The Origins of Zionism

Book Description

In this illuminating book, professor and rabbi Dan Cohn-Sherbok traces the transition of Christian Zionism from Puritan times to the present, examining the ever increasing role of Armageddon in its belief structure and studying its deep-rooted sway on both the Middle East peace process and the American political system. Covering Hal Lindsey's books and his invitations to White House Seminars, Cohn-Sherbok inspects the growth of the movement and its quintessential role as a political lobbying force.

Customer Reviews:

Not very good.......2006-07-17

Dan Cohn-Sherbok has covered plenty of ground in this book, including a histories of both Zionism and Christian Zionism. And in doing so, he has made a special effort to stick with the facts, maintaining strict neutrality politically.

Of course, Dante (1265-1321) once wrote that "the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in time of great moral crises maintain their neutrality." Now, I know that according to Dante, the hottest places in hell were not the worst ones. But it is still clear that Dante did not especially love those who chose such times to be neutral.

Dante was a Christian, and I know that Cohn-Sherbok is not a Christian. And I'm a Pagan! But I still think it is worth noting that neutrality is not always praiseworthy. And in the case of this book, I think the author takes it too far. Way too far.

I feel that the worst problem with this book is that it implies that those who truly support human rights for Israeli Jews are, for the most part, either religious fanatics who are impervious to reason or simply wrongheaded followers of misleading propaganda. And I think it is also implied that the opponents of such support for Jewish rights are basically reasonable secular folks who merely desire justice, even if they often have made poor choices in how to obtain it. But all this is the opposite of reality, and there is no way the author ought to have allowed his book to handle the issue of the morality of Zionism in such a weak manner.

The author does allow himself to make occasional judgments. For example, he says that "Jabotinsky's inability to recognize the national aspirations of the Arab population was a failure of insight." That is an amazingly stupid comment about a person who had plenty of insight and was well aware of Arab sentiments. Jabotinsky made occasional errors of judgment, but that was not one of them.

Let's see how Cohn-Sherbok treats the 1939 British White Paper. He says:

"Such a change of policy was profoundly disturbing to the Yishuv. The Zionists perceived that Britain had abandoned the Balfour Declaration. For many Zionists, it had become clear that force was now required to oppose the White Paper."

All this is true. But the way it is written makes it appear as if the White Paper were simply a political issue and some Zionists didn't like it. A rational reader would not be likely to guess from this description that the White Paper was almost surely one of the ten most evil acts, anywhere in the world, in the entire twentieth century. This is far too much neutrality! One might as well be neutral about the Axis versus the Allies in World War Two.

Of course, the author does not maintain his neutrality when it comes to the West Bank. The neutral term to describe this place is "disputed territories." But Cohn-Sherbok finally takes a stand (an incorrect one, no less), calling these places "the Occupied territories." This is particularly unfortunate, given the misuse of this term in extremely misleading anti-Zionist propaganda.

I was more than a little surprised to read the following about the International Christian Embassy. According to Cohn-Sherbok, "initially the Embassy building was the home of Edward Said." The author goes on to say that it was "confiscated in 1948 and given to the Jewish philosopher, Martin Buber." Is any of that really true? No, it is a repetition of a flat-out lie, and Cohn-Sherbok ought to know it. In fact, Buber lived in the place in the 1930s, but was evicted by Said's aunt. That's the opposite of what this book says!

Given all this, um, neutrality, I wondered what Cohn-Sherbok would say about Arafat. Arafat was a terrible thug, and I think the author should admit it. But instead, there is a total whitewash of Arafat's terrorism. There is an admission that some people regarded Arafat very negatively, but it is implied that by doing so, they clearly went overboard. That's unforgivable. Arafat was one of the worst thugs of the twentieth century. And it is wrong for the author to imply that only a few wild fanatics could have any reason to think so negatively of him.

There is some good information in this book, so I'll give it two stars. But I'm being generous to do so.

The "Bergson Boys" And the Origins of Contemporary Zionist Militancy (Modern Jewish History)

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The "Bergson Boys" And the Origins of Contemporary Zionist Militancy (Modern Jewish History)
Judith Tydor Baumel
Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0815630638

Book Description

Tells the remarkable story of six young men and the organizations they founded between 1939 and 1948 that would set the stage for the militant Zionist activism of today.

During and shortly after the Second World War, six young men-emissaries of the revisionist-Zionist "Irgun" military movement in Palestine - revolutionized the American - Jewish and Zionist scene. Judith Tydor Baumel provides the complete story of the role the Bergson group played in raising American public consciousness of Jewish and Zionist concerns. After founding a series of pro-Zionist and rescue organizations, they initiated a new form of fundraising that used the media to turn the spotlight on their activities, gaining adherents and supporters from both ends of the political and social spectrum. Long before the protest movements of the 1950s and 1960s, members of this group learned the art of courting the media in order to bring word of their existence to every part of the United States.

Book Description

Here is a long overdue biography of the guiding intellectual presence--and chief internal critic--of Zionism during the movement's formative years between the 1880s and the 1920s. Ahad Ha'am ("One of the People") was the pen name of Asher Ginzberg (1856-1927), a Russian Jew whose life intersected nearly every important trend and current in contemporary Jewry. A Hebrew essayist of extraordinary knowledge and skill, he exerted a rare, perhaps unequalled, authority through his writings on every controversial issue from Jewish nationalism and clericalism to the Palestinian Arab problem.
Steven Zipperstein offers all those interested in Israel and modern Jewish history a wide-ranging, perceptive reassessment of Ahad Ha'am's life against the backdrop of his contentious political world. This influential figure comes to life in a penetrating and engaging examination of his relations with his father, with Zionist leader Theodor Herzl, and with his devotees and opponents alike.

Customer Reviews:

A Different Zionism.......2000-05-08

This is definitely a five-star book: an exemplary intellectual and cultural history of an underexamined figure in early Zionism. I do think that the editorial reviews above, and the reader review below, do misrepresent the importance of the book in certain ways. Ahad Ha'am (or "One of the People"---"Ha'am" is not and cannot be used as if a last name as below!) was a central figure in early Zionism, and yet represents a strand of "cultural" or "spiritual" Zionism opposed to the political tactics and image of a polis in Zion represented by Herzl. Herzl won. It is important to note not only the ways that Ahad Ha'am influenced today's Zionism, but also to identify in him an idealistic, spiritually rich, and above all tolerant and inclusive vision of Zionism that has since been lost. All of this comes through in this marvelous book. I also handle these themes in my recent book _Prague Territories: National Conflict and Cultural Innovation in Franz Kafka's Fin de Siecle_: Ahad Ha'am and Martin Buber were especially influential in Kafka's Prague.

good, but thoroughly western account........1998-07-12

At best it describes the relationships within Ha'am's life as reflective of his peculiar ideological formulations without. At least that is what I found to be most interesting. At the least it was a truthful account of certain trends within Asher Ginzberg's intellectual life. Still, the author didn't fully address the fundamental yet implicit drives/reactions that animated Ha'am; namely, civilizationalism, evolution, utopia- anti.utopia...Asher didn't merely "want out" of russia (or later as he found out, europe) for pragmatic reasons, he instead pursued an idea far ahead of his time: civilizational sovereignty, a thorough break I think with nation-state building that reigned and still does in most of the world today. Still this work does further a discussion, and I thank the author for writing it.

The Six-Pointed Star: Its Origin and Usage

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a wonderful and clarifying little book.
The Seal of Solomon.
Hexagram History 101.
Well documented.
The truth can't be denied

The Six-Pointed Star: Its Origin and Usage
O. J Graham
Manufacturer: New Puritan Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Judaism | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0932050247

Book Description

This book is a concise history of the origin and usage of the six-pointed star or hexagram, and is fully documented.

Customer Reviews:

a wonderful and clarifying little book........2007-07-03

how many jews and christians too have been deceived by this star? this book will tell you that a lot of them have. an important eye opener.

The Seal of Solomon........2007-03-10

This small book by O.J Graham is an excellent history about the hexagram.
Some call it the "Star of David" but it actually predates King David's time.
The symbol has abundant ties to Astarte and other false gods. Astarte means "star".
The hexagram,or "Seal of Solomon" was accepted as occult by the occult world.
King Solomon adopted the hexagram when he fell into idolatry.

This book researches both the origin and the usage of the hexagram.

There are footnotes and Scripture quotes throughout the book.
Appendix C is a useful,extensive list of Messianic prophecies in the Bible.

I recommend this book.

Hexagram History 101........2003-02-19

I took off a star because of the book's format. It is too small and reading a theological/historical treatise should not be as difficult as reading Audobon's mini Field Guide to Birds.

The book's thesis is a valid and little known one that needs more widespread explanation, however. The Magen David/Star of David/Seal of Solomon/Hexagram is NOT of Jewish origin, but instead finds its origin in pagan idolatry towards Ashtoreth which was adopted by Israel's king Solomon in defiance of God's commandments. The six pointed star was used in Gnostic and even Islamic artwork and symbolism before it came to use amoung Jews. It was adopted by Cabalists who got their beliefs from the earlier heretic Gnostics who believed the God of the Old Testament was evil and worshipped Lucifer. Issac Luria was a Cabalist who popularized it in the sixteenth century and it was used on a coat of arms by the banking family of Rothschild. Further on down the line the hexagram was utilized as the symbol for Zionism and became the emblem of the Israeli flag.

Much of the controversy surrounds the star's meaning. Jews claim that it was actually used by king David in the Bible, but in fact it may have been named after other Davids in history who were popular Jewish leaders. Also proposed is that the triangle pointing up represents God and the triangle pointing downward represents man. The symbolism is, however, a Cabalistic representation of the opposing forces (like the Eastern Yin Yang) that involves sexual congress and the loss of difference between male and female. It can also be a simplification of the more complex symbol that represents the Zodiac. The hexagram has the code for the Beast of Revelation in it--6 sides clockwise, 6 counter-clockwise, and 6 sides that form a hexagon in the middle of the figue. As a note, the author points out that the number six represents imperfection in the Bible, as opposed to seven which represents the fullness of God and His creation.

Well documented........2001-05-27

I checked all the information in the Six-Pointed Star by Dr. O. J. Graham, and found them to be all accurate. I found out also, that even today Jews are not the only ones who use this symbol. Dr. Graham is correct in saying that the people in the occult, astrology, and witchcraft all use this symbol and that it really belongs to them. As Dr. Graham pointed out, because innocent Jews use the hexagram too, they are badly regarded by those who do not know that they are using it innocently. I checked the facts mentioned in the book concerning the Menorah (seven-branched candlestick) and discovered that God indeed gave the seven-branched candlestick to the people Israel as an everlasting covenant. Israel included the House of Israel, and the House of Judah (after Solomon's fall). I always wondered why the people Israel abandoned the use of the Menorah and started using the six-pointed star. However, the book by Dr. Graham settled that question, as he pointed out that Solomon used it when he went into idolatry and witchcraft after marrying the daughter of Pharoah, so a few may have adopted it then, even if it was not widely used. As Dr. Graham pointed out - Hitler put the six-pointed star on the Jewish people to insult them. But it seems to me that like any fashion - one person wears it, then many follow without checking the facts- apply to why so many take this as a symbol of being Jewish.It's hard to believe that even in his death, Hitler continues to insult the Jews - and now, by their own willing hands. Like the author, I do not believe that most of them really want to identify with witchcraft. The book is factual and impartial, and helps non-Jewish people to understand and stop their prejudices... I was happy for the information, and I give this book five stars.

The truth can't be denied.......2001-02-18

Graham rigorously proves that there is no connection between the worship of God and the symbol the modern Jews use. I would go so far as to say there are no real symbols of God. For instance why do Christians carry the symbol of a fish and claim it represents Jesus.

Graham aptly shows the connection of Rebellion to the star, and Judaism. Since the only tride to deny Jesus was Judah, Judah-(ism) was created.

This is only one piece of the puzzle though. What Graham alludes to, and many authors claim and thoroughly prove, is that modern Isreal wasn't created by God. He first begins with who does the symbol Isreal praise represent.

Book Description

Gershon Shafir challenges the heroic myths about the foundation of the State of Israel by investigating the struggle to control land and labor during the early Zionist enterprise. He argues that it was not the imported Zionist ideas that were responsible for the character of the Israeli state, but the particular conditions of the local conflict between the European "settlers" and the Palestinian Arab population.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting history, but still lacks something.......2004-04-19

Gershon Shafir published this book in 1996 through University of California Press. Certainly it is a major contribution to undersatnding the fundamental problems of any attempt at a settlemen in Israel/Palestine. Working in the same vein as Benny Morris, Tom Segev, Ilan Pape, and other "new" historians (the name is used in both praise and derision), Shafir crafted an impressive work that attempted to cut through Zionist and Palestinian myths and examine what truly happened from 1882-1914. However, after all his impressive research, readers feel like there may be more to the story than written.

After a comparison and contrast of different styles of colonialism (he asserts that Zionism can best be understood as a form of colonialism), he reviews Zionist land policies. For Shafir, agriculture and the land is the root of Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While this is certainly a hugely important issue, he neglects the urban roots of conflict in favor of his agricultural theories. Ironically, this only furthers the myth of Israelis returning to the land, whereas most future Israelis lived in cities. Without examining the urban aspects of the conflict, he only tells part of the story. Also, his work is Ashkenazi-centric (European Jewish). True, the leaders of Zionism were mostly Central/Eastern European during this period, but he virtually marginalizes the story of other Zionists.

Nevertheless, Shafir's contribution to the academic literature as it offers a glimpse into the agricultural roots that contributed to the modern conflict.

Excellent treatment.......1998-07-03

This is an excellent examination of the economic forces that have shaped the conflict in Palestine/Israel.

Outstanding economic explanation of the conflict.......1998-03-09

This is an example of a revisionist argument at its best. Gershon Shafir uses the same primary sources the major Middle-East historians have used for decades and offers up an economic, non-religious, and elegantly simple explanation of the conflict as it exists today.

The Making of Modern Zionism: Intellectual Origins of the Jewish State

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The Making of Modern Zionism: Intellectual Origins of the Jewish State
Shlomo Avineri
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0465043283

Ancient Zionism The Biblical Origins of the National Idea

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Ancient Zionism The Biblical Origins of the National Idea
Avi Erlich
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GWLNX0

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Attitudes about land
Who Are the Chinese?

Ancient Zionism: The Biblical Origins of the National Idea
Avi Erlich
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Customer Reviews:

Attitudes about land.......2004-11-05

How do people relate to sovereign land? Avi Erlich shows us that there are at least six ways in which to think about land.

The first of these is the principle of non-ownership. This was adopted by many native American Indians, who regarded land as sacred and not available to be possessed. This view is now respected, as it shows a concern for stewardship of the land. However, Erlich points out that with property carved out for most land, this view is no longer dominant anywhere. I would say that it is just as well. After all, as the "tragedy of the commons" shows, we humans take care of land even more poorly when we have no ownership and thus no responsibility for it.

The second is the idea that a person owns the field that he or she farms. But such an idea can not be made real without laws and nations. Without these trappings of civilization, the world would simply turn into one where one's property was determined only by might. Still, if one does have laws and nations, this idea provides a good starting point for the concept of individual land ownership.

The third idea is of using land as a mere business arrangement. The land inside some boundary would be a place that gave businesses certain rights. Of course, the enforcement of such rights would need to come from somewhere else.

A fourth idea is that of Empire, simply taking the view that more is better. Erlich doesn't like this, but I think we need to look into it more deeply. When folks grab more land than they would actually purchase at a fair auction, then I think we can talk of Empire in a negative sense. We'd then have people stealing land and holding it by force when others would make better use of it. On the other hand, if people stole no land at all, but merely bought what they could afford, used it, and sold land when others offered them more than they felt it was worth to them, I think it would be wrong to blame them for being proud of how much land they held.

The fifth idea takes up much of the book. It is intellectual nationalism, which means assigning traditions, laws, customs, and other such attributes to a given region. Unless one can think of land in this way, then these sets of traditions, laws, and customs will have no base in which to exist. This book made me realize that by recognizing this can we see that we all lose something if we casually remove all the land from various groups, just as we all lose something if we hunt some species into extinction.

The final idea is Erlich's least favorite way of looking at land, namely as a bunch of multicolored regions on a map. Those regions may be rather arbitrary, with several of them having people of the same culture and language, or with one people being divided up as a minority in a couple of adjacent lands.

Erlich illustrates these ideas with Biblical stories. I think these stories do not always make the best illustrations of the points, but that is how he does it.

I think Erlich's best point was that there are a few groups of dedicated individuals who have made simple ownership and restoration of land a noble intellectual enterprise. Foremost among them may be the West Bank Jews. These folks are his and my heroines and heroes. They are, for the most part, a moderate and decent people in a rather wild world. As Erlich points out, if all people reduced their ambition and envy to that of the West Bank Jews, the world would be a wonderful place, abounding with tiny nations eager for peace.

Who Are the Chinese?.......2004-02-20

Avi Erlich has written a thought-provoking book in which he writes that Zionism is a particular form of nationalism which was invented by the ancient Hebrews. Moreover the ancient Hebrews invented an "imaginative link" between the religion (or law), the land, and the people. Erlich calls this particular brand of nationalism by the name of "intellectual nationalism." He finds it not only among the ancient Hebrews but also in the Greek polis and in the United States where the symbol of "purple mountains' majesty represents the Bill of Rights and other enlightened values" (p. 259).

Most of Erlich's book is a retelling and reinterpretation of biblical stories. I am not convinced that he proves his point for two reasons. First, a look into a sociological dictionary shows that a definition of nationalism is that it is an *ideology* which has patriotism as a central value and loyalty to one's nation as a conscious emotion as a goal. Except for the terminology, Erlich's definition of intellectual nationalism fits this definition to the T. So what Erlich finds as distinctive about his conception of the ancient Hebrews is really more common.

Second, though Erlich is not dealing with his biblical stories as history but as a literary heritage, I think he does need to ground them in a historical basis. Another symbol of the United Sates mentioned by Erlich is manifest destiny. "The fantasy of manifest destiny allowed us to seize a continent to mark our values." Manifest destiny is a phenomenon which can shown to have a historical basis. In contrast Erlich offers his reinterpretations of biblical stories.

I spent some time thinking about the question of whether intellectual nationalism could be applied to another people, perhaps the Chinese. Who are the Chinese? They are really diverse groups of peoples united by law (or religion) which controls a geographical area. Though times have changed, their religion used to be called Mao-ism. Yet even though times have changed, these peoples still have emotional ties to their nation. So why does Erlich not consider the Chinese as having intellectual nationalism?

Erlich's book rates four stars for having to think about his ideas for a while.

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