Customer Reviews

The Founding Myths of Modern Israel

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I have to say that this excellent book "The Founding Myths of Modern Israel" by Roger Garaudy is the most stunning and best-written account of the subject matter that I've ever read to date (and I've read a tremendous amount). The author provides an extremely accurate and scholarly analysis, and a truly unbiased and very readable presentation, of the legitimate and troubling realities promised in the book title.

The reviewer below, of 1/23/04, sounds like a "true believer", and his misleading review makes obvious that he literally didn't even read this book at all. I caution that the truths this book documents will be troubling to certain individuals, as the previously mentioned reviewer so clearly illustrates. However, to open-minded readers who are genuinely interested in historical accuracy instead of disinformation, in facts instead of propaganda, this book is a priceless find. Please do allow yourself a chance to read this truly outstanding work by Roger Garaudy. You will understand a great deal more about our world today if you do - and the information that you learn might even make you a little angry.

[To any readers who found my review useful, I also highly recommend, and ask you to please consider, "The Holocaust Industry", Second Edition, by Norman G Finkelstein; "The Thirteenth Tribe" by Arthur Koestler; and "Jewish History, Jewish Religion" by Israel Shahak.]

I am relatively new to the subject of the real history of Zionism, Israel, WWI and WW2 and the holocaust. I had, like so many, been aware that there were revisionist accounts but hesitated both out of skepticism--I couldn't believe that the mainstream narratives could be so wrong--and reluctance to associate myself with something that is invariably ascribed to racists and bigots alone. Do racists and bigots reject the mainstream historical narrative of the holocaust? They do, but not simply because they want to, but for the same reason they tend to believe that the earth revolves around the sun--the evidence is compelling. Shall we therefore reject the heliocentric model of our solar system too?

My own awakening came after learning of the work of Jewish Canadian revisionist scholar David Cole, whose videotaped tour of Auschwitz was one of the most fascinating and eyeopening things I have ever watched. Learning subsequently that David Cole renounced his revisionist work as a result of death threats made against him by the Jewish Defense League (a terrorist group according to the FBI--they have plotted to bomb mosques and even a US congressman's office)I realized that the only reason for such actions by the JDL and by those governments that have imprisoned revisionist scholars for simply talking about the issue is that the traditional account of the holocaust rests on a precariously thin body of evidence that grows thinner every year as mainstream historians are themselves forced to revise things like the number of Jewish people killed and the existence of gas chambers at several camps where they were once claimed to exist but no longer.

I discovered that not even supporters of the traditional narrative claim any longer that the bodies of Jewish victims were used to make lampshades or soap as I was taught as a child. Why, I wondered, would these stories have to have been invented if in fact the Nazi's crimes were already so awful?

It should be made explicitly clear that neither this book nor the revisionist case generally comes close to saying that the Nazis were good people or that Hitler was not a racist and cruel dictator. The issue is one of scale--were the crimes committed by the losers of WW2 any worse than those committed by the victors? Was the "final solution" to the "Jewish question" proposed by Hitler's Germany the extermination of the world's Jews or was it their expulsion from Europe? Were the deaths in the concentration camps which no one denies were harsh centers of forced labor really a result of homicidal gas chambers or the result of diseases like typhus, for which reason Zyklon B gas was used to kill the lice that spread the disease? What evidence is there in support of the traditional narrative? Have you ever looked for it?

This book makes abundantly clear that the reason for the distortion and exaggerration of the extent of the Nazis' war crimes was to create a sacred myth that would place the suffering of Jewish people above that of all other victims of WW2 and thus lend support both externally and internally to the new European colonial outpost, Israel, which was formed at the expense of the lives of those who had previously inhabited the "promised land".

While it is no doubt a difficult truth with which to come to terms, it is upon sober reflection undoubtedly the real story of the tragically violent 20th century.

Do not be intimidated by those who have their reasons for not wanting anyone to examine the revisionist case. Read, think, and decide for yourself what to believe. You won't be sorry.

This book is especially good for those who want to get a good grounding on the subject. Mr. Garaudy does not condemn the entire Jewish community. He concentrates on the real culprits; the Zionists. One should also read Israel Shahak's books, as well as Alfred Koestler's on the "Thirteenth Tribe" and you will have a fairly complete picture as to why Jews in general and the Zionists in particular were not very popular in the past or now. I have noticed an annoying trend when a Jew reviews books by author such as Israel Shahak. Those reviewers almost always refer to the author as "self-hating Jews". How unfortunate that they don't have a better argument! What the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians now violates the old maxim that two wrongs don't make a right. What the Nazis did was certainly wrong and you would think that Ariel Sharon and his fellow thugs would feel some guilt about what they are perpetrating now. This is the main theme of Mr. Garaudy's fine book, one that every thinking American should read for the other side of the story.

Pay no mind to Seth Frantzman, he's made it a part time job to hunt down every book he views as "anti Semitic" and lob endless ad hominem attacks at it.

Anyway, this book, like many others, is a good source of off-the-beaten-path information that everyone should have access to if they seek to make a TRULY informed decision about modern politics and history. Don't allow yourselves to be swayed by emtional ranting and finger pointing. The ONLY way to get to the facts is to go to the horse's mouth yourself.

THE FOUNDING MYTHS OF MODERN ISRAEL by French author Roger Garaudy describes and debunks popular perception of Zionism and the Holocaust. Garaudy is a former Communist and is currently a liberal Muslim. Many believe that attacks on certain Jewish interests such as this book come from "racists" and "right-wing extremists," however Garaudy never gave up his Marxist-based internationalist and anti-racist beliefs and ideals.

Zionism is based on skewed interpretations of certain Biblical texts, such as God's promises to Abraham in Genesis and Joshua's 'genocide' against the Canaanites. Garaudy compares it to Nazism/Hitlerism, except this time the Jews substitute themselves as being the "chosen race" and "more human." Many high ranking Zionists collaborated with the Nazi regime during WWII in order to get more Jews to immigrate to Palestine. Once in the Middle East, the Jewish military launched ethnic-cleansing campaigns against the Arab Palestinians (who are both Muslim and Christian) and uprooted millions of them from their homes and forced them to live in refugee camps. This still goes on today, in the form of Jewish settlements on the occupied West Bank under the direction of current PM and former housing minister Ariel Sharon. Zionism itself is described as having its roots in 19th century European nationalism, colonialism and 'racism'. Zionism's most noted enthusiast and theorist is Theodore Herzel, an atheist who viewed Jews entirely in terms of race, same as the Nazis. As far as the big picture is concerned, Garaudy characterizes Israel as being a military presence for the United States in Middle East to further the "world domination" plans of the US. Don't throw out any ideas no matter how non-PC they happen to stand at the moment.

What got this book censored in France and the author fined was because it contests the outcome of the International War Crimes Tribunal at Nuremburg, Germany, to punish Nazi war-criminals. In France it is illegal to publish anything that challenges the outcomes of the Nuremburg decisions. Garaudy presents the so-called "revisionist" or [Horror of Horrors!] "Holocaust denial" viewpoint of Jews under the Third Reich. The Nuremburg trials were conducted soley to humiliate the Germans after WWII, and many were executed because they spread propaganda against the Jews and worked to escalate the War. No Allied war-criminals were brought to trial, such as the Soviets for atrocities committed in Poland, Winston Chruchill for calling for the starvation of Germany, Harry Truman for ordering the atomic-bombs dropped on Japan or Theodore Kauffman (member of the American Jewish Congress) who authored GERMANY MUST PERISH calling for the mass sterilization of Germans. Hitler's main goal was to destroy Communism, NOT exterminate the Jews, although Hitler placed the blame for international Communism squarely on the Jews. The "Final Soloution" for the Jewish question was NOT extermination by gas chambers but deporting all Jews out of Europe to Madagascar or another African country if Hilter won the War. Later, since the Africa plan was proving to be unfeasable because of Soviet onslaughts, the Jews were relocated en masse to forced labor camps to the East of Germany to serve as slave labor for the Nazis. There were no gas chambers or mass murder at Auschwitz. The evidence for gas-chambers comes from testimony from many camp inmates who said they HEARD about the chambers from other people. I nearly cracked when I read the commentary on this form of evidence: "...if the truth of a fact is to be established by the number of testimonies which attest to it, the existance of the devil during the Middle Ages would be better established than that of any other personage." The German word for 'crematory' was mistranslated into 'gas chamber' in certain documents by Holocaust historians. The large number of deaths in the camps was caused by the harsh conditions, lack of food and other supplies from war shortages, and outbreaks of Typhus and other lethal infectious diseases.

The "Six-Million Myth" as Garaudy terms it, has served Zionist interests well. It allowed them to cast their enemies as "Nazis" who are bent on killing Jews for the heck of it, and gives the Zionists an excuse to perpetrate atrocities against their perceived enemies. They follow a totalitarian system that tolerates no dissent, and pretending they are trying to aviod another "Holocaust" makes them above the law. Even the word 'Holocaust' has religious signifigance: it is used in the Bible to designate a sacrifice to god which is completely consumed by fire. In this case the Holocaust figures as a religious symbol like the Crucifixion of Chist that has its own dogmas and theology, and thus cannot be proven false no matter how outrageous its claims.

Garaudy concludes by saying that "the Truth illuminates the darkness: Efforts to silence us will be in vain. To shut us up, they'll have to kill us. The surge of hate against our misquoted writings...But this will only be additional confirmation that they cannot refute our arguments."

After some time of curiosity about the Middle East, and without any real lay-person being able to answer my questions about Israel and the Holocaust, a friend told me about Roger Garaudy. I was impressed with his use of language and the offer of so many fact-finding addresses and resources. The book answered so many questions and yet opened the door for further speculation on many different levels. The book was more than satisfactory; it is a must read for anybody who is interested in HISTORY. When a peron risks their life for truth, nobody should turn the other way.

If the facts and argumentations in this book were not to be taken very seriously, and were not very credible, rational, and did not showcase convincing evidences and respectful integrity from Garaudy's side, then why on earth would Israel, the country itself, sue Roger Garaudy, the author, in France?

Liars are usually ignored, or just defamed in media, but trialed or sued?

If you haven't heard about that historical trial, then that's because the media does not want to show an event like that to the world. Why? Because if the world heard about Roger Garaudy, then they would read his books. And if they read his books, then they would learn some amazing facts about Israel & Zionism, and about certain links between America & Israel. Moreover, people would find out that Roger Garaudy, the former Christian scholar & Marxist, the writer and thinker, embraced Islam by the late 70's.

If you're not sure about buying this book, then look for more info about Roger Garaudy on the web. There is enough information to make you buy many of his books.

Defying French censors, Founding Myths broke the silence and shattered the taboos on the Holocaust, on Adolf Hitler's relations with the founders of modern Israel, and on Zionism's hidden influence on American politics. Now, the most complete, up-to-date, and accurate edition available anywhere brings you not only the full text of Garaudy's Founding Myths of Modern Israel, but the full story of his 1998 French trial and the international controversy that continues to rage over this vital book.

Unfortunatly publicised as 'Holocaust denial', but not so. Impeccably sourced, sources are often the 'Founding Fathers' of modern Israel. Even if you disagree with 75% of his views - and you probably won't - extremely informative and thought-provoking. Even the most vehement of Israel supporters should read it if they claim to have views based on facts instead of propaganda and emotion.

I found every detail in this book, based on very reliable references.
Sources of this piece of academic work are all exposed by the professor author, in details and with backup to reliable sources that can be traced.

Points are well explained in a nice short and efficient way.

it is such a small Book and consists of so much Information.

Very recommended, one.

Hope you could get a copy of it, It is not an easy mission.