What would motivate a successful corporate lawyer to trade in his comfortable life in America for three weeks every year to volunteer for manual labor on Israeli military bases? This book is based on journals he kept during 14 volunteer Sar-el stints on Israeli military bases from 2006 to 2019.

In his lifetime, French philosopher Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) achieved a reputation as both a leading Catholic intellectual and an outspoken critic of anti-Semitism. Here, historian Richard Francis Crane traces the development of Maritain's opposition toward anti-Semitism and analyzes the Catholic appreciation of Judaism that animated his stance. Crane probes the writings and teachings of Maritain--before, during, and after the Holocaust--and illuminates how Maritain's ideas altered Christian perceptions of Jews and Judaism during his lifetime and continue to do so today.

Could you be asking all the wrong questions about Israel? Conversation about the Arab-Israeli conflict usually starts by asking if God is for or against the Jewish state--or Palestinians, Arabs or Muslims. In this updated and urgent book, Sandra Teplinsky, an American-Israeli Jewish believer, shows why many Christians are asking the wrong questions about Israel. With gracious honesty and solid biblical insight, she unravels the mystery and controversy of Israel--and shows how it impacts you--by taking you into the Lord's passion for all humankind. "With precision and passion, Sandra Teplinsky weaves a wealth of material and presents a compelling case why we still need to care about Israel. It's a powerful treatise and treasure." --Chris Mitchell, Jerusalem bureau chief, CBN News; author, Dateline Jerusalem "An essential handbook of immeasurable worth for every thoughtful believer. Its message could not be more needed than in this present hour of global conflict, both political and spiritual."--Pastor Jack Hayford, author, Secrets of Intercessory Prayer; president, The King's University "The dividing line of the true Church will be its position on the Jews and Israel. You must be on God's side. Read this book!"--Sid Roth, TV host, It's Supernatural! "A much-needed and fresh approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Readers will be left well informed and caring deeply about the Jewish people (and others) because they encountered the heart and voice of God."--Jonathan Bernis, president, Jewish Voice Ministries International; author, A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days "Inspirationally written, biblically accurate, extensively researched and user friendly to the common believer, Bible student or seasoned minister--a desperately needed message!" --James W. Goll, director, Encounters Network; author, The Coming Israel Awakening

Army Fatigues chronicles the authors experience of a volunteer in Israel during some of the most stressful (Intifada) years.

The only travel guide to Israel that will help you to prepare spiritually for your visit. Combining ancient blessings, medieval prayers, biblical references, and modern poetry?in quick reference format?it helps today's pilgrim tap into deep spiritual meaning of the ancient?and modern?sites of the Holy Land. For each of the twenty-five major tourist destinations?from the Western Wall to Masada to a kibbutz in Galilee?it gives guidance in sharply focused four-step sections: ? Anticipation: To read in advance. Information to help orient you in the site's historical context. ? Approach: To read on the way there. Readings from traditional and modern sources to orient you in the site's spiritual context. ? Acknowledgment: To read at the site. A prayer or blessing to integrate the experience into your spiritual consciousness. ? Afterthought: Journaling space for writing your own thoughts and impressions.

What is a homeland and when does it become a national territory? Why have so many people been willing to die for such places throughout the twentieth century? What is the essence of the Promised Land? Following the acclaimed and controversial The Invention of the Jewish People, Shlomo Sand examines the mysterious sacred land that has become the site of the longest-running national struggle of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Invention of the Land of Israel deconstructs the age-old legends surrounding the Holy Land and the prejudices that continue to suffocate it. Sand’s account dissects the concept of “historical right” and tracks the creation of the modern concept of the “Land of Israel” by nineteenth-century Evangelical Protestants and Jewish Zionists. This invention, he argues, not only facilitated the colonization of the Middle East and the establishment of the State of Israel; it is also threatening the existence of the Jewish state today.

For the Future of Israel reveals the character of a leader who participated in the birth of his country and whose thoughts remain ever on the future - on the basis and prospects for peace. In five conversations with novelist and former Newsweek correspondent Robert Littell, Peres reflects on his youth in shtetl and kibbutz, the impact of the Holocaust on world affairs, what it means to be a Jew, and the ongoing struggle to end terrorism and forge peace between Israel and its neighbors. The interviews reflect the changed State of Israel since the assassination of Yitzak Rabin (after which Peres was named prime minister and defense minister) and the subsequent election of a Likud-led government in Israel and its renegotiation of the Oslo agreements. Peres speaks candidly of his dealings with Arafat and of his close, complementary relationship with Rabin. Ranging widely over the last fifty years, he ponders the effect of the occupation of the territories on the character of his country. He gives his views on public figures he has known (among them Ben Gurion, Mitterrand, Reagan, Netanyahu, Yeltsin, and Clinton), the qualities of good leadership, and the dangers of extremism and religious parties.

From the much lauded author of Breaking News comes a version of Walking the Bible just for Israel. With its dense history of endless conflict and biblical events, Israel's coastline is by far the most interesting hundred miles in the world. As longtime chief of NBC's Tel Aviv news bureau, Martin Fletcher is in a unique position to interpret Israel, and he brings it off in a spectacular and novel manner. Last year he strolled along the entire coast, from Lebanon to Gaza, observing facets of the country that are ignored in news reports, yet tell a different and truer story. Walking Israel is packed with hilarious moments, historical insights, emotional, true-life tales, and, above all, great storytelling.

"Once in the military system, Israelis never fully exit," writes the prizewinning journalist Patrick Tyler in the prologue to Fortress Israel. "They carry the military identity for life, not just through service in the reserves until age forty-nine . . . but through lifelong expectations of loyalty and secrecy." The military is the country to a great extent, and peace will only come, Tyler argues, when Israel's military elite adopt it as the national strategy. Fortress Israel is an epic portrayal of Israel's martial culture—of Sparta presenting itself as Athens. From Israel's founding in 1948, we see a leadership class engaged in an intense ideological struggle over whether to become the "light unto nations," as envisioned by the early Zionists, or to embrace an ideology of state militarism with the objective of expanding borders and exploiting the weaknesses of the Arabs. In his first decade as prime minister, David Ben-Gurion conceived of a militarized society, dominated by a powerful defense establishment and capable of defeating the Arabs in serial warfare over many decades. Bound by self-reliance and a stern resolve never to forget the Holocaust, Israel's military elite has prevailed in war but has also at times overpowered Israel's democracy. Tyler takes us inside the military culture of Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Ariel Sharon, and Benjamin Netanyahu, introducing us to generals who make decisions that trump those of elected leaders and who disdain diplomacy as appeasement or surrender. Fortress Israel shows us how this martial culture envelops every family. Israeli youth go through three years of compulsory military service after high school, and acceptance into elite commando units or air force squadrons brings lasting prestige and a network for life. So ingrained is the martial outlook and identity, Tyler argues, that Israelis are missing opportunities to make peace even when it is possible to do so. "The Zionist movement had survived the onslaught of world wars, the Holocaust, and clashes of ideology," writes Tyler, "but in the modern era of statehood, Israel seemed incapable of fielding a generation of leaders who could adapt to the times, who were dedicated to ending . . . [Israel's] isolation, or to changing the paradigm of military preeminence." Based on a vast array of sources, declassified documents, personal archives, and interviews across the spectrum of Israel's ruling class, FortressIsrael is a remarkable story of character, rivalry, conflict, and the competing impulses for war and for peace in the Middle East.

A historical tour de force, The Invention of the Jewish People offers a groundbreaking account of Jewish and Israeli history. Exploding the myth that there was a forced Jewish exile in the first century at the hands of the Romans, Israeli historian Shlomo Sand argues that most modern Jews descend from converts, whose native lands were scattered across the Middle East and Eastern Europe. In this iconoclastic work, which spent nineteen weeks on the Israeli bestseller list and won the coveted Aujourd'hui Award in France, Sand provides the intellectual foundations for a new vision of Israel's future.