Micah Goodman— Modernity burst onto the stage of history some three hundred years ago, when free thinkers of all stripes—philosophers, revolutionaries, political leaders—struck blow after blow at the traditions of the past. They strove for a future in which humanity would slough off the heavy burdens of history, including the
Susie Linfield— It’s a pleasant day in the summer of 2013, and I sit with a Jewish-Israeli intellectual in a lively Tel Aviv café. She is a member of the far Left who advocates a one-state solution and is adamantly anti-Zionist. (She has since emigrated from Israel.) She asks me
Susie Linfield— Both the Democratic Party in the U.S. and the Labour Party in Britain are in a tizzy over issues relating to Israel and anti-Semitism. Stateside, Rep. Ilhan Omar’s various statements about Israel, AIPAC, hypnosis, dual loyalties, and “Benjamins” sent the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives into months of tormented
Human rights are universal. They belong to everyone, as the term implies. But the movement for human rights is a story grounded in particulars: a time, a place, a group of people. That story is told, brilliantly and for the first time, in Rooted Cosmopolitans: Jews and Human Rights in
Sarah Underwood— Who betrayed whom in Palestine? Many people with many purposes would call western nations like Great Britain or eastern powers like the Arab League the traitors, with Arabs and Jews alternating the position of betrayed. For Efraim Karsh, author of Palestine Betrayed, one important and forgotten answer is
As Israel, and its millions of supporters world-wide, celebrate its 60th birthday, few realize the important role that Winston Churchill played in the establishment of the State of Israel and the shaping of the modern Middle East. Michael Makovsky’s groundbreaking Churchill’s Promised Land, brings this and much more to light
Under the spotlight of the 60th anniversary of Israeli independence, Benny Morris’s recent book, 1948, is a praised as a shining example. Last Sunday’s New York Times Book Review features David Margolick’s review, saying: “Morris relates the story of his new book soberly and somberly, evenhandedly and exhaustively.” The May
Michael Makovsky, author of Churchill’s Promised Land: Zionism and Statecraft, has been named one of five finalists for this year’s Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature. The Jewish Book Council, who administers the award, considers Churchill’s Promised Land to be “a book of exceptional literary merit that stimulates an interest
In the past month, important political figures have been seen with books published by Yale University Press: Charm Offensive: How China’s Soft Power Is Transforming the World by Joshua Kurlantzick and Churchill’s Promised Land: Zionism and Statecraft by Michael Makovsky. On September 6, 2007, President Bush met with Kevin Rudd,
A few Yale Press authors have recently been in the news… Michael Makovsky, author of Churchill’s Promised Land recently wrote an op/ed piece for The Wall Street Journal called, “Protecting Iraq’s Oil”. (Subcription required) Makovsky’s book is the first to explore fully the role that Zionism played in the political