Return To Zion

"Published by the University of Nebraska Press as a Jewish Publication Society book."

With Moshe and Rachel trapped behind the walls of the Old City, British forces prepare to leave Palestine. David recruits help from America to join in the efforts of the Jewish Agency to arm its people against the Arab onslaught.

The author analyzes the idea of history from both a Jewish and a philosophical perspective, with emphasis on its special significance for Judaism.

The history of modern Israel is a story of ambition, violence, and survival. Return to Zion traces how a scattered and stateless people reconstituted themselves in their traditional homeland, only to face threats by those who, during the many years of the dispersion, had come to regard the land as their home. This is a story of the “ingathering of the exiles” from Europe to an outpost on the fringes of the Ottoman Empire, of courage and perseverance, and of reinvention and tragedy. Eric Gartman focuses on two main themes of modern Israel: reconstitution and survival. Even as new settlers built their state they faced constant challenges from hostile neighbors and divided support from foreign governments, as well as being attacked by larger armies no fewer than three times during the first twenty-five years of Israel’s history. Focusing on a land torn by turmoil, Return to Zion is the story of Israel—the fight for independence through the Israeli Independence War in 1948, the Six-Day War of 1967, and the near-collapse of the Israeli Army during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Gartman examines the roles of the leading figures of modern Israel—Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yitzchak Rabin, and Ariel Sharon—alongside popular perceptions of events as they unfolded in the post–World War II decades. He presents declassified CIA, White House, and U.S. State Department documents that detail America’s involvement in the 1967 and 1973 wars, as well as proof that the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty was a case of mistaken identity. Return to Zion pulls together the myriad threads of this history from inside and out to create a seamless look into modern Israel’s truest self.

Time is running out for Khalil el Said, as his cancer treatments have become less and less effective. And so it is that his old friends Art West (and his new wife, Marissa) and Grace Levine plan something very special for Khalil, while there is still time-- the opening of an el Said wing of the Israeli Museum of Antiquities, which includes many of the items he bequeathed to the museum over many years. All of this might be quite enough, but as the Wests and others arrive in Jerusalem, a huge explosion blows the top off of the Dome of the Rock. How did it happen? Will there be war? And who is this person hiding in the shadows who seems to be the spitting image of the well-known dead villain el Tigre? Along the way new archaeological discoveries come to light, and Yelena, the adopted daughter of Grace and Manny, must decide if her future lies in Israel or not. The old friends discover they are at a crossroads in all their lives--- which avenues will they take as the future beckons?

Return to Zion is a novel set during the middle years of the American Revolution, 1776 to 1778, as experienced by Jeremy Thorpe, a patriot-soldier. This focus engages the reader, who becomes a virtual eyewitness to history. Historical events happened just as described in Zion, including the transformation of Ephrata Cloister into a hospital for American casualties of the disastrous defeat at Brandywine. It was a visit to Ephrata by the author that inspired this novel. The reader encounters many familiar figures, including Washington, Knox, von Steuben, Lord Howe and aide John André. Woven into this carefully-researched account are fictitious characters including Jemmy’s beloved Katrin; Jonas Pettingill and Alice Shepleigh, who provide Jemmy’s “cover” in Philadelphia; counterspy Phineas Boylston; saucy Polly Rawlings and Jemmy himself, fictitious prototype of countless steadfast men whose courage transformed independence from noble aspiration to reality.

The book examines all aspects of Israel's plight: The results of the Yom Kippur War, the refugee problem, terrorism, intifadah, the liberated territories, new settlements, the Jews in the diasporas. The book deals with the old Arab-Israeli conflict and with the important controversial issue of TRANSFER or Arab Deportation. This in order to avoid more wars and more bloodshed. Unfortunately, many countries had to use these means, including the United States of America (General Winfield Scott and the Cherokee Indians, the inhabitants of Marshall Islands, etc.). From several past and present experiences the deportation of ethnic minorities for the sake of improving regional stability and keeping peacein the area and this was not considerate a great violation of human rights.Joseph Stalin of the U.S.S.R. have transferred millions to the Far East. To attain peace in the Middle East, the Arabs must recognize the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish State and put an end to their belligerent attitude towards Israel.