The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is widely viewed in the US as one of the most complicated geopolitical disputes in the world. But there are also signs that Americans are unfamiliar with one of the core flashpoints of the conflict: the exact nature of Israeĺs ongoing military occupation of Palestinian land. Occupation 101 lays out the basic facts of the occupation in vivid and heart-wrenching detail, offering a crystal-clear and myth-shattering history...

Reveals how the fundamentalist movements in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam were born out of a dread of modernity.

Set against the backdrop of the kibbutz movement's glorious 100-year history, Inventing our life reveals the heartbreak and hope of Israel's communal living experiment as a new generation of women and men confront an essential question: can a radically socialist institution survive a new capitalist reality? In this "illuminating and entertaining" (Jewish Week) documentary, director Toby Perl Freilich explores the modern history of Israel, from its...

"Like no other novelist at work today, Herman Wouk has managed to capture the sweep of history in novels rich in character and alive with drama. In "The Hope," which opens in 1948 and culminates in the miraculous triumph of 1967's Six-Day War, Wouk plunges the reader into the story of a nation struggling for its birth and then its survival. As the tale resumes in "The Glory," Wouk portrays the young nation once again pushed to the brink of annihilation...

Raphael Nadjari's extraordinary two-part documentary weaves together clips from more than 70 years of Israeli film with commentary from filmmakers, scholars and critics - including Amos Gitai, Joseph Cedar, Avi Mograbi, Yehuda Ne'eman, Menachem Golan, Moshe Ivgy, Ronit Elkabetz and Zeev Revach. Crafted for both insiders and outsiders, the film traces the evolution of the country's cinema alongside political and social history: part one spans the years...

Israel's Moment is a major new account of how a Jewish state came to be forged in the shadow of World War Two and the Holocaust and the onset of the Cold War. Drawing on new research in government, public and private archives, Jeffrey Herf exposes the political realities that underpinned support for and opposition to Zionist aspirations in Palestine. In an unprecedented international account, he explores the role of the United States, the Arab States,...

"A New York Times journalist presents a polyphonic portrait of the Israeli people today at a critical juncture in their country's history"-- Despite Israel's determined staying power in a hostile environment, its military might, and the innovation it fosters in businesses globally, the country is more divided than ever. The old guard--socialist secular elites and idealists--are a dying breed, and the state's democratic foundations are being challenged....

Two thousand years ago, 967 Jewish men, women, and children - the last holdouts of the revolt against Rome following the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple - reportedly took their own lives rather than surrender to the Roman army. This dramatic event, which took place on top of Masada, a barren and windswept mountain overlooking the Dead Sea, spawned a powerful story of Jewish resistance that came to symbolize the embattled...

"This graphic novel follows the extinction and rebirth of the Judean date palm, an ancient plant brought back to life through the efforts of Jewish biologists Dr. Sarah Sallon and Dr. Elaine Solowey. Includes author's note, timeline of events, map of relevant locations in Israel, and photos of the date palms and their fruit"-- "The thrilling true story of an ancient plant, wonderfully reborn in the modern era through the hard work of two female scientists.Thousands...