From Publishers Weekly
A leading thinker of the Zionist movement, the restless, reclusive, cynical Asher Ginzberg (1856-1927) was also its chief internal critic. Known by his pen name Ahad Ha'am ("One of the People"), the Russian Jewish activist would accuse his rival, Theodor Herzl, of reckless impatience; in Herzl's view, Ha'am's cautious vision of slowly building a Jewish national homeland was " cloistered , impractical. " Ha'am, who emigrated to Tel Aviv in 1922 and served as a moderating voice in a tense, factionalized Palestine, asserted that decent treatment of Palestinian Arabs was crucial to the future of a Jewish state. He was also a critic of the use of aggression as a tool to further nationalist goals. In this engrossing political biography, Zipperstein, director of the Stanford University Jewish Studies program, finds aspects of Ha'am's Zionist credo "lamentably dated" but also underscores his contemporary relevance. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This masterfully written and deeply insightful work is the first critical biography in English of the Hebrew thinker and essayist Ahad Ha'am (Asher Ginzberg, 1856-1927), one of the most influential figures in the history of modern Zionism and the driving force behind its thrust for cultural and spiritual renewal. Zipperstein, author of the award-winning Jews of Odessa (Stanford Univ. Pr., 1985), moves far beyond the heretofore standard, reverential biography by Leon Simon (1960) to explore his subject's strengths, weaknesses, and contemporary significance against the backdrop of modern Jewish history. His portrayal of the young Ahad Ha'am is breathtaking; later chapters, while still incisive, raise unanswered questions about his family, business, and influence abroad. A brilliant work; recommended for all Judaica libraries.
- Jonathan D. Sarna, Brandeis Univ., Waltham, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Inside Flap
"A brilliant treatment of the major intellectual leader of Zionism. . . . The book is written in an uncommonly lucid, even graceful style [and] investigates the history of modern Jewry with unprecedented depth and insight."Arnold Band, University of California, Los Angeles
"I am very grateful for Steven Zipperstein's book about Ahad Ha'am. I have learned a great deal from its historical scholarship and intellectual lucidity."Irving Howe, author of World of Our Fathers
"Zipperstein, already well known as the historian of the Jews of Odessa, has now written a thoroughly erudite but deeply personal biography of one their greatest sons. . . . This first-rate study of his life and work makes for absorbing reading, with an all too contemporary relevance."Joseph Frank, Stanford University
From the Back Cover
"A brilliant treatment of the major intellectual leader of Zionism. . . . The book is written in an uncommonly lucid, even graceful style [and] investigates the history of modern Jewry with unprecedented depth and insight." (Arnold Band, University of California, Los Angeles)
About the Author
Steven J. Zipperstein is Professor of Jewish History and Director of the Program in Jewish Studies at Stanford University. His book, The Jews of Odessa (1985), won the Smilen Prize in Jewish History.