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On Israel''s seventy-fifth anniversary comes a nuanced examination of the country''s past, present, and future, from the two-time National Jewish Book Award-winning author of Israel . 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. He discusses the often-overlooked reasons for the establishment of the State of Israel; the flourishing of Jewish and Israeli culture; the nation''s economy and its transformative tech sector; the Israeli-Arab conflict; the distinct form of Judaism that has emerged in the Jewish state; the nation''s complex relationship with the Diaspora; and much more. Offering new angles of thinking about Israel, Gordis brings moderation and clarity to the prevailing discourse. And through weighing Israel''s successes, critiquing its failures, and acknowledging its inherent contradictions, he ultimately suggests that the Jewish state is a success far beyond anything its founders could have imagined.
Summary
WINNER OF THE RABBI SACKS BOOK PRIZE
A nuanced examination of the Israel’s past, present, and future, after reaching its seventy-fifth anniversary and enduring its most challenging year ever, from the two-time National Jewish Book Award–winning author of Israel. Revised and updated throughout for the paperback edition.
In 1948, Israel’s founders sought a “national home for the Jewish people,” a core tenet of Zionism where Jewish life would be transformed. The state they ultimately made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.
When it marked its seventy-fifth anniversary, Israel was in the throes of a judicial reform crisis that tested the limits of its democracy, its most dangerous internal rupture ever. Then, with the October 7th War, it was attacked from the outside and plunged into existential uncertainty. In light of those first seventy-five years and the events of 2023 that shook the country to its core, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders?
Using Israel’s Declaration of Independence, Gordis measures Israel’s achievements, critiques its failures, and acknowledges its inherent contradictions in this compelling work of Jewish history—ultimately suggesting that, though it has often fallen short, the Jewish state is a success far beyond anything its founders could have imagined.
This unflinching and clear-eyed book provides a vital framework for understanding the Jewish state today:
- A Founding Document Under Scrutiny: How Israel’s Declaration of Independence serves as an unflinching metric for its successes and failures seventy-five years later.
- A Nation at a Crossroads: An essential analysis of the judicial reform crisis and the October 7th War, and what they reveal about the country’s soul.
- National Liberation and Its Costs: A deep dive into the triumphs and tragedies of the Jewish national liberation movement, from unprecedented success to great suffering.
- Modern Middle East History: A balanced examination of Israel’s inherent contradictions, offering a thoughtful perspective on one of the world’s most complex regions.
