Dawn of the Promised Land: The Creation of Israel

In 1917, when the British government declared that it "favored the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people, " it provoked an exodus to the nation of Israel - an exodus that has proven unstoppable. Dawn of the Promised Land chronicles the ensuing years - stretching into decades - when hundreds of thousands of Jews streamed into the promised land. Both intellectuals and illiterates, Easterners and Europeans, these pilgrims left behind friends, families, and established lives. Representing every class and nationality, they were at heart united by their idealism and, as the Second World War loomed closer, by the belief that their efforts alone would liberate Jews from the horror of Nazi persecution. Including the personal experiences of some of Israel's greatest figures - among them Shimon Peres, David Ben-Gurion, and Yitzhak Rabin - Dawn of the Promised Land weaves the voices of pioneers together with historic details of Israel under British rule, the eventual capitulation of the royal crown, and the drafting of the constitution.