Israel Disarmed

“Where was the army? Where were the police? Where was the state?” –An Israeli mother on the 10/7 attacks America’s anti-gun lobby wants you to “leave guns to the professionals.” The police and military will protect you, they say. Really? Ask the people of Israel how well that worked out for them. On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered 1,200 Israelis in cold blood. Civilians waited in anguish for the army or police to rescue them. Why? Because the country’s restrictive gun laws left most people unarmed. The Israeli government made an immediate about-face after October 7. They loosened gun laws to allow as many citizens as possible to arm themselves. So why are America’s anti-gun extremists so determined to brush aside the Constitution and force you to turn in your guns? The lesson from Israel’s experience should be clear: If you wait until catastrophe comes, it’s too late.

This unique volume intensively studies the nature and extent of US - Israeli relations, from 1948 through the Bush and Obama administrations. Leading experts in the field (including Israeli and North American scholars from a variety of political perspectives) contribute original essays on the principal political, religious, ethnic, military, economic, and juridical connections between the United States and Israel. Specific topics covered in this new book include: the pro-Israel lobby in the United States; the US Jewish community and its relations to Israel; evangelical Christians and Israel; military and economic ties between the United States and Israel; the threat of a nuclear Iran for both countries; and the impact of American jurisprudence on Israel. Section introductions from the editor effectively contextualize the issues and provide students with an in-depth understanding of the past, present, and future of the US - Israel relationship.

The inspiring story of a young American who volunteered to fight in the Israel Defense Forces, lost his arm in combat, and then returned to the battlefield. Combining refreshing candor with self-deprecating wit, this inspiring memoir will encourage readers to live up to their aspirations despite seemingly impossible odds. On January 8, 2009, Izzy Ezagui--an American who had enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at nineteen--lost his arm in a mortar attack on the border of the Gaza Strip. In this stirring and wryly humorous memoir, Izzy recounts his tortuous trek through rehabilitation to re-enlistment as a squad commander in the IDF. He became the world's only one-armed Special Forces sharpshooter. This isn't a typical war chronicle, full of macho bluster and the usual hero tropes. Izzy wrote this book with his fellow millennials in mind--not necessarily those with military ambitions, but everyone facing life's daily battles. His message is universal: if a self-described "nerd" and "one-armed basket case" like him can accomplish what he set his mind to, then anyone can become a hero in his or her own life. Growing up in a religious household in Miami, Izzy's early life was plagued by self-doubt, family drama, and (far too few) girl troubles. His search for direction eventually led him to that explosion on the Gaza border, changing his life forever. In the midst of disaster, Izzy discovered a deep well at his core, from which he could draw strength. Through his motivational speeches across the world, and now through this book, he encourages people to seek their own power, and to face whatever adversity life throws at them.

Globalization. Homelessness. Ecological and economic crisis. Conflicts over sexuality. Violence. These crisis-level issues may seem unique to our times, but Paul's Letter to the Romans has something to say to all of them. Following their successful Colossians Remixed, Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh unpack the meaning of Romans for its original context and for today. The authors demonstrate how Romans disarms the political, economic, and cultural power of the Roman Empire and how this ancient letter offers hope in today's crisis-laden world. Romans Disarmed helps readers enter the world of ancient Rome and see how Paul's most radical letter transforms the lives of the marginalized then and now. Intentionally avoiding abstract debates about Paul's theology, Keesmaat and Walsh move back and forth between the present and the past as they explore themes of home, economic justice, creation care, the violence of the state, sexuality, and Indigenous reconciliation. They show how Romans engages with the lived reality of those who suffer from injustice, both in the first century and in the midst of our own imperial realities.

On January 8, 2009, Izzy Ezagui--a 19-year-old American who had enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)--lost his arm in a mortar attack on the border of the Gaza Strip. In this stirring memoir, full of chutzpahand dark humor, Izzy recounts his tortuous trek through rehabilitation to re-enlistment as a squad commander in the IDF. He became the only one-armed Special Forces sharpshooter. This isn't a typical war chronicle. Izzy eschews macho bluster, steering clear of the usual hero tropes of most war memoirists. He wrote this book for his fellow millennials. Not necessarily those with military ambitions, but for everyone facing life's daily battles. His message is simple- if a self-described "nerd" and "one-armed basket case" like him can accomplish what he set his mind to, then anyone can become a hero in his or her own life. Growing up in a religious household in Miami, his early life, plagued by self-doubt, family drama, and girl troubles, culminated in a life-changing terrorist attack he and his family barely escaped when he was thirteen. His search for direction eventually led him to that explosion on the Gaza border, changing his life forever. In the midst of disaster, he discovered a deep well at his core, from which he could draw strength. Through his motivational speeches across the world, he encourages people to seek their own power, and to face whatever adversity life throws at them. Combining refreshing candor with self-deprecating wit, Izzy's story will provoke readers to live up to their aspirations despite seemingly impossible odds.

The Contemporary Middle East provides an accessible introduction to the region s most pressing concerns and enduring conflicts. It includes provocative contributions by an impressive array of leading scholars, journalists, and policy advisors. Contributors include notable academic authors Arthur Goldschmidt Jr., the late William L. Cleveland, Shibley Telhami, David W. Lesch, Bernard Reich, and Phebe Marr, complemented by selections from recent general-interest books by Marwan Bishara, Mark Perry, and Eugene Rogan, among others. With twelve new chapters, the third edition is a probing examination of the current affairs of the Middle East. Its multiple readings on strategic pairings of topics (Israel and the Palestinians, Iraq and Iran, Egypt and Syria) illuminate the region s key issues from a variety of perspectives. Part- and chapter-opening summaries help establish background and context, and a new concluding chapter by Shibley Telhami, written specifically for this volume, candidly addresses fundamental questions about the United States and the Middle East today. Student resources include an annotated table of contents, a select bibliography, a glossary, brief biographies of notable persons, a chronology, and a summary of recent events, in addition to numerous maps.