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Synopsis
Discusses the vision of a Jewish homeland, the founding of Israel, and the struggles and dangers of daily life in Israel.
Judy Chernak - Children's Literature
A new volume in Thompson/Gale's "Modern Nations of the World," this book presents a comprehensive look at the unusual Middle East democracy of Israel. The author continuously reminds the reader of the fact that this is the only country in the world in which Jews are the majority and how that impacts its every aspect. Along with history and geography, which go back 5000 years to the wandering forefather Abraham, Israeli culture and religion are based on the Torah (the Bible, the Old Testament) and its laws. So one finds the anomaly of a thoroughly modern country whose national airline does not fly on the Sabbath and many of whose businesses and shops are closed every seventh day in its honor. Israel is also a country of immigrants, having an open door policy for any and all Jews, and its population is a miniature United Nations of nationalities. The book does a good job of outlining the building of a Jewish nation, the struggle for peace and prosperity while under frequent attack, and the thorny problem of sharing territory with Arab Palestinians, many of whom are committed to the destruction of the Jews and their nation. The chapter "Daily Life in Israel" gives an excellent insight into the life of the country, and there are frequent sidebars on such topics as Escape at Entebbe, The Revival of the Hebrew Language, A Stand Against Violence and for Peace Yitzhak Rabin, and Keeping Kosher. Black-and-white photographs are included. Recommended for schools and libraries. 2003, Lucent,
Editorials
Children's Literature
A new volume in Thompson/Gale's "Modern Nations of the World," this book presents a comprehensive look at the unusual Middle East democracy of Israel. The author continuously reminds the reader of the fact that this is the only country in the world in which Jews are the majority and how that impacts its every aspect. Along with history and geography, which go back 5000 years to the wandering forefather Abraham, Israeli culture and religion are based on the Torah (the Bible, the Old Testament) and its laws. So one finds the anomaly of a thoroughly modern country whose national airline does not fly on the Sabbath and many of whose businesses and shops are closed every seventh day in its honor. Israel is also a country of immigrants, having an open door policy for any and all Jews, and its population is a miniature United Nations of nationalities. The book does a good job of outlining the building of a Jewish nation, the struggle for peace and prosperity while under frequent attack, and the thorny problem of sharing territory with Arab Palestinians, many of whom are committed to the destruction of the Jews and their nation. The chapter "Daily Life in Israel" gives an excellent insight into the life of the country, and there are frequent sidebars on such topics as Escape at Entebbe, The Revival of the Hebrew Language, A Stand Against Violence and for Peace—Yitzhak Rabin, and Keeping Kosher. Black-and-white photographs are included. Recommended for schools and libraries. 2003, Lucent,— Judy Chernak