Reviled as a fascist by his great rival Ben-Gurion; venerated by Israel’s underclass; the first Israeli to win the Nobel Peace Prize; a proud Jew but not a conventionally religious one; Menachem Begin was both complex and controversial. Born in Poland in 1913; Begin was a youthful admirer of the Revisionist Zionist Ze’ev Jabotinsky and soon became a leader within Jabotinsky’s Betar movement. A powerful orator and mesmerizing public figure; Begin was imprisoned by the Soviets in 1940; joined the Free Polish Army in 1942; and arrived in Palestine as a Polish soldier shortly thereafter. Joining the underground paramilitary Irgun in 1943; he achieved instant notoriety for the organization’s bombings of British military installations and other violent acts.Intentionally left out of the new Israeli government; Begin’s right-leaning Herut political party became a fixture of the opposition to the Labor-dominated governments of Ben-Gurion and his successors; until the surprising parliamentary victory of his political coalition in 1977 made him prime minister. Welcoming Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to Israel and cosigning a peace treaty with him on the White House lawn in 1979; Begin accomplished what his predecessors could not. His outreach to Ethiopian Jews and Vietnamese “boat people†was universally admired; and his decision to bomb Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 is now regarded as an act of courageous foresight. But the disastrous invasion of Lebanon to end the PLO’s shelling of Israel’s northern cities; combined with his declining health and the death of his wife; led Begin to resign in 1983. He spent the next nine years in virtual seclusion; until his death in 1992. Begin was buried not alongside Israel’s prime ministers; but alongside the Irgun comrades who died in the struggle to create the Jewish national home to which he had devoted his life. Daniel Gordis’s perceptive biography gives us new insight into a remarkable political figure whose influence continues to be felt both within Israel and throughout the world. This title is part of the Jewish Encounters series.
#781349 in Books 1995-08-22 1995-08-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.97 x .85 x 5.16l; .64 #File Name: 0805210490312 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Unique Intersection of Philosophy and Religion; Phenomenal WorkBy aaron weddleThis book is unique and critical. I had to read a few chapters of it for a Religious texts course and I was fascinated. It shows a unique intersection of philosophy: Jewish culture; law; and politics from a feminist perspective. As such it could be taught in a variety of classes and no matter how it were taught it would not lose it's punch. Influential and phenomenal; hope to have it on my bookshelf for the rest of my life.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. very in depthBy ShiraWhat a great book. I purchased this book after the ben ish chai's laws for women. I was a bit hesitant; thinking that this book too would be too simple for where I am in my studies. Fortunately; I was wrong. This book goes into relevant commentary from big-time sages on essentially all issues pertaining to women. I really enjoyed reading it. I've definitely learned from it and will surely recommend it.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A must read for all womenBy AmyThis is a clear concise book that pulls no punches and does not fail to go into adult language to explain a womans rights and obligations in a relationship that is truely according to Jewish Law.
