Synopses & Reviews
David Ben-Gurion cast a great shadow during his lifetime, and his legacy continues to be sharply debated to this day. There have been many books written about the life and accomplishments of the Zionist icon and founder of modern Israel, but this new biography by eminent Israeli historian Anita Shapira strives to get to the core of the complex man who would become the face of the new Jewish nation. Shapira tells the Ben-Gurion story anew, focusing especially on the period after 1948, during the first years of statehood. As a result of her extensive research and singular access to Ben-Gurionandrsquo;s personal archives, the author provides fascinating and original insights into his personal qualities and those that defined his political leadership. As Shapira writes, andldquo;Ben-Gurion liked to argue that history is made by the masses, not individuals. But just as Lenin brought the Bolshevik Revolution into the world and Churchill delivered a fighting Britain, so with Ben-Gurion and the Jewish state. He knew how to create and exploit the circumstances that made its birth possible.andrdquo; Shapiraandrsquo;s portrait reveals the flesh-and-blood man who more than anyone else realized the Israeli state.
Review
andquot;In her valuable new biography, Shapira provides a concise appraisal of a founding father of the nation that was once only the dream of generations . . . . A brief but full-color biography of an essential leader.andquot;andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
Review
andldquo;Anita Shapira portrays David Ben-Gurion as a man who, at some of the most crucial junctures in the whole of Jewish history, led his people, almost alone, by his prophetic foresight, his iron resolution and his fierce sense of reality. Yet, Shapira does not idealize her protagonist: he is portrayed in her brilliant book as a man who was often insensitive to others, ferociously stubborn and incredibly lonely. I read this fascinating book with both intellectual and emotional thrill.andrdquo;andmdash;Amos Oz, author of A Tale of Love and Darkness
Review
andldquo;A beautiful portrayal of a man of exceptional character, whose transcendent love of his people informed his vision.andrdquo;andmdash;Shimon Peres, former President of Israel
Review
andldquo;Shapira unearths new archival sources and provides fresh perspectives. A tour de force and a must read.andrdquo;andmdash;Jehuda Reinharz, Brandeis University
Review
andldquo;Fair and balanced . . . Ben-Gurion created the State of Israel and set it on its path. Shapira adeptly records how he did it and chronicles the rest of his storm-tossed life, so that future generations may appreciate both his achievement and his faults.andrdquo;andmdash;Rabbi Jack Reimer, JNS
Review
andldquo;Shapira, who is part of this seriesandrsquo; editorial team, covers Ben-Gurionandrsquo;s life story sufficiently while highlighting the attributes that led him to become what Katznelson called andlsquo;historyandrsquo;s gift to the Jewish people.andrsquo;andrdquo;andmdash;Neal Gendler, American Jewish World
Review
andldquo;Valuable . . . A brief but full-color biography of an essential leader.andrdquo;andmdash;Kirkus Reviews
Review
andldquo;The most intimate yet unflinching portrait to date of a man revered and reviled. . . . Shapira may be the last truly qualified person to unpack some of the mysteries of Israelandrsquo;s George Washington.andrdquo;andmdash;Ilene Prusher, New York Times Book Review
Review
andldquo;Keenly observed . . . Ms. Shapira tries to shed light on the inner life of the man whom fellow Zionist leader Berl Katznelson called andlsquo;historyandrsquo;s gift to the Jewish people.andrsquo;andrdquo;andmdash;Liel Leibovitz, Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
An insightful study of the inner life of the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel
Synopsis
An insightful study of the inner life of the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel
David Ben-Gurion cast a great shadow during his lifetime, and his legacy continues to be sharply debated to this day. There have been many books written about the life and accomplishments of the Zionist icon and founder of modern Israel, but this new biography by eminent Israeli historian Anita Shapira strives to get to the core of the complex man who would become the face of the new Jewish nation. Shapira tells the Ben-Gurion story anew, focusing especially on the period after 1948, during the first years of statehood. As a result of her extensive research and singular access to Ben-Gurion s personal archives, the author provides fascinating and original insights into his personal qualities and those that defined his political leadership. As Shapira writes, Ben-Gurion liked to argue that history is made by the masses, not individuals. But just as Lenin brought the Bolshevik Revolution into the world and Churchill delivered a fighting Britain, so with Ben-Gurion and the Jewish state. He knew how to create and exploit the circumstances that made its birth possible. Shapira s portrait reveals the flesh-and-blood man who more than anyone else realized the Israeli state."
Synopsis
From the prizewinning Jewish Lives series, an insightful study of the inner life of David Ben-Gurion, the Zionist leader responsible for the creation of the state of Israel "The most intimate yet unflinching portrait to date. . . . Shapira may be the last truly qualified person to unpack some of the mysteries of Israel's George Washington."--Ilene Prusher, New York Times Book Review
"Keenly observed . . . Shed(s) light on the inner life of the man whom fellow Zionist leader Berl Katznelson called 'history's gift to the Jewish people.'"--Liel Leibovitz, Wall Street Journal
David Ben-Gurion cast a great shadow during his lifetime, and his legacy continues to be sharply debated to this day. There have been many books written about the life and accomplishments of the Zionist icon and founder of modern Israel, but this new biography by eminent Israeli historian Anita Shapira strives to get to the core of the complex man who would become the face of the new Jewish nation. Shapira tells the Ben-Gurion story anew, focusing especially on the period after 1948, during the first years of statehood.
As a result of her extensive research and singular access to Ben-Gurion's personal archives, the author provides fascinating and original insights into his personal qualities and those that defined his political leadership. As Shapira writes, "Ben-Gurion liked to argue that history is made by the masses, not individuals. But just as Lenin brought the Bolshevik Revolution into the world and Churchill delivered a fighting Britain, so with Ben-Gurion and the Jewish state. He knew how to create and exploit the circumstances that made its birth possible." Shapira's portrait reveals the flesh-and-blood man who more than anyone else realized the Israeli state.
About Jewish Lives:
Jewish Lives is a prizewinning series of interpretative biography designed to explore the many facets of Jewish identity. Individual volumes illuminate the imprint of Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences. Subjects are paired with authors to elicit lively, deeply informed books that explore the range and depth of the Jewish experience from antiquity to the present.
In 2014, the Jewish Book Council named Jewish Lives the winner of its Jewish Book of the Year Award, the first series ever to receive this award.
More praise for Jewish Lives:
"Excellent" -New York Times
"Exemplary" -Wall St. Journal
"Distinguished" -New Yorker
"Superb" -The Guardian
Synopsis
David Ben-Gurion cast an enormous shadow across his world, and his legacy in the Middle East and beyond continues to be hotly debated to this day. There have been many books written about the life and accomplishments of the Zionist icon and founder of modern Israel, but this new biography by eminent Israeli historian Anita Shapira is the first to get to the core of the complex man who would become the face of a new nation.
Shapira tells the Ben-Gurion story anew, focusing especially on the period in 1948 immediately following Israels declaration of independence, a time few historians have concentrated on and none have explored in such intimate detail. Through her intensive research and access to Ben-Gurions personal archives and rarely viewed documents and letters, the author gained powerful insights into his private persona. Her fascinating literary portrait of David Ben-Gurion bares the flesh-and-blood man inside the influential historical figure who brought the Zionist dream to full fruition.
About the Author
Anita Shapira is professor emerita at Tel Aviv University, where she previously served as dean of the Faculty of Humanities and held the Ruben Merenfeld Chair for the Study of Zionism. Her previous books include Israel: A History, winner of the National Jewish Book Award. She lives in Tel Aviv.