Customer Reviews

City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem

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Okay, the author is not an absolutist, unapologetic pro-Israeli. I marked up the book as I read it. When I initially finished it I felt somewhat disheartened about the book. I thought the book would be more about the history of almost every significant stone or brick in the city: where Jesus stubbed his toe while walking (and the religious significance of that) or where King David or another prophet found something of religious significance--but not to be. But after re-reading my marginal marks I realized how good this book really is. I thought that I had read a fair number of books about the Arab-Israeli wars and knew it all, but I found many new tidbits of information regarding the demarcation cease-fire lines from the 1948 War of Independence here, and explanations as to why the British and French were so interested in Palestine. (This is not a history of Christian missionaries in Palestine.) The author does cover a lot of Jerusalem history since King David, and reviews the theological importance of Jerusalem to Jews, Christians and Muslims. (This is NOT a bed-and-breakfast travel guide to Jerusalem!). The author does note the Muslim anti-Christian slogans in the Dome of the Rock. (This is not a history of the Muslim massacre of thousands of Jews during the 1920-40s, nor is it history of the Jews trying to defend themselves from Muslim attacks, nor a history of tank battles during the wars.) This is not a deep theological analysis of the religious beliefs in Palestine, but it is a very good review of the history of the theology as to how Jews claim this land, how Muslims demand unquestioned ownership of the Temple Mount, and how Christians are just caught up in this maelstrom. One of the major shortcomings of the author is his failure to note the intensity of the anti-Jewish and anti-Christian tenants in the Quran (as noted in Robert Spencer's: "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam"). Another companion book to read is Gorenberg's "The End of Days."

I just want to let you know that Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta, translator of Meron Benvenisti's latest book, Sacred Landscape, and Maxine Kaufman Nunn, translator of his previous book, City of Stone, are one and the same person--me. It would really be great if your link "all books by Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta" would include "and Maxine Kaufman Nunn" so that City of Stone would be included. Thanks.

This is an interesting perspective of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I only wish the author hadn't tried to hide an all to apparent bias. It made some of his arguments difficult to swallow. I would have rather disagreed with him rather than wondered what he was trying to say without saying it.

Benvinisti comes into the book with a clear bias - as a pro-Arab/Palestinian apologist - and the book reflects it. For example, in his opening chapter, describing the war that came after the UN's vote to recognize Israel, Benvinisti says that "In the wake of the UN decision, Jews and Arabs embarked upon a war that rapidly expanded into an armed conflict between the Arab countries and the nascent State of Israel" (Page 24). It seems to imply that the Jews and Arabs - equally responsible - began some kind of ethnic clash that snowballed into a war. Of course, that is a total distortion of history - the Arabs refused to recognize the Jewish state and moved to attack it and destroy it in the wake of the UN resolution.

Of course the distortion allows Benvinisti to conveniently frame the battle of Jerusalem as one of Israeli territorialism and aggression, presenting the scheming Ben Gurion and his cabinet. But while such a dishonest representation may serve Benvinisti's political agenda, it does not service students interested in serious historical research and a true understanding of political issues.

By all means, there is a legitimate Palestinian historical and nationalistic perspective, which should be studied, understood and appreciated, but use of such blatant historical distortion does not favor it, it only undermines its credibility.

This is the second book by Benvenisti that I have read, and I am quickly becoming a devoted reader of him! The way he writes about notoriously polemical and difficult problems; his (at times) common-sensical remarks, so natural but so seldom stated; his deep knowledge of the history, both distant and recent, of the city and of her conflicting communities and interests; the intelligence and fairness with which the issues are analysed; all this makes the book a very rare and important work and should enshrine its author as one of the very few knowledgeable and balanced persons whose opinions about these matters, even when one does not fully agree with them, are always worthy to listen to.

Some interesting facts on this storied city. Each chapter is pretty good, but not rivetting reading.