In days to come : a new hope for Israel / Avraham Burg.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Burg, Avraham, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Burg, Avraham.

Political activists--Israel--Biography.

Political activists.

Authors, Israeli--Biography.

Authors, Israeli.

Israel.

Genre:

Biographies.

Autobiographies.

Physical Description:

xii, 321 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nation Books, 2018.

Summary:

"Born in 1955, Avraham Burg witnessed firsthand many of the most dramatic and critical junctions in Israeli history. Here he chronicles the highs and lows of his country during the last five decades, beginning with the 1967 war, when, as a young boy, his mother brought him back Uzi cartridges from the Kotel, which he incorporated into the Chanukah menorah he made for his home economics class. Burg narrates the misplaced hopes of religious Zionism (informed by his conservative upbringing), Israel's obsession with military might (informed by his own experiences as a paratrooper), the country's democratic aspirations (informed by his tenure in the Knesset) and more. What he delivers, ultimately, is an analysis of the ambitions and failures of Israel and Judaism, from the unique standpoint of his generation--the children of the mythical "founders" who established the state. In Days to Come is Burg's philosophical inquiry into what Jewish-Israeli identity means today if you are personally, ethically, and politically opposed to what your country stands for. With bravery and candor, he urges his countrymen to dare to ask the difficult questions and accept the truth of difficult answers, have the courage to move on from trauma to trust, understand that Jews do not have monopoly over suffering but a responsibility to prevent crimes against humanity, have the will to solve the conflict between Israel and Palestine by adopting new paradigms, be ready to relinquish the privileges given to the Jews and create a shared space with equal rights for every human being, lay the groundwork for a constitutional reality in which every individual--under Israeli sovereignty or responsibility--has equal rights, and build a wall of separation between synagogue and state"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part 1. Living

Chapter One: Menorah of bullets (1955-1968)

Chapter Two: A ray of light in the dark (1969-1977)

Chapter Three: Soldier in war, activist in peace (1973-1982)

Chapter Four: The public life (1982-2001)

Chapter Five: An alien in the Knesset (1988-1992)

Chapter Six: Decline and redemption (2001-2004)

Part II. Learning

Chapter Seven: Running and writing with a kippah

Chapter Eight: Of Isaac and Abraham

Chapter Nine: A tale of two Hebrons

Chapter Ten: The new meaning of Hebron

Chapter Eleven: From local to global identity

Chapter Twelve: Of trauma and recovery

Chapter Thirteen: The Holocaust Is over

Chapter Fourteen: A tale of two meetings

Chapter Fifteen: Betwixt and between epilogue: the dawn after the long night.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781568589787

1568589786

OCLC:

985359756