The Israeli Mind

Israelis are bold and visionary, passionate and generous. But they can also be grandiose and self-absorbed. Emerging from the depths of Jewish history and the drama of the Zionist rebellion against it, they have a deeply conflicted identity. They are willing to sacrifice themselves for the collective, but also to sacrifice that very collective for a higher, and likely unattainable, ideal. Resolving these internal conflicts and coming to terms with the trauma of the Holocaust are imperative to Israel's survival as a nation and to the stability of the world. Alon Gratch, a clinical psychologist whose family has lived in Israel for generations, is uniquely positioned to confront these issues. Like the Israeli psyche that Gratch details, The Israeli Mind is both intimate and universal. Intelligent and forthright, compassionate but sometimes maddening, it is an utterly compelling read. Drawing on a broad cultural and historical canvas, and weaving in the author's personal and professional experience, The Israeli Mind presents a provocative, first-hand portrait of the Israeli national character.

Illustrated interviews with Israelis, offering a unique insight into the diversity and contradictions of Israeli identity.

For the first time, the author presents a detailed and revelatory account of the U.S. role in the establishment of the new Israeli state during the years following World War II and the Holocaust. Drawing on three newly opened official archives, plus interviews with surviving participants and other fresh material, Grose is able to cast light on several abiding mysteries and to clarify at last exactly what happened - the arguments in corridors and hotel rooms, the memoranda and diplomatic infighting, the plays for public backing, the heroes and the villains. The drama is real and compelling, and it is startling to see how much of it was played out here, in Washington and New York. "Even as they go their own ways, in pursuit of their own national interests," Grose writes, "Americans and Israelis are bonded together like no two other sovereign peoples." Why this should be so is the theme of his engrossing and comprehensive narrative. Israel in the Mind of America helps us understand Israel - and ourselves. --from inside jacket.

In 1948 Israel was officially established as a democratic Jewish state. However, the desire to protect and develop Jewishness and democracy has generated constant tensions that have been exacerbated by external threats to the stateOs national security. The book examines the manifestations of these tensions and their impact on the publicOs commitment to democratic values and processes.

A compendium of speeches given by a woman often called "the new Golda Meir" and "Israel's Iron Lady," whose no-nonsense approach to politics and her leadership style have endeared her to all segments of Israeli society. Speeches cover a range of topics, revealing her opinions on women's rights, the Oslo Accords, telecommunications, Israel's security, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and Jewish unity. Lacks a subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

Examines the changing meanings Americans invested in their country's intensifying relationship with Israel from the 1950s to the 1980s.