As Israel celebrates the 66th anniversary of its founding, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to introduce an addition to the country’s basic laws — the closest thing it has to a constitution — to “legally anchor” Israel as a Jewish state. It seems that Mr. Netanyahu wishes to define the country as the nation-state … Read more
“I arrived at 3.30. By 3.45 we were all sitting down. In addition to the intended signatories, there were visitors, journalists and the Tel Aviv Philharmonic orchestra…then without any hesitation, Ben-Gurion stood up at four o’clock on the dot. We were all shaking . Without any introduction…he read the Declaration of Independence. He asked the … Read more
Ari Shavit, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel Published by Scribe Publications, pp. 445. Nearly half a century ago, I chaired a meeting at university in which the speaker was Norman Bentwich. He had been Attorney-General in Palestine during the British Mandate. A passionate Zionist, yet a loyal servant of the … Read more
Most Jews recall September 1 1939 as the date innocence ended, when the Nazis marched into Poland. Fewer remember December 7 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. Who knows about those Jews who bore witness to the extreme brutality which was meted out to many a hapless prisoner in Japanese camps? Forced labour, decapitations, torture, … Read more
Stephan E. C. Wendehorst: British Jewry, Zionism and the Jewish State 1936–1956 Stephan E. C. Wendehorst: British Jewry, Zionism and the Jewish State 1936–1956, New York: Oxford University Press, 2012, 422 p., ISBN 9780199265305, USD 110,00. This interesting book is an excellent repository of facts and analysis not only about British Jewry’s relation to Zionism … Read more
Herzl Theodor Herzl and the Foundation of the Jewish State Shlomo Avineri Weidenfeld and Nicolson 274pp £20 The Idea of Israel A History of Power and Knowledge Ilan Pappe Verso 288pp £16.99 The founder of the modern Zionist movement, Theodor Herzl, was politically active for less than nine years before his death at 44 in … Read more
Author: Simon Schama Publisher: The Bodley Head Reviewed by: Colin Shindler Price (RRP): £25 In his new book, Simon Schama traces the remarkable odyssey of the Jews through the records of ordinary people of the time – from the papyri of the Jewish garrison at Elephantine near Egypt in the sixth-century BC to the collection … Read more
Ariel Sharon’s controversial life which ended on 11 January 2014, produced both adulatory tributes and acid condemnations. Few seemed to be able to lift the veil of confusion and provide insights into this complex character. Tony Blair, representing the Quartet at the memorial ceremony, describedhim as “tough but shy, indomitable, yet a servant to his people, … Read more
Several decades ago, the journalist, Uzi Benziman, wrote a biography of Ariel Sharon. The Hebrew version appeared as He Doesn’t Stop at Red Lights. The English-language edition was sedately entitled Sharon: An Israeli Caesar — perhaps for a more impressionable readership. Yet both titles encompass the complexity of Sharon, the hard-line politician who gave up … Read more
Memo to Mr Putin: Stalin was a tyrant By Colin Shindler, January 3, 2014 Follow The JC on Twitter Vladimir Putin’s jocular comment, floating the possibility of erecting a statue of Stalin in Russia — since one of “the cruel dictator”, Cromwell, stood outside the House of Commons — clearly went down well among Russian … Read more