Ben Gurion and the Birth of Israel, by Joan Comay
Reviewed by Zach S.
David Ben Gurion arrived in Israel in 1906. He was twenty years old. From that moment, until his death in 1973, he dedicated his life to helping Israel grow and thrive. In total, he devoted 67 years of his life to the State of Israel.
Ben-Gurion grew up in Poland which at the time was a part of the Pale of Settlement. The Pale of Settlement is where thousands of Jews in Russia and Poland were required to live together in little villages called shtetls, with very little space and privacy. Ben-Gurion was one of the first to leave the Pale of Settlement. In Israel, he found work and began to dedicate himself to building a national homeland for the Jewish people.
The biography tells about historical events that were happening around Ben-Gurion and explains what he thought about them, where he was and what role he played. For example, during World War I, he served in the military. He also lived in New York, where he never gave up his Zionist ideals, writing a book in Yiddish to help people understand the important issues in Israel, which was called Palestine at the time. When Palestine was under the British Mandate, during World War II, Ben-Gurion helped to bring Jewish immigrants from the Holocaust to safety in Israel.
He was the first Prime Minister of Israel, was strategically involved with the War for Independence and helped populate the Negev. Ben-Gurion had a big influence on how Israel is today. He was truly a remarkable man, and by reading this book we are keeping him alive through our memories.
I give this book an 8.0/10. This was a great book. My only complaint is that it was written in 1967. This made it some parts of the book seem a little outdated. However I am very picky about that. This may not even bother you.
Moshe Dayan: The soldier, the man, the legend, by Shabtai Teveth Reviewed by Benji J.
Long, difficult, and boring, Moshe Dayan: The soldier, the man, the legend probably is not a book for me. Born in 1915 in the Kibbutz of Degania, Dayan was involved in both Israel’s military and its politics. He was first involved with the Hagannah as a youth at the age of 14 and then continued to advance up the hierarchy scale. In reading his biography I learned many interesting details about his life, such as how he was shot in the binoculars, losing his eye. After fighting, sacrificing, and playing crucial parts in various Israeli conflicts, like the War of Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Sinai campaign, he eventually became the Chief-of-Staff of the entire Zahal. Switching to politics during his middle age, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Defense. Moshe Dayan became famous through his general success. I dislike biographies in general, but this book was especially strenuous. It took me an immensely long time to read each page, trying to comprehend its advanced wording and concepts. To add to the reading time, I often found myself arriving at the end of a page, not having comprehended a word because the language was too advanced, causing me to lack understanding. Therefore, I was forced to reread line after line, in particular the boring ones. I would only recommend this book for those advanced readers who enjoy biographies.
The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai, by Margaret Larkin Reviewed by David T.
The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai is an engaging and gripping account covering the establishment, the rise, and the epic demise of Kibbutz Yad-Mordechai. Yad Mordechai was originally established in 1936 close to Netanya in Southern Israel, but was then moved to an area near Ashkelon, sandwiched between two Arab villages. The author, Margaret Larkin, conveys beautiful images of the growing settlement amidst the desert flowers and trees of the Negev. This book manages to pack oodles of information into an understandable and relatively quick read. A wide scope of life on the kibbutz and the events that destroyed it is perceived through interviews with the members and survivors of the desert village. Shocking descriptions put you in the midst of raining lead and endless shells, tumbling earthward from Egyptian planes. If you are looking for an action packed, exciting, and enticing read that can show you a whole new side of the Israeli War of Independence, then The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai is the perfect choice for you!
A Spy For Freedom, by Ida Cowen and Irene Gunther
Reviewed by Ruthie S.
Ida Cowen and Irene Gunther’s, A Spy For Freedom, is a wonderful tale of intelligence and bravery. The story is about a woman named Sarah Aaronson, a Jewish spy for the British and against the Turks who ruled Israel in the early 1900’s. The book begins at the end of Sarah’s life, however, it flashbacks to her life when she was a teenager. As Sarah grows, we see her many characteristics, her relationship with her brother, and her one true love (besides her country), Absalom. We even see her sister Rifka’s relationship with Absalom. About four years before the end of her life, Sarah, her brother, and a group of other Jewish men from the area form a spying group known as NILI (Netsach Israel Lo Yeshakker). She was one of the heads of the group and was mostly stationed in Israel during her time as a spy. Her job mainly involved breaking codes, giving orders, and sending the group’s information to the British, .Being a Jewish spy is very dangerous, first because spying is not an easy job, but also because Jews look down upon spies due to their bad reputation in the Torah. Sarah however is an amazing spy and we see how courageous, heroic, and clever a women she is. Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I had expected it to be just an average Jewish history book and nothing very special. Because of this, I was surprised that as I read I found myself enjoying Sarah’s story. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this book an eight and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to read about an independent women, spying, and interesting Jewish history.
Theodor Herzl- Architect of a Nation, by Norman H. Finkelstein Reviewed by Anna L. The book Theodor Herzl- Architect of a Nation describes Herzl’s life from birth until death, and his love for Zionism. This all started with the Dreyfus Affair. At that time, Herzl was working in France as a correspondent for a French newspaper called Neue Freie Presse,and he was on the scene reporting in 1895, as French Captain Alfred Dreyfus was stripped of his medallions. Dreyfus was accused of being a spy for Germany. He was innocent, but convicted solely because he was a Jew. Even though Herzl had been hearing anti-Semitic comments for all of his life, this was the event that lit the fuse for his battle to find a Jewish homeland. It was a hard struggle that involved consulting many world leaders and trying to please the majority of Jews to find the perfect place to call home. Home for the Jews had always been considered Israel, but claiming it as a Jewish homeland was easier said than done. Herzl would never see Israel become a Jewish homeland in his lifetime, but he is the one who started it all, and he would have been very proud of what we have today. He was the president of many Zionist conferences and organizations, leading the Jews to a mindset of a homeland. He fought for a home in Israel despite his struggles when he suggested the Uganda Plan (a homeland for the Jews in Africa), and all the criticism he received while taking the lead. It was a laborious job, but he had the strength and determination to find the Jews a home. I give this book 4 stars. Herzl is a very interesting person whom I can relate to because he was so active in writing plays and articles, and also because of his love for Israel. If you are someone that knows nothing about Herzl, I suggest this book to you. It was a little slow for me because I know a lot about him, but if you are looking to immerse yourself in his life, I definitely suggest this biography!
The Lady was a Terrorist During Israel’s War of Liberation By Doris Katz Reviewed by Nita R.
Doris Katz and her husband Shmuel move from South Africa to Israel in 1946. When her husband becomes a member of the Irgun Zevai Leumi, an organization that is known as a group of “terrorists” by some and freedom fighters by others, Doris becomes enveloped into the world of the underground. She starts off by trying to get donations for the IZL, but she also meets a number of very important people from the story of the fight for Israel, such as Menachem Begin and Avraham Tehomi. But what Doris is more interested are those who are not remembered, those who, in her eyes, were some of the bravest and strongest people she met. The women of the underground who were the wives of those in the Irgun, dealing with screaming children all alone at home while their husbands could be captured or killed and they would never know. Those who kept on living and could still have a sense of humor after they had lost almost everything and seen incredible tragedy. These are the people she meets and writes about as she watches and lives in the fight for a Jewish state. I personally would rate this book as a 3 or a 4 just because I felt that it was a lot denser than I had wished for and I would find myself not paying as much attention some times. But if you are looking for a book that shows insight into the world of the Irgun and how it operated, as well as an interesting point of view from a woman, I would suggest The Lady was a Terrorist.
Reviewed by Zach S.
David Ben Gurion arrived in Israel in 1906. He was twenty years old. From that moment, until his death in 1973, he dedicated his life to helping Israel grow and thrive. In total, he devoted 67 years of his life to the State of Israel.
Ben-Gurion grew up in Poland which at the time was a part of the Pale of Settlement. The Pale of Settlement is where thousands of Jews in Russia and Poland were required to live together in little villages called shtetls, with very little space and privacy. Ben-Gurion was one of the first to leave the Pale of Settlement. In Israel, he found work and began to dedicate himself to building a national homeland for the Jewish people.
The biography tells about historical events that were happening around Ben-Gurion and explains what he thought about them, where he was and what role he played. For example, during World War I, he served in the military. He also lived in New York, where he never gave up his Zionist ideals, writing a book in Yiddish to help people understand the important issues in Israel, which was called Palestine at the time. When Palestine was under the British Mandate, during World War II, Ben-Gurion helped to bring Jewish immigrants from the Holocaust to safety in Israel.
He was the first Prime Minister of Israel, was strategically involved with the War for Independence and helped populate the Negev. Ben-Gurion had a big influence on how Israel is today. He was truly a remarkable man, and by reading this book we are keeping him alive through our memories.
I give this book an 8.0/10. This was a great book. My only complaint is that it was written in 1967. This made it some parts of the book seem a little outdated. However I am very picky about that. This may not even bother you.
Moshe Dayan: The soldier, the man, the legend, by Shabtai Teveth
Reviewed by Benji J.
Long, difficult, and boring, Moshe Dayan: The soldier, the man, the legend probably is not a book for me. Born in 1915 in the Kibbutz of Degania, Dayan was involved in both Israel’s military and its politics. He was first involved with the Hagannah as a youth at the age of 14 and then continued to advance up the hierarchy scale. In reading his biography I learned many interesting details about his life, such as how he was shot in the binoculars, losing his eye. After fighting, sacrificing, and playing crucial parts in various Israeli conflicts, like the War of Independence, the Six-Day War, and the Sinai campaign, he eventually became the Chief-of-Staff of the entire Zahal. Switching to politics during his middle age, he served as Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Defense. Moshe Dayan became famous through his general success. I dislike biographies in general, but this book was especially strenuous. It took me an immensely long time to read each page, trying to comprehend its advanced wording and concepts. To add to the reading time, I often found myself arriving at the end of a page, not having comprehended a word because the language was too advanced, causing me to lack understanding. Therefore, I was forced to reread line after line, in particular the boring ones. I would only recommend this book for those advanced readers who enjoy biographies.
The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai, by Margaret Larkin
Reviewed by David T.
The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai is an engaging and gripping account covering the establishment, the rise, and the epic demise of Kibbutz Yad-Mordechai. Yad Mordechai was originally established in 1936 close to Netanya in Southern Israel, but was then moved to an area near Ashkelon, sandwiched between two Arab villages. The author, Margaret Larkin, conveys beautiful images of the growing settlement amidst the desert flowers and trees of the Negev. This book manages to pack oodles of information into an understandable and relatively quick read. A wide scope of life on the kibbutz and the events that destroyed it is perceived through interviews with the members and survivors of the desert village. Shocking descriptions put you in the midst of raining lead and endless shells, tumbling earthward from Egyptian planes. If you are looking for an action packed, exciting, and enticing read that can show you a whole new side of the Israeli War of Independence, then The Six Days of Yad-Mordechai is the perfect choice for you!
A Spy For Freedom, by Ida Cowen and Irene Gunther
Reviewed by Ruthie S.
Ida Cowen and Irene Gunther’s, A Spy For Freedom, is a wonderful tale of intelligence and bravery. The story is about a woman named Sarah Aaronson, a Jewish spy for the British and against the Turks who ruled Israel in the early 1900’s. The book begins at the end of Sarah’s life, however, it flashbacks to her life when she was a teenager. As Sarah grows, we see her many characteristics, her relationship with her brother, and her one true love (besides her country), Absalom. We even see her sister Rifka’s relationship with Absalom. About four years before the end of her life, Sarah, her brother, and a group of other Jewish men from the area form a spying group known as NILI (Netsach Israel Lo Yeshakker). She was one of the heads of the group and was mostly stationed in Israel during her time as a spy. Her job mainly involved breaking codes, giving orders, and sending the group’s information to the British, .Being a Jewish spy is very dangerous, first because spying is not an easy job, but also because Jews look down upon spies due to their bad reputation in the Torah. Sarah however is an amazing spy and we see how courageous, heroic, and clever a women she is. Overall, I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I had expected it to be just an average Jewish history book and nothing very special. Because of this, I was surprised that as I read I found myself enjoying Sarah’s story. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this book an eight and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to read about an independent women, spying, and interesting Jewish history.
Theodor Herzl- Architect of a Nation, by Norman H. Finkelstein
Reviewed by Anna L.
The book Theodor Herzl- Architect of a Nation describes Herzl’s life from birth until death, and his love for Zionism. This all started with the Dreyfus Affair. At that time, Herzl was working in France as a correspondent for a French newspaper called Neue Freie Presse,and he was on the scene reporting in 1895, as French Captain Alfred Dreyfus was stripped of his medallions. Dreyfus was accused of being a spy for Germany. He was innocent, but convicted solely because he was a Jew. Even though Herzl had been hearing anti-Semitic comments for all of his life, this was the event that lit the fuse for his battle to find a Jewish homeland. It was a hard struggle that involved consulting many world leaders and trying to please the majority of Jews to find the perfect place to call home. Home for the Jews had always been considered Israel, but claiming it as a Jewish homeland was easier said than done. Herzl would never see Israel become a Jewish homeland in his lifetime, but he is the one who started it all, and he would have been very proud of what we have today. He was the president of many Zionist conferences and organizations, leading the Jews to a mindset of a homeland. He fought for a home in Israel despite his struggles when he suggested the Uganda Plan (a homeland for the Jews in Africa), and all the criticism he received while taking the lead. It was a laborious job, but he had the strength and determination to find the Jews a home. I give this book 4 stars. Herzl is a very interesting person whom I can relate to because he was so active in writing plays and articles, and also because of his love for Israel. If you are someone that knows nothing about Herzl, I suggest this book to you. It was a little slow for me because I know a lot about him, but if you are looking to immerse yourself in his life, I definitely suggest this biography!
The Lady was a Terrorist
During Israel’s War of Liberation
By Doris Katz
Reviewed by Nita R.
Doris Katz and her husband Shmuel move from South Africa to Israel in 1946. When her husband becomes a member of the Irgun Zevai Leumi, an organization that is known as a group of “terrorists” by some and freedom fighters by others, Doris becomes enveloped into the world of the underground. She starts off by trying to get donations for the IZL, but she also meets a number of very important people from the story of the fight for Israel, such as Menachem Begin and Avraham Tehomi. But what Doris is more interested are those who are not remembered, those who, in her eyes, were some of the bravest and strongest people she met. The women of the underground who were the wives of those in the Irgun, dealing with screaming children all alone at home while their husbands could be captured or killed and they would never know. Those who kept on living and could still have a sense of humor after they had lost almost everything and seen incredible tragedy. These are the people she meets and writes about as she watches and lives in the fight for a Jewish state. I personally would rate this book as a 3 or a 4 just because I felt that it was a lot denser than I had wished for and I would find myself not paying as much attention some times. But if you are looking for a book that shows insight into the world of the Irgun and how it operated, as well as an interesting point of view from a woman, I would suggest The Lady was a Terrorist.