Destined to Fall
P a t r i c k B i s h o p T H E R E C K O N I N G How the killing of one man changed the fate of the Promised Land 320pp. Collins. £20. Avraham Stern was the leader of the “Stern Gang”, or Lehi, and one of … Read more
Articles
Israel and the World Powers
Since the idea for this book was first mooted, back in 2008, the concept has evolved considerably. The world has moved on. Barack Obama was then a marginal outsider for the presidential prize. Thus, the ideas at the heart of this book have gone through an extensive process of being reformulated, updated and fully developed. … Read more
Michael Sherbourne: The Man who Helped to Free Millions
During the summer of 1970 while working as the political secretary of the World Union of Jewish Students, I received a telephone call from an irate caller who told me that the spelling of the organisation’s name in Russian on its headed notepaper was incorrect. I tried to explain that this was none of my … Read more
World War I and the Jewish Question
“Kingdoms shake and nations tremble The shout of the warrior and the roar of battle resounds to the ends of the earth because of the fury of the oppressor. The terrors of war are upon us: they have come close to our gates” So wrote Chief Rabbi Hertz in a special Shabbat prayer on the … Read more
Bibi’s Big PR Stunt
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
Everything Changed when Israel was Proclaimed
“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
My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel
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
How Jews Survived Japan
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
British Jewry, Zionism and the Jewish State 1936–1956
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 and the Idea of Israel
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