel. He's intrigued by the prospect of transforming a “religious settler” into a nightlife queen.Their tortured romance forces both to confront their deep-seated values, but how far will Sarah go to question who she is and what she believes—and at what cost?

    Written by a top National Security Council officer who worked at the White House with Bush, Cheney, and Rice and attended dozens of meetings with figures like Sharon, Mubarak, the kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and Palestinian leaders, it brings the reader inside the White House and the palaces of Middle Eastern officials. How did 9/11 change American policy toward Arafat and Sharon's tough efforts against the Second Intifada? What influence did the Saudis have on President Bush? Did the American approach change when Arafat died? How did Sharon decide to get out of Gaza, and why did the peace negotiations fail? In the first book by an administration official to focus on Bush and the Middle East, Elliott Abrams brings the story of Bush, the Israelis, and the Palestinians to life.

    The imaginary American Jewish friend to whom Halkin directs his onrush of argument is an equally committed young Jew who, however, upholds the possibility of a viable Jewish life outside of Israel. He has just returned to the United states after his second visit to Israel and written a letter of his impressions, which triggers the present correspondence. The two friends argue about Zionism, Israel, Jewish history and culture, the nature of Jewishness. As the gauntlet is flung back and forth, Halkin elaborates his case that Jewish history and Israeli history are two lines in the process of converging, so that for all practical purposes the struggle for Jewish survival and the struggle for Israel are the same; and that any Jew who chooses, in the absence of extenuating circumstances, not to live in Israel is removing himself to the peripheries of the struggle for Jewish survival and away from the center of Jewish history. Either/or...sooner or later, today or tomorrow, you will have to decide, Halkin concludes.

    The United States roundly opposed the move then, but two years later, Washington revived dreams for Palestinian statehood through bilateral diplomacy with Israel. But are the Palestinians prepared for the next step? In State of Failure, Middle East expert Jonathan Schanzer argues that the reasons behind Palestine's inertia are far more complex than we realize. Despite broad international support, Palestinian independence is stalling because of internal mismanagement, not necessarily because of Israeli intransigence. Drawing on exclusive sources, the author shows how the PLO under Yasser Arafat was ill prepared for the task of statebuilding. Arafat's successor, Mahmoud Abbas, used President George W. Bush's support to catapult himself into the presidency. But the aging leader, now four years past the end of his elected term, has not only failed to implement much needed reforms but huge sums of international aid continue to be squandered, and the Palestinian people stand to lose everything as a result. Supporters of Palestine and Israel alike will find Schanzer's narrative compelling at this critical juncture in Middle Eastern politics.

    He hid a crucifix in his room and contemplated it often, even though he knew his family would be hurt and angry if they ever caught him.Seeing the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur from his apartment window, he was drawn to the church, where he found himself powerfully pulled toward Jesus in the Eucharist. After several years of surreptitiously attending Mass, he resolved to convert to Catholicism in spite of the scandal it would cause, but God had other plans.Upon graduation from secondary school, Jean-Marie moved to Israel to delve deeper into the faith of his ancestors. He lived in kibbutzim, learned about the history and religion of his people, served in the Israeli Army, and attended two different rabbinical schools. Eight years later he returned to France as an ultra-Orthodox Jew.While teaching in a Jewish school, Jean-Marie married a woman who shared his faith, and together they began raising a family; yet his yearning for Jesus remained, becoming the source of a long and difficult internal struggle.Jean-Marie’s moving and unusual conversion story is about his battle between loyalty to his identity and fidelity to the deepest desires of his heart. Above all, it is a love story between Christ, the Lover—the relentless yet patient pursuer—and man, his beloved.

    In Embodying Hebrew Culture: Aesthetics, Athletics, and Dance in the Jewish Community of Mandate Palestine, author Nina S. Spiegel argues that the Jewish community of this era created enduring social, political, religious, and cultural forms through public events, such as festivals, performances, and celebrations. She finds that the physical character of this national public culture represents one of the key innovations of Zionism-embedding the importance of the corporeal into national Jewish life-and remains a significant feature of contemporary Israeli culture. Spiegel analyzes four significant events in this period that have either been unexplored or underexplored: the beauty competitions for Queen Esther in conjunction with the Purim carnivals in Tel Aviv from 1926 to 1929, the first Maccabiah Games or "Jewish Olympics" in Tel Aviv in 1932, the National Dance Competition for theatrical dance in Tel Aviv in 1937, and the Dalia Folk Dance Festivals at Kibbutz Dalia in 1944 and 1947. Drawing on a vast assortment of archives throughout Israel, Spiegel uses an array of untapped primary sources, from written documents to visual and oral materials, including films, photographs, posters, and interviews. Methodologically, Spiegel offers an original approach, integrating the fields of Israel studies, modern Jewish history, cultural history, gender studies, performance studies, dance theory and history, and sports studies. In this detailed, multi-disciplinary volume, Spiegel demonstrates the ways that political and social issues can influence a new society and provides a dynamic framework for interpreting present-day Israeli culture. Students and teachers of Israel studies, performance studies, and Jewish cultural history will appreciate Embodying Hebrew Culture.

    We look at Buddhism and atheism and help you understand why many have chosen to seek other alternatives to mainstream religion. Many people fear the possibility that all they know to be true might be a farce, and organized religion has made it hard for true seekers of spirituality to feel secure about any particular belief system. Thus, the increasing number of agnostics, free-thinkers, atheists and people who have desisted for the most part, from their search for The Answer. Your quest for knowledge and truth begins now. "In every generation, there are always a few who understand; Always understand... even if you remain among the few" RMK Does religion really matter? Here is The Answer.