Return to Zion : the history of modern Israel / Eric Gartman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gartman, Eric, 1975- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Israel--History.

Israel.

History.

Arab-Israeli conflict.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xv, 358 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press ; Philadelphia : The Jewish Publication Society, [2015]

Summary:

"The history of modern Israel is a story of ambition, violence, and survival. Return to Zion traces how a scattered and stateless people reconstituted themselves in their traditional homeland, only to face threats by those who, during the many years of the dispersion, had come to regard the land as their home. This is a story of the "ingathering of the exiles" from Europe to an outpost on the fringes of the Ottoman Empire, of courage and perseverance, and of reinvention and tragedy. Eric Gartman focuses on two main themes of modern Israel: reconstitution and survival. Even as new settlers built their state, they faced constant challenges from hostile neighbors and divided support from foreign governments, being attacked by larger armies no fewer than three times during the first twenty-five years of Israel's history. Focusing on a land torn by turmoil, Return to Zion is the story of Israel--the fight for independence through the Israeli Independence War in 1948, the Six-Day War of 1967, and the near collapse of the Israeli Army in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Gartman examines the roles of the leading figures of modern Israel--Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yitzchak Rabin, and Ariel Sharon--alongside popular perceptions of events as they unfolded in the post-World War II decades. He presents declassified CIA, White House, and U.S. State Department documents that detail America's involvement in the 1967 and 1973 wars, as well as proof that the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was a case of mistaken identity. Return to Zion pulls together the myriad threads of this history from inside and out to create a seamless look into modern Israel's truest self"-- Provided by publisher.

"From the rise of Zionism to the founders of the Jewish State and the soldiers that fought to keep it, Return to Zion is the story of a strong-willed people fighting to keep a land their ancestors called home"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction : No master but God

A pillar of fire on the road to Zion : beginning of the return, 1881-1896

An eye toward Zion : the Zionist movement ascendant, 1896-1918

It is good to die for our country : tension under the British mandate, 1918-1933

The great catastrophe : Jews flee Nazi Germany while Palestine erupts, 1933-1939

An indifferent world, cold and cruel : Palestine and the Holocaust, 1939-1946

Nothing can keep us from our Jewish homeland : end of the British mandate, 1946-1947

The darkest moment of our struggle : war between the Jews and Arabs of Palestine, 1947-1948

We shall triumph! Israel's war of independence, 1948-1949

A heavy burden : the Jewish state fights to survive, 1949-1957

Masada shall not fall again! Years of growth and consolidation, 1957-1967

To live or perish : the Jewish state faces a hostile ring of nations, May-June 1967

Israel's golden summer : the Six-Day War and its aftermath, 1967-1970

We may be in trouble : buildup to surprise, 1970-1973

The destruction of the third temple : the Yom Kippur War and its consequences, 1973-1977

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation : the Camp David accords, 1977-1981

The most televised war in history : the Lebanon War and the Intifada, 1982-1992

Enough of blood and tears! The Oslo peace process, 1992-2001

The third way : the second Intifada and beyond, 2001-2014

Conclusion : why Masada did not fall.

Notes:

"Published by the University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 345-349) and index.

ISBN:

9780827612532

0827612532

9780827612457

0827612451

9780827612464

082761246X

OCLC:

907659261