As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalates; a dangerous illusion persists that the American Jewish community speaks with a single voice; expressing universal; uncritical support for the policies of the Sharon government. This appearance of unanimity does grave disservice to the heterogeneity of Jewish thought; and to the centuries-old Jewish traditions of lively dispute and rigorous; unapologetic skeptical inquiry. Wrestling with Zion brings together prominent poets; essayists; journalists; activists; academics; novelists; and playwrights; representing the diversity of opinion in the progressive Jewish-American community regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. All the participants share three things: a Jewish identity; an American identity; and a sense of urgency; refusing to ignore the catastrophic injustice that has been visited upon the Palestinian people; while at the same time being passionately committed to Jewish survival and American legacies of compassion and moral courage. The contributors — including Nathan Englander; Susan Sontag; Robert Pinsky; Daniel Wolfe; and many others — have considered certain essential questions: What is at the heart of the connection between Israel and American Jews? What is Israel's role in shaping Jewish-American identities? How has this role changed historically? And what is the history; both familiar and forgotten; of Zionism's political; cultural; and spiritual meaning?
#3463555 in Books Johns Hopkins University Press 2009-08-11Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.17 x 6.00l; 1.45 #File Name: 0801893038384 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent Analysis of the Economic Causes of the Civil WarBy Land WaylandAn exhaustive analysis of the economic background to the Civil War. The Southern States were convinced that not only their economies but the economy of the United States itself was based on cotton and they understood that the only way to grow cotton to greatest financial advantage was to pay virtually nothing to the workers who produced this labor intensive crop. They did this by relying on slaves to do this brutal work and they wanted to guarantee that they would be able to not only keep their social and production system intact but they insisted that most of the new States being admitted to the Union had to tolerate slavery. They believed that the countries of Europe; which purchased most of the cotton crop; needed the South's cotton so much that they would (reluctantly) agree to support the South if it formed its own country. Finally; they also believed that the Northern States would grumble but would also accept the secession. This is a scholarly work that examines and carefully explains each of the propositions; year by year; as the disagreement became more and more intense until it exploded with the attack on Ft. Sumter 39 days after Lincoln's inauguration.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great bookBy Caleb GreeneA great read indeed. A very fresh take on the origins of the Civil War. Dr. Schoen is a thorough historian.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Impressively written!By Jim BrownI had the privilege of having Dr. Brian Schoen as a professor in several upper level classes concerning the American Civil War and the antebellum south. Furthermore; Schoen is a skillful writer. This wonderfully researched piece of work highlights cotton's importance during the first 100 years of the United States' existence. He proves; through primary sources; that King Cotton certainly was exactly that for much of the early 19th century; however; not "king" enough to avoid a war or receive military aid from Great Britain; the largest importer of southern cotton.Schoen's work is a precise insight on the geopolitical framework of cotton and the diplomatic; and at times militaristic; relations that cotton caused and influenced. He covers a diverse subject with concise writing and a focused objective. He covers subject matters including; but not limited to:Cotton's rise in demand and it's economic and geopolitical effectsHow southern planters increased their supply and answered the demand; not only Whitney's gin but others who piggybacked his invention - and Richard Leake's and others who increased the long staple cotton seed's yield.The continued commercial relations from pre - revolutionary times that culminated into the War of 1812 - largely caused by economic problems involving cotton and the shipments of it.How cotton influenced both domestic and foreign economic diplomacy.How King Cotton evolved into a Bloody Civil War and how this "king" was not that during the actual war thanks to the Union's embargo and British hesitancy to acknowledge the Confederacy.And lastly; the hard to separate issue of the close but not identical relationship and correlation between cotton and slavery.A must read for American historians interested in geopolitics and the origins of both the War of 1812 and the American Civil War.
