In Search of Israel
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-17928-5 (ISBN)
A major new history of the century-long debate over what a Jewish state should be
Many Zionists who advocated the creation of a Jewish state envisioned a nation like any other. Yet for Israel's founders, the state that emerged against all odds in 1948 was anything but ordinary. Born from the ashes of genocide and a long history of suffering, Israel was conceived to be unique, a model society and the heart of a prosperous new Middle East. It is this paradox, says historian Michael Brenner--the Jewish people's wish for a homeland both normal and exceptional—that shapes Israel's ongoing struggle to define itself and secure a place among nations. In Search of Israel is a major new history of this struggle from the late nineteenth century to our time.
When Theodor Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in 1897, no single solution to the problem of "normalizing" the Jewish people emerged. Herzl proposed a secular-liberal "New Society" that would be home to Jews and non-Jews alike. East European Zionists advocated the renewal of the Hebrew language and the creation of a distinct Jewish culture. Socialists imagined a society of workers' collectives and farm settlements. The Orthodox dreamt of a society based on the laws of Jewish scripture. The stage was set for a clash of Zionist dreams and Israeli realities that continues today.
Seventy years after its founding, Israel has achieved much, but for a state widely viewed as either a paragon or a pariah, Brenner argues, the goal of becoming a state like any other remains elusive. If the Jews were the archetypal "other" in history, ironically, Israel—which so much wanted to avoid the stamp of otherness—has become the Jew among the nations.
Michael Brenner is the Seymour and Lillian Abensohn Chair in Israel Studies and director of the Center for Israel Studies at American University and Professor of Jewish History and Culture at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. His many books include A Short History of the Jews (Princeton).
Illustrations and Maps ix
Acknowledgments xiii
Introduction: A State (Un)Like Any Other State 1
1 The Five Seasons of 1897: Shaping the Jewish Future 18
Winter in Berlin 19
Spring in Vienna 23
Summer in Basel 32
Fall in Vilna 41
Winter in Odessa 46
2 The Seven-Hour-Land: A Light unto the Nations 51
Utopian Ideals 51
Hebrew Revival 65
Socialist Dreams 73
Orthodox Reservations 81
3 The National Home: A State in the Making? 88
The Autonomy Solution 90
The One-State Solution 104
The Two-State Solution 117
The Elsewhere Solution 126
4 Original Israel: A State Defining Itself 138
What Is a Jewish State? 139
Who Is a Jew in the Jewish State? 161
Where Is the New Canaan? 176
5 Greater Israel: A State Expanding 186
Seventh Day Realities 188
Messianic Visions 205
Apocalyptic Nightmares 218
Peace Illusions 223
6 Global Israel: A State beyond Borders 230
Israel Abroad 231
Israel Imagined 237
Israel Lost and Found 258
Conclusion: Israel's New Order 266
Notes 289
Bibliography 321
Index 349
Erscheinungsdatum | 22.02.2018 |
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Zusatzinfo | 24 b/w illus. 4 maps. |
Verlagsort | New Jersey |
Sprache | englisch |
Maße | 140 x 216 mm |
Gewicht | 624 g |
Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte |
Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Spezielle Soziologien | |
ISBN-10 | 0-691-17928-X / 069117928X |
ISBN-13 | 978-0-691-17928-5 / 9780691179285 |
Zustand | Neuware |
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