In Search of Israel: The History of an Idea

Review\n"A rare history that compels the reader to think constantly about the present and even about the future."―David K. Shipler, Moment Magazine\n"Michael Brenner is one of the leading authorities on the history of Zionism in the twentieth century, and this book is a must-read for everyone who is interested in the subject."―Walter Laqueur, author of A History of Zionism\n"[Brenner] once again provides a concise and accessible look at a complex topic with this history of modern Zionism. . . . Even readers familiar with the contours of this history will still find something to learn in Brenner's even-handed take."―Publishers Weekly\n"Sophisticated."―Bernard Wasserstein, Literary Review\n"Timely and useful."―Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal\n"Erudite and elegantly written."―Shlomo Avineri, Jewish Review of Books\n"[An] excellent book. . . . Innovative."―Mark Baker, Australian Book Review\nA major new history of the century-long debate over what a Jewish state should be\nMany Zionists who advocated for the creation of a Jewish state envisioned a nation like any other. Yet for Israel's founders, the nation that emerged against all odds in 1948 was anything but ordinary. Born from the ashes of genocide and a long history of suffering, Israel was conceived to be unique, a model society and the heart of a prosperous new Middle East. It is this paradox, says historian Michael Brenner―the Jewish people's wish for a homeland both normal and exceptional―that shapes Israel's ongoing struggle to define itself and secure a place among nations. In Search of Israel is a major new history of this struggle from the late nineteenth century to our time.