About this item
Library Journal01/01/2014 British/Israeli journalist Landau (former editor in chief, Haaretz; Piety and Power: The World of Jewish Fundamentalism) seeks to elucidate the military, political, and social history of Israel by focusing on the life and impact of Ariel Sharon (b. 1928). Having interviewed a wide range of people who knew Sharon and offer their opinions of his actions, military and political, Landau presents a veritable Who's Who of Israel over the last several decades. He succeeds in giving the reader a truly human portrait of one of Israel's greatest and most controversial leaders. Most fascinating is Landau's analysis of Sharon's transition from being the "father of the settlements" to being the leader most responsible for removing Jewish settlements from Sinai, Gaza, and (before his disabling stroke in 2006) some of the West Bank.
About the Author
Dr. Daniel Gordis is Senior Vice President and the Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College. The author of more than ten books, Gordis is a regular columnist for both the Jerusalem Post and for Bloomberg View. Gordis' writing has appeared in magazines and newspapers including the New York Times, The New Republic, the New York Times Magazine, Azure, Commentary and Foreign Affairs, and his books have received numerous awards. He won the National Jewish Book Award for Saving Israel, and two of his books were Finalists for the National Jewish Book Award. Gordis' newest book is a history of the State of Israel entitled ISRAEL: A CONCISE HISTORY OF A NATION REBORN. Ambassador Dennis Ross, reflecting on the book, wrote, "When I am asked 'Is there one book to read about Israel? ' I now have an answer." Ari Shavit wrote, "Like Israel itself, Daniel Gordis's Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn is audacious, intensive and unique." Yossi Klein HaLevi wrote, "Daniel Gordis has written a luminous history .... Gordis gives us the soul of Israel, and helps explain why the most hated country on the planet is also among the most beloved." Professor Alan Dershowitz has called Gordis "one of Israel's most thoughtful observers." The Forward has called him "one of the most respected Israel analysts around." In 2014, the Jerusalem Post listed him as one of the world's 50 most influential Jews, while Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic has written, "If you asked me, 'of all the people you know, who cares the most about the physical, moral and spiritual health of Israel? ' I would put the commentator and scholar Daniel Gordis at the top of the list."
