The first book about the only two Reform Movement kibbutzim in Israel.

Acclaimed and outstanding full-color photography is shown with memorable and breathtaking views of sites, wildlife, national parks and landmarks across the country. Includes detailed maps and descriptive text.

Generations after the creation of Adam and Eve, but two thousand years before the birth of Christ, they had a humble great grandson - named Enoch - the seventh great grandson to be exact. Enoch was slow of speech, ridiculed by others, and despite his inadequacies, he was foreordained to be a prophet of the Lord. Through the process of time, Christ transformed Enoch into one of the greatest seers and prophets God had ever forged (Moses 7:21). As Enoch was led and purified, he saw things not visible to the natural eye (Moses 6:36). He went forth, stood upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice to testify against men's wicked works, such that "all men were offended because of him" (Moses 6:36-37). Christ led Enoch to gather and purify His chosen people until He finally joined them. The City of Enoch became so righteous God raised it into the air until it was taken up into Heaven - as Zion - the pure in heart (D&C 92:21). The remnant left behind (Moses 7:22) were not forgotten by the Lord (Ether 13:6-8). They were assured that Christ would continue to gather up His people throughout the generations, reawaken them to who they really are, and lift up the righteous to Zion. In this manner, God would gather home souls until the last day, when Zion would return at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. We are promised in the last days, when Zion breaks forth from above, Zion will also rise from beneath - purified and separated from the decaying world around it - elevated and lifted up to meet Enoch's Zion triumphant in the air (D&C 84:100). Then all of the Lord's family, so long separated - finally together - will fall on each other's necks, weep, kiss each other, rejoice and sing the new song of Zion (Moses 7: 60-64). We are in the last days. Babylon and nature continue to rage in greater commotion than ever before. Pandemics, wars, fear, disease, addiction, and disaster plague us. Hearts are failing. Darkness is swelling, and the roar of evil and hate is becoming more deafening than a global hurricane. And, Christ is keeping His covenant promise and "His hand is stretched out still" (Isaiah 9) to lift us up back home. Just like He did with the Enoch, and Zion anciently, the Lord is calling each of us to join and prepare Zion, today. Christ is leading His prophet and prophets to purify individuals, to purify a people - who will purify a world - for Zion to rise. This is the Earth's divine destiny-- and it can be our destiny too, as we awaken to our true selves, in Christ. As I have heard His voice calling through the final raging storm, I know you can too. We can all find shelter in Him. The Restoration, prophesied of old, is not only global, but individual. As He continues to restore His church, He is also restoring His people. Even now, He is working to restore each of us and help us find our individual, crucial divine purposes. For Christ is calling... and Zion is rising.

"A deep, fascinating dive into a uniquely American brand of religious zealotry that poses a grave threat to our national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and other public lands. It also happens to be a delight to read." —JON KRAKAUER American Zion is the story of the Bundy family, famous for their armed conflicts in the West. With an antagonism that goes back to the very first Mormons who fled the Midwest for the Great Basin, they hold a sense of entitlement that confronts both law and democracy. Today their cowboy confrontations threaten public lands, wild species, and American heritage. BETSY GAINES QUAMMEN is a historian and conservationist. She received a doctorate in Environmental History from Montana State University in 2017, her dissertation focusing on Mormon settlement and public land conflicts. After college in Colorado, caretaking for a bed and breakfast in Mosier, Oregon, and serving breakfasts at a cafe in Kanab, Utah, Betsy has settled in Bozeman, Montana, where she now lives with her husband, writer David Quammen, three huge dogs, an overweight cat, and a pretty big python named Boots.

On the high desert plateau of northern Mexico, outsiders have taken refuge from the secular world. Here three Anglo communities of Mormons and Mennonites have ordered their lives around male supremacy, rigid religious duty, and a rejection of modern technology and culture. In so doing, they have successfully adapted to this harsh desert environment. Janet Bennion has lived and worked among these people, and in this book she introduces a new paradigmÑ"desert patriarchy"Ñto explain their way of life. This perspective sheds light not only on these particular communities but also on the role of the desert environment in the development and maintenance of fundamentalist ideology in other parts of the United States and around the globe. Making new connections between the arid environment, opposition to technology, and gender ideology, Bennion shows that it is the interplay of the desert and the unique social traditions and gender dynamics embedded in Anglo patriarchal fundamentalism that accounts for the successful longevity of the Mexican colonies. Her model defines the process by which male supremacy, female autonomous networking, and religious fundamentalism all facilitate successful adaptation to the environment. More than a theoretical analysis, Desert Patriarchy provides an intimate glimpse into the daily lives of these people, showing how they have taken refuge in the desert to escape religious persecution, the forced secular education of their children, and economic and political marginalization. It particularly sheds light on the ironic autonomy of women within a patriarchal system, showing how fundamentalist women in Chihuahua are finding numerous creative ways to access power and satisfaction in a society structured to subordinate and even degrade them. Desert Patriarchy richly expands the literature on nontraditional religious movements as it enhances our understanding of how environment can shape society. It offers unique insights into women's status in patriarchal communities and provides a new way of looking at similar communities worldwide.

Examines the discourses and experiences associated with space and place in contemporary Israel.