'The Jews in Their Land'
Excellently Conceived, Ably
Edited by Ben-Gurion—Provides Israel Land-People Story

"The Jews in Their Land," pub-
lished by Doubleday, is a giant
book. It is not its size alone, or
the 117 pages of well chosen and
splendidly executed illustrations,
including 42. in full color, 57 in
black and white and 18 in two
colors. It is because the book was

DAVID BEN-GURION

conceived and ably edited by David
Gen-Gurion. It is. because a farmer
president of Israel, the late Itzhak
Ben-Zvi, is represented in the col-
lection of essays by an article on
a subject on which he was an
authority — the Jewish people
"under Ottoman Rule;" and be-
cause the current President Zal-
man Shazar of Israel has contri-

Ben-Zvi

Shazar

buted an important foreword to
this immense work: It is because
noted authorities, in the series of
essays selected for this study of
the Jewish people by Ben-Gurion,
include several of the ableSt
scholars in Jewry. And it is • be-
cause the translators of these texts
from the Hebrew, • Mordeohai
Nurock and Misha Louvish, • have
performed their task Wirth marked
skill.
Every selection of the book is
preeeded by an appropriate bibli-
cal quotation. Thus, the first part,
which is an essay on "Entry to
Exile=120033CE-587 BCE," by Prof.'
Yohanan Aharoni, introcluced
by the verses Deut._ 3:26-28, Moses
speaking to the Israelites, inf -Orin-
ing them that he was not chosen
to "go over this Jordan," that
Joshua was to see the land the
people was destined . to inherit.
And for the second part, "Me
Prophets," by Dr. Eliahu Auer-
bach, Editor Ben-Gurion Selected
Amos - 9;1345, which- concludes
with: `!And I will plant them upon•
their land, and they shall no more
be pulled up out of–their land
which I have given them, saith
the :Lord thy God."
Thus we have, in Ben-GuriOn's
chbice, a compilation ,of histori-
cal data flavored with faith and
confidence, with the _prophetic
and with the belief in the ulti-
mate fulfillment of the augury
of Israel's redemption.
President Shazar, himself one
of Jewry's distinguished scholars,
acclaiming this book, and its value
to -the people and state of Israel,
asserts: "In recording the life of
this nation modern historians have
sought to Cover also the long pe-
riod during which the stage of
Jewish activity was the, .entire

.

•

world: for geographic dispersion
did not destroy the spirit that
kept the nation virtually intact
as a single historical entity. This
volume is significant in that it
presents the continuous story of
the Jewish people within the
borders of its homeland. It covers
both the periods of its indepen-
dence—when it created the ori-
ginal
ginal culture that was to give it
its permanent place in the annals
of mankind=and the periods when
strangers ruled the Land and the
Jewish population consisted only
of the remnants and the beginnings
of the incessant waves of those
returning from the Dispersion."
In a sense this is a brief and
very succinct review of a most
impressive work that covers the
Jewish scenes over periods to-
talling more than 3,000 years of
Jewish history. Prof. Alt aroni's
analyses of events dating back to
1200 BCE and the informative
article on the Prophets by Dr.
Auerbach are followed by a
significant study, "From the Baby-
lonian Exile to the Bar Kochba
Revolt," covering the years 587
BCE to 135 CE. Authored by Prof.
Yehoshua Guttman and Dr. Mena-
hem Stern, this essay is especially
vital because it covers the period
of Hellenist influence and intro-
duces the reader to the Christian
era in history.
Latest archaelogical discov-
eries are utilized in dealing
with this and other periods -in
Jewish history, and the noted
scholars make use of all avail..
able material in providing the
basis for historical evaluations
for this encyclopedic collection.
Pursuing the studies of the
Babylonian and Bar Kochba per-
iods, Prof. Benzion Dinar deals
with the events covered by the
years 135-1516, under the title
"From Bar Kochba's Revolt to
the Turkish Conquest," and the
article by the late Dr. Ben-Zvi on
Ottoman rule deals with events
in the years 1517-1917.
It is significant that Ben-Gurion
should have assigned,.-to himself
the concluding essay dealing with
occurrences since 1878 under the
title "From the Founding of Petah-
Tikva to the Present Day." No one
had earned the right to describe
the events related to Zionism and
to the founding of the State of
Israel as much as Ben-Gurion, and
it: is _appropriate that he should
have delegated himself to write the
current historical chapter for a
great- book.
All of the contributed essays,
all the events enumerated, are
extremely important and are
valuable for an aiSpreciation of
Jewish, history in relation to
Israel, and it is additionally
pleasing to note that the
Opilogite to the book, also by
Ben-Gurion, summarizes .a great
undertaking with Vision and
an historian's cominentary- on
events of the past as they Affect
Jewish life today.
Pointing to the astonishing
changes that have taken place
since Israel's rebirth, Ben-Gurion
outlines several pressing Israeli
problems:
1. The need "to bring' home
the congregations of Jewry that
remain in lands of Islam-and com-
munism, at the mercy of dis:
criminatory policies; and, as well
to encourage and accelerate
halutzic aliya from countries of
comfort . . "

Israel Tourism,
Tourism plays a greater role in
Israel's economy year after year,
as Israel Bond investments stimu-
late the construction of hotels and
the development of facilities for
air and sea travel. In 1965, approx-
imately 295,000 tourists visited Is-
rael, producing revenues of about
$60,000,000. This rbpresents a 17
percent increase over the number
of tourists in the previous year,
and 20 percent more revenue.

capacity permits, it will per-
severe hereafter in the resolve
to make a greater and a grander
contribution."
"The Jews in Their Land" thus
is unique. It is the story of the
state of Israel as part of the his-
tory of the entire people of IsraeL
It is informative and is a guide
to concrete studies for a.dvanced
students while serving as an ex-
cellent textbook for laymen, for
popular consumption.
It is so excellently illustrated
that its photographs, maps and
descriptive material enrich this
volume. Its glossary superb and
its index is complete. It
splendidly conceived, well ed
and a most valuable edition to
Jewish library.

2. Stating that "we must peo- exploitation nor discrimination, a
ple and settle the unfilled places, society built upon mutual- aid and
north and south," he points to love of mankind . . . "
the responsibilities in. the Negev
Ben-Gurion concludes on a
and elsewhere and to the achieve:
constructive note marked by the
ments attained.
vision of the creative leader:
"The quintessence, the signi-
3. He writes that "a way must
ficance of „Jewish history is a
be found of closing the cultural
preference for quality over
and educational gap that divides
quantity. To be safe, to survive,
children of European immigrants,
to hold its international peace,
from Asian or African environ-
Israel must continue to improve
ments, who come bare and beg-
its moral, mental and social
gared, victims of century-old
quality. The more it does so,
stagnation and privation . . "
the surer and fuller will be its
4. He declares that "we must
success in the work of assist-
dispel the hostility of the encircl-
ing new countries. Our people THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
ing Arab peoples and make a
regard their reborn statehood, 12—Friday, September 9, 1966
covenant of peace between them
their peace and progress, as
and Israel that will culminate in
being interwoven with as well
IF YOU TURN THE
economic, cultural and political
as being dependent upon—the
cooperation, and advance the
pace and the advancement of
well-being of the whole Middle
all mankind. Our people be-
UPSIDE DOWN YOU WON'T "
East . . "
lieve that a new world will arise,
FIND A FINER WINE THAN
5. And lastly the time-honored
a world of freedom, of justice
socialist, the labor speaks, and
and peace, of human partner-
Ben-Gurion, asserts: "We must
ship. Israel already contributes
play our part in ensuring social
in some measure to the speedier
progress and in shaping a new
realization of that better uni-
'Milan Wineries,. Detroit, Mich.
society wherein there is neither
vere. As far as its modest

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