O JERUSALEM [Paperback]

DOMINIQUE LAPIERRE (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 638 pages
• Publisher: ROBERT LAFFONT (1971)
• ASIN: B000S96D1S
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great historical work, January 10, 2007

By 

Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: O Jerusalem! (Mass Market Paperback)

This monumental work is the most gripping and informative account I've read about the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Of course the focus is on Jerusalem and the text does not cover the war in Galilee or the South in any detail. The work includes the roles of famous persons and the experiences of ordinary people in equal measure.

Part 1: A Time To Mourn And A Time To Dance covers the UN decision in favour of partition, the Arab reaction, some background history - ancient Israel as well as the British Mandate period - and the various missions by both sides to procure arms.

Part 2: A House Divided, deals with the beginning of hostilities and unrest in the city, the deteriorating situation on the Tel Aviv- Jerusalem road, various horrific bombings of certain landmark buildings, the intensifying struggle for the city and the different Arab forces involved in the war.

Part 3: A City Besieged, concentrates on the harrowing struggle to hang on to the Jewish quarter of the old city from March 20 to May 13 of 1948. It includes an account of the tragic events at the village of Deir Yassin, the veracity of which is still in dispute today.

Part 4: These Shall Stand describes the movements of the various Arab forces and the Jewish response. It provides details of the Arab Legion attack on the city, Jewish counterattacks, the battle of Latrun, the loss of the Jewish quarter in the old city, and the building of a new road from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Finally Israel was established but it would only regain the old city in 1967.

The Epilogue looks at the aftermath of the war of independence and takes stock of the terrible losses. The root of the refugee problem is explored and the author briefly deals with the transformation of the new Jewish State into a flourishing economic entity.

There are extensive explanatory notes arranged by chapter, a vast bibliography of books, articles, pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers plus private documents and correspondence. The book concludes with an index.

On the inside front and back covers and in the text itself are maps of Jerusalem and Israel, whilst the 40 pages of black and white plates encompass 60 photographs of people and places.

Both sides suffered terribly in this war. The authors succeed in being objective as regards the struggle between Jew and Arab, but it is clear that they consider the Haganah as the sole legitimate force on the Jewish side and they are openly hostile to the Irgun.

O Jerusalem is a riveting read on many levels. It holds the reader's attention by dealing with events from the perspective of a wide spectrum of individuals. The narrative is often very sad and sensitive readers should be aware that certain passages are quite disturbing. But this book is probably the very best history of the Rebirth of Israel and the part Jerusalem played in this momentous event.