Synopses & Reviews
As one of Israel's staunchest supporters and most ardent defenders, Alan Dershowitz has long understood that the deep emotional pull of this ancient land and youthful state, while shared by so many, has distinct and personal meanings for each of us. What Israel Means to Me is not so much a book as a collection of love songs—each with its own theme, rhythm, and key—in which Dershowitz and many of the world's most distinguished politicians, diplomats, journalists, artists, scholars, and religious leaders share their most profound feelings, hopes, and memories about Israel.
From Larry King, William Bennett, Ed Koch, Rabbi Harold Kushner, and David Mamet to Barney Frank, Pat Robertson, Erica Jong, and Jonathan Kellerman, the diverse group of all-star contributors pays tribute to the Jewish state, highlighting their personal connections to Israel's history, land, people, politics, and faith.
In a passionate and brilliantly reasoned analysis of the current state of Israeli democracy, the actor/singer/activist Theodore Bikel reminds us that, in the debate over Israel's future, it is essential that all voices and opinions be heard. While speaking from a broad spectrum of political, religious, personal, and historical viewpoints, these inspiring and heartfelt tributes demonstrate that reverence, respect, and fierce loyalty toward Israel know no ideological boundaries.
For many, love of Israel is inextricably linked with love of family. The game show host Monty Hall describes how he carries on a tradition of support and philanthropy in Israel bequeathed to him by his mother, and the journalist Leslie Gelb remembers his father standing up in a movie theater to sing along with the Israeli national anthem as he watched the film Exodus.
Morton Klein, the national president of the Zionist Organization of America, who was born in a displaced persons camp after his parents survived the Holocaust, voices what, for many, is the single most important fact about Israel: "There is now a home to which Jews can come, and which will always protect them."
From its countless ancient, sacred, and historical sites to its bountiful orchards and fields, from the safe haven it offers to Jews the world over to the lively, often angry debates over its policies and intentions, Israel's complex appeal, both for Jews and non-Jews, extends from body to mind to spirit. Touching repeatedly on each of these themes, What Israel Means to Me is a moving, thought-provoking volume that should be read and shared by everyone who cares about Israel.
Review
* Harvard law professor Dershowitz is out to defend Israel again—this time, with a little help from his friends. In this volume, some 80 writers, scholars and journalists, many of them prominent figures, most of them Jewish, contribute short pieces about the meaning of Israel in their lives. The breadth of authors is impressive, from Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and the Rev. Pat Robertson to the actresses Natalie Portman (Jewish, born in Israel) and Christina Applegate (not Jewish, visited Israel). As might be expected, many of the pieces emphasize the writer's emotional connection to the Jewish state. Some are prone to hyperbole (former Cabinet member William Bennett counts himself ""among the millions of Americans who see America's fate and Israel's fate as one""), while others are overly sentimental. But to Dershowitz's credit, the collection includes selections from more nuanced and critical thinkers. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts points out the importance of Israel as a haven for Palestinian gays and lesbians, while noting that Israel has a way to go in ridding itself of homophobia. Some authors oppose Israel's existence or, like Israeli politician Shulamit Aloni and American Jewish activist Michael Lerner, are critical of Israeli policy in the West Bank, in essays that may expand the readership for this collection beyond the usual pro-Israel suspects. (July) (Publishers Weekly, May 8, 2006)
Review
Harvard law professor Dershowitz is out to defend Israel again—this time, with a little help from his friends. In this volume, some 80 writers, scholars and journalists, many of them prominent figures, most of them Jewish, contribute short pieces about the meaning of Israel in their lives. The breadth of authors is impressive, from Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and the Rev. Pat Robertson to the actresses Natalie Portman (Jewish, born in Israel) and Christina Applegate (not Jewish, visited Israel). As might be expected, many of the pieces emphasize the writer's emotional connection to the Jewish state. Some are prone to hyperbole (former Cabinet member William Bennett counts himself "among the millions of Americans who see America's fate and Israel's fate as one"), while others are overly sentimental. But to Dershowitz's credit, the collection includes selections from more nuanced and critical thinkers. Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts points out the importance of Israel as a haven for Palestinian gays and lesbians, while noting that Israel has a way to go in ridding itself of homophobia. Some authors oppose Israel's existence or, like Israeli politician Shulamit Aloni and American Jewish activist Michael Lerner, are critical of Israeli policy in the West Bank, in essays that may expand the readership for this collection beyond the usual pro-Israel suspects. (July) (Publishers Weekly, May 8, 2006)
Synopsis
Dershowitz and a distinguished group of politicians, journalists, artists, and religious leaders pay tribute to the Jewish state, highlighting their personal connections to Israel's history, land, people, politics, and faith.
Synopsis
Personal and Passionate Reflections on the Land and Its People
""The Mediterranean landscape, the exuberance of the Israelis, the way politics is a matter of life and death there-all these things beguiled me.""
-Erica Jong, author
""What does Israel mean to me? Courage. The Israelis have more courage in their pinky finger than I have in my whole life.""
-Tovah Feldshuh, actress
""It is an unparalleled story of tenacity and determination, of courage and renewal. And it is ultimately a metaphor for the triumph and enduring hope over the temptation of despair.""
-David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee
""I have no desire to be like everyone else. Something in me wants the entry of the Jewish people into world politics to be judged by the highest conceivable measure. Indeed, that may be what is both so inspiring and confounding about the existence of Israel.""
-Rabbi Lawrence Kushner?
""Israel isn't a symbol. Israel is the practical manifestation of hope, freedom, and self-determination.""
-Larry King, television host
Synopsis
Personal and Passionate Reflections on the Land and Its People
"The Mediterranean landscape, the exuberance of the Israelis, the way politics is a matter of life and death there-all these things beguiled me."
-Erica Jong, author
"What does Israel mean to me? Courage. The Israelis have more courage in their pinky finger than I have in my whole life."
-Tovah Feldshuh, actress
"It is an unparalleled story of tenacity and determination, of courage and renewal. And it is ultimately a metaphor for the triumph and enduring hope over the temptation of despair."
-David Harris, Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee
"I have no desire to be like everyone else. Something in me wants the entry of the Jewish people into world politics to be judged by the highest conceivable measure. Indeed, that may be what is both so inspiring and confounding about the existence of Israel."
-Rabbi Lawrence Kushner?
"Israel isn't a symbol. Israel is the practical manifestation of hope, freedom, and self-determination."
-Larry King, television host
About the Author
Alan Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter professor of law at Harvard Law School, is one of the country's foremost appellate lawyers and a distinguished defender of individual liberties. He appears frequently on television and writes numerous articles for the New York Times and other newspapers and magazines. His many books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Chutzpah, the New York Times bestseller The Case for Israel (Wiley), The Case for Peace: How the Arab-Israeli Conflict Can Be Resolved, also from Wiley and Preemption: A Knife That Cuts Both Ways. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Table of Contents
Introduction by Alan Dershowitz.
Yosef I. Abramowitz.
David Adler.
Shulamit Aloni.
Robert Alter.
Christina Applegate and Nancy Priddy.
David Arnow.
William J. Bennett.
Meron Benvenisti.
Theodore Bikel.
Edwin Black.
Laura Blumenfeld.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach.
Paul Buhle.
Judy Feld Carr.
Leon Charney.
Norm Coleman.
Richard Ben Cramer.
Paul Eidelberg.
Stuart Eizenatat.
Marc H. Ellis.
Amitai Etzioni.
Avner Even-Zohar.
Jane Falk.
Tovah Feldshuh.
Charles Fenyvesi.
Barney Frank.
Samuel Freedman.
Leslie Gelb.
Uri Geller.
Judy Ginsburge.
Nathan Glazer.
J.J. Goldberg.
Ari L. Goldman.
Monty Hall.
Joshua Hammer.
David Harris.
Mark Helprin.
Susannah Heschel.
Rabbi Marvin Hier.
Arthur Hiller.
Judd Hirsch.
David Horovitz.
Erica Jong.
Max M. Kampelman.
Jonathan Kellerman.
Rabbi Naamah Kelman.
Aviva Kempner.
Larry King.
Morton Klein.
Edward Koch.
Melvin Konner.
Rabbi Harold Kushner.
Rabbi Lawrence Kushner.
Stan Lee.
Rabbi Michael Lerner.
Norman Liss.
David Mamet.
Daniel S. Mariaschin.
Laraine Newman.
Michael B. Oren.
Norm Ornstein.
Judea Pearl.
Natalie Portman.
David Raab.
Pat Robertson.
Anne Roiphe.
Donna Rosenthal.
Amnon Rubinstein.
Douglas Rushkoff.
Julie Salamon.
Stephen Schwartz.
Bernie Siegel.
Ned L. Siegel.
R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr.
Milton Viorst.
Rabbi Noah Weinberg.
Rabbi Sherwin Wine.
Rabbi Eric Yoffie.
Fred S. Zeidman.
Stephen Zunes.