{"product_id":"in-search-of-israel-michael-brenner-9780691179285","title":"In Search of Israel: The History of an Idea","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA major new history of the century-long debate over what a Jewish state should be\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMany Zionists who advocated the creation of a Jewish state envisioned a nation like any other. Yet for Israel's founders, the state that emerged against all odds in 1948 was anything but ordinary. Born from the ashes of genocide and a long history of suffering, Israel was conceived to be unique, a model society and the heart of a prosperous new Middle East. It is this paradox, says historian Michael Brenner--the Jewish people's wish for a homeland both normal and exceptional--that shapes Israel's ongoing struggle to define itself and secure a place among nations. \u003ci\u003eIn Search of Israel\u003c\/i\u003e is a major new history of this struggle from the late nineteenth century to our time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen Theodor Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in 1897, no single solution to the problem of \"normalizing\" the Jewish people emerged. Herzl proposed a secular-liberal \"New Society\" that would be home to Jews and non-Jews alike. East European Zionists advocated the renewal of the Hebrew language and the creation of a distinct Jewish culture. Socialists imagined a society of workers' collectives and farm settlements. The Orthodox dreamt of a society based on the laws of Jewish scripture. The stage was set for a clash of Zionist dreams and Israeli realities that continues today. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSeventy years after its founding, Israel has achieved much, but for a state widely viewed as either a paragon or a pariah, Brenner argues, the goal of becoming a state like any other remains elusive. If the Jews were the archetypal \"other\" in history, ironically, Israel--which so much wanted to avoid the stamp of otherness--has become the Jew among the nations.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Michael Brenner\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 069117928X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780691179285\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Princeton University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/13\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 392\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.60h x 5.70w x 1.50d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/08\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/2018","brand":"Michael Brenner","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":44120046371071,"sku":"9780691179285","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_b29c8669-da14-4fd9-9859-3b1dd9b5ea9d.jpg?v=1687412276","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/in-search-of-israel-michael-brenner-9780691179285","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}