Book Discussion: MY PROMISED LAND by Ari Shavit

Book Discussion:  MY PROMISED LAND by Ari Shavit
Sunday March 23, 11:15 am
Discussion With Rabbi Neal Gold
Brunch Provided

My Promised Land : The Triumph and the Tragedy of Israel by the Israeli
commentator Ari Shavit is an important, serious and readable boo .  He
describes the twentieth century history of Israel and analyzes the present
situation.  Shavit employs two methods that present important issues-
narratives and interviews of people how experienced these changes and an
explanation of the effect of these events.  The book offers many
opportunities for valuable and educational discussions about these
complicated issues for which there are no obvious answers. Every chapter
offers opportunities for valuable discussion about these complicated issues
for which there are frequently diverse conclusions.

He introduces Israel through the eyes of his great grandfather who traveled
to Palestine on a Thomas Cook caravan in 1897 and tells the story of an
orange grove planted in the desert of Rehovot to represent the economic boom
of 1930 leading up to the Arab push-back revolt in 1936.  He describes the
desperate flight of the 20th century settlers emigrating from Europe during
the Russian program and the Nazi occupation of Europe.   These examples
illustrate the tremendous importance of Israel to the survival of Jews then
and in the future.

However, Palestine was not a land without people:  700,000 Arabs lived in
Palestine.  The Jews lived and most often cooperated with their Arab
neighbors but also began to replace and displace them.  He illustrates this
dynamic in the chapter on Lydda.  The result of the 1967 Six Day War was Arab
land conquered by the Israelis, but this created a moral, political and
security dilemma.  Shavit also gives the problem of the individual rights vs.
the needs of the Israeli nation as the individuals became more prosperous.
The difficult solution to these problems has created a division among
Israelis and a stalemate to resolve.

My Promised Land is an honest and challenging book describing a country that
has the moral strength to look honestly in the mirror of its own history. It
is a powerful read for lovers of Israel everywhere.