The Divided Self

How should Jews respond to an age of militant Zionism and resurgent anti-Semitism? Is insisting on a separate sense of identity anachronistic and dangerous, or is it the only way of preserving the Jewish cultural heritage? Rabbi David Goldberg, one of today's most respected and outspoken Jewish leaders, grapples with the dilemmas of contemporary Jewishness with characteristic candour, and sketches the emerging faultlines in the Jewish sense of identity. He offers up a completely fresh reading of Jewish history, arguing that the narrative of relentless woe and suffering popularised by nineteenth-century writers, such as George Eliot was based on a highly selective reading of the past. Goldberg retraces the history of the Jews, and rejects the mythology of eternal victimhood. Instead, he focuses on the survival strategies that have been pursued throughout the centuries. He contrasts the pragmatic flexibility of the Jewish Diaspora with the military assertiveness of modern Israel. With wit, insight and compassion he highlights the growing gulf between Israeli and Diaspora Jewishness. Following G.B. Shaw's quip about Britain and America, Goldberg argues that Israeli and Diaspora Jews are in danger of becoming divided by a common heritage. This book will stimulate, engage and provoke readers of all beliefs and cultures.

ISBN 1845110544   Pages 288 ISBN13 9781845110543 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd   Weight (grammes) 422 Imprint I.B.Tauris   Published in London Format Hardback   Height (mm) 234 Publication date 31 Mar 2006   Width (mm) 156 Library of Congress 2006285520   Spine width (mm) 24 DEWEY 305.8924   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

1		The Zionist version of Jewish history		7
2		Relativism and absolutism in biblical times		16
3		Dependency on more powerful neighbours		24
4		Learning the lessons of exile		30
5		The Roman disaster		39
6		The shifting ground of diaspora existence		47
7		Factors in survival		61
8		Emerging from the ghetto		72
9		Redefining the Jew		82
10		Zionists, socialists, old Jews, 'new' Hebrews		90
11		Zionism for the few, integration for the many		97
12		The golden age of German Jewry		105
13		Liberal values and political realities		116
14		Zionisms's radical demands		124
15		Holocaust survivors and Zionist incomprehension		132
16		From destruction in Europe to redemption in Israel		140
17		A false sense of security		149
18		Israel, the diaspora and Likud		159
19		The sea change		169
20		From optimism to disillusionment		180
21		Taking stock; Israel and the diaspora today		197
22		'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing'		210

'David Goldberg's vivid, provocative and witty book should be required reading for anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish people, and the peace of the Middle East.' - Max Hastings 'Surveying clearly and concisely the history of both Jewish life in the diaspora and of diaspora relations with Israel, David Goldberg reopens a debate that has laid dormant, if not suppressed, for decades: is Zionism good for the Jews? This is no anti-Zionist rant, but a careful, impeccably fair questioning of the Zionist assumption that diaspora living is neurotic and doomed' - Jonathan Freedland, journalist and author 'Engaging and provocative and is sure to raise some conservative heckles. It's an interesting and stimulating read by one of the most respected commentators on the subject.'- The Dubliner.

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