Book picks similar to
The Controversy of Zion by Douglas Reed
history
politics
non-fiction
religion
Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-1998
Benny Morris - 1999
Tracing the roots of political Zionism back to the pogroms of Russia and the Dreyfus Affair, Morris describes the gradual influx of Jewish settlers into Palestine and the impact they had on the Arab population. Following the Holocaust, the first Arab-Israeli war of 1948 resulted in the establishment of the State of Israel, but it also shattered Palestinian Arab society and gave rise to a massive refugee problem. Morris offers distinctive accounts of each of the subsequent Israeli-Arab wars and details the sporadic peace efforts in between, culminating in the peace process initiated by the Rabin Government. In a new afterword to the Vintage edition, he examines Ehud Barak’s leadership, the death of President Assad of Syria, and Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, and the recent renewed conflict with the Palestinians. Studded with illuminating portraits of the major protagonists, Righteous Victims provides an authoritative record of the middle east and its continuing struggle toward peace.
Nazi Germany and the Jews: The Years of Persecution, 1933-1939
Saul Friedländer - 1997
We hear from the persecutors themselves: the leaders of the Nazi party, the members of the Protestant and Catholic hierarchies, the university elites, and the heads of the business community. Most telling of all, perhaps, are the testimonies of ordinary German citizens, who in the main acquiesced to increasing waves of dismissals, segregation, humiliation, impoverishment, expulsion, and violence.
The Case Against Israel's Enemies: Exposing Jimmy Carter and Others Who Stand in the Way of Peace
Alan M. Dershowitz - 2008
. . Alan Dershowitz speaks with great passion and personal courage."-Elie WieselAlan Dershowitz is at his outspoken, thought-provoking best in The Case Against Israel's Enemies, changing both the tone and the focus of the debate about Israel's adversaries at a time when the future existence of Israel is increasingly imperiled.
The Attack on the Liberty: The Untold Story of Israel's Deadly 1967 Assault on A U.S. Spy Ship
James M. Scott - 2009
8vo.
The Jewish War
Flavius Josephus
Originally a rebel leader, Josephus changed sides after he was captured to become a Rome-appointed negotiator, and so was uniquely placed to observe these turbulent events, from the siege of Jerusalem to the final heroic resistance and mass suicides at Masada. His account provides much of what we know about the history of the Jews under Roman rule, with vivid portraits of such key figures as the Emperor Vespasian and Herod the Great. Often self-justifying and divided in its loyalties, The Jewish War nevertheless remains one of the most immediate accounts of war, its heroism and its horrors, ever written.
The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World
Avi Shlaim - 1999
What was promulgated as an "iron-wall" strategy—dealing with the Arabs from a position of unassailable strength—was meant to yield to a further stage where Israel would be strong enough to negotiate a satisfactory peace with its neighbors. The goal remains elusive. In this penetrating study, Avi Shlaim examines how variations of the iron-wall philosophy have guided Israel’s leaders; he finds that, while the strategy has been successful, opportunities have been lost to progress from military security to broader peace. The Iron Wall brilliantly illuminates past progress and future prospects for peace in the Middle East.
The Wicked Son: Anti-Semitism, Self-Hatred, and the Jews
David Mamet - 2006
20,000 first prin
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
Steven Pinker - 2010
In his gripping and controversial new work, New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows that despite the ceaseless news about war, crime, and terrorism, violence has actually been in decline over long stretches of history. Exploding myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious book continues Pinker's exploration of the essence of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly enlightened world.
Jezebel: The Untold Story Of The Bible's Harlot Queen
Lesley Hazleton - 2007
Her name alone speaks of sexual decadence and promiscuity. But what if this version of her story, handed down to us through the ages, is merely the one her enemies wanted us to believe? What if Jezebel, far from being a conniving harlot, was, in fact, framed?In this remarkable new biography, Lesley Hazleton shows exactly how the proud and courageous queen of Israel was vilified and made into the very embodiment of wanton wickedness by her political and religious enemies. Jezebel brings readers back to the source of the biblical story, a rich and dramatic saga featuring evil schemes and underhanded plots, war and treason, false gods and falser humans, and all with the fate of entire nations at stake. At its center are just one woman and one man—the sophisticated Queen Jezebel and the stark prophet Elijah. Their epic and ultimately tragic confrontation pits tolerance against righteousness, pragmatism against divine dictates, and liberalism against conservatism. It is, in other words, the original story of the unholy marriage of sex, politics, and religion, and it ends in one of the most chillingly brutal scenes in the entire Bible.Here at last is the real story of the rise and fall of this legendary woman—a radically different portrait with startling contemporary resonance in a world mired once again in religious wars.
The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict
Jonathan Schneer - 2010
It committed Britain to supporting the establishment in Palestine of “a National Home for the Jewish people,” and its reverberations continue to be felt to this day. Now the entire fascinating story of the document is revealed in this impressive work of modern history.With new material retrieved from historical archives, scholar Jonathan Schneer recounts in dramatic detail the public and private battles in the early 1900s for a small strip of land in the Middle East, battles that started when the governing Ottoman Empire took Germany’s side in World War I. The Balfour Declaration paints an indelible picture of how Arab nationalists, backed by Britain, fought for their future as Zionists in England battled diplomatically for influence. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to either side or even to most members of the British government, Prime Minister David Lloyd George was telling Turkey that she could keep her flag flying over the disputed territory if only she would agree to a separate peace.The key players in this watershed moment are rendered here in nuanced and detailed relief: Sharif Hussein, the Arab leader who secretly sought British support; Chaim Weizmann, Zionist hero, the folksmensch who charmed British high society; T. E. Lawrence, the legendary “super cerebral” British officer who “set the desert on fire” for the Arabs; Basil Zaharoff, the infamous arms dealer who was Britain’s most important back channel to the Turks; and the other generals and prime ministers, soldiers and negotiators, who shed blood and cut deals to grab or give away the precious land.A book crucial to understanding the Middle East as it is today, The Balfour Declaration is a rich and remarkable achievement, a riveting volume about the ancient faiths and timeless treacheries that continue to drive global events.
Rule by Secrecy: The Hidden History that Connects the Trilateral Commission, the Freemasons & the Great Pyramids
Jim Marrs - 2000
He gives evidence that the movers & shakers of the world collude covertly to start & stop wars, manipulate stock markets, maintain class distinctions & censor the news. Rule by Secrecy offers a worldview that may explain who we are, where we came from & where we're going.A question of conspiracy; Rule by the few; A view from the few--Modern secret societies. The Trilateral Commission; Council on Foreign Relations; Bilderbergers; Rockefellers; Morgans; Rothschilds; Secrets of money & the Federal Reserve System; Empire building; The Royal Institute of Internat'l Affairs: round tables; Rhodes & Ruskin; Skull & Bones; Tax-exempt foundations & alphabet agencies; It's news to us; Commentary--The fingerprints of conspiracy. Report from Iron Mountain; Persian Gulf; Who pays the tab?; Vietnam; JFK opposed globalists; All the way with LBJ; Trading with the enemy; Korea; Rise of the Nazi cult; Theosophists, Thulists & other cultists; The Leader arrives; Hitler's support group; Hitler's fortune turns; Japan against the wall; WWII; Business as usual; WWI; A stimulus for war; The Russian Revolution; The rise of communism; Commentary--Rebellion & revolution. War between the States; Secret society agitation; Preemptive strikes; The Anti-Masonic movement; The French Revolution; Jacobins & Jacobites; Sir Francis Bacon & the New Atlantis; The American Revolution; The Illuminati; Freemasonry; Count Saint-Germain & other magicians; Masonic plots; Freemasonry vs Christianity; Rosicrucians; Commentary--Elder secret societies. Knights Templar; Assassins; Templar bankers & builders; Cathars; The Albigensian Crusade; The Templars' demise; The Priory of Sion; Merovingians; A far-reaching web; Commentary--Ancient mysteries. The road to Rome; The Cabala; Ancient secrets & mysteries; Was there more to Moses?; All roads lead to Sumer; The Anunnaki; Floods & wars; Commentary
The Hiram Key
Christopher Knight - 1996
Their startling and unexpected conclusions are presented here—backed by rigorous analyses of ancient Egyptian records, the Old and New Testaments, early Christian and Rabbinical texts, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the rituals of Freemasonry.
As a Driven Leaf
Milton Steinberg - 1939
This masterpiece of modern fiction tells the gripping tale of renegade talmudic sage Elisha ben Abuyah's struggle to reconcile his faith with the allure of Hellenistic culture. Set in Roman Palestine, As a Driven Leaf draws readers into the dramatic era of Rabbinic Judaism. Watch the great Talmudic sages at work in the Sanhedrin, eavesdrop on their arguments about theology and Torah, and agonize with them as they contemplate rebellion against an oppressive Roman rule. But Steinberg's classic novel also transcends its historical setting with its depiction of a timeless, perennial feature of the Jewish experience: the inevitable conflict between the call of tradition and the glamour of the surrounding culture. In his illuminating foreword, specially commissioned for this edition, Chaim Potok stresses the contemporary relevance of As a Driven Leaf: This novel of ideas and passions... retains its ability to enter the heart of pious and seeking Jew alike. Synagogues everywhere are adopting As a Driven Leaf for group study.
Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods
Michael Wex - 2005
. . . This treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture.”—Publishers Weekly, starred reviewThe main spoken language of the Jews for more than 1,000 years, Yiddish offers a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled them to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution across Europe. Through the idioms, phrases, metaphors, and fascinating history of this wonderful tongue, Michael Wex gives us a moving and inspiring portrait of a people, and a language, in exile. From tukhes to goy, meshugener to bobe mayse (cok-and-bull story), Born to Kvetch offers a wealth of material, some that has never appeared in English before, on all elements of Yiddish life, including food, nature, divinity, humanity, and even sex.