The Invention of the Jewish People 1St Edition Edition

by Shlomo Sand (Author), Yael Lotan (Translator)

216 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-1844674220

ISBN-10: 1844674223

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A historical tour de force that demolishes the myths and taboos that have surrounded Jewish and Israeli history, The Invention of the Jewish People offers a new account of both that demands to be read and reckoned with. Was there really a forced exile in the first century, at the hands of the Romans? Should we regard the Jewish people, throughout two millennia, as both a distinct ethnic group and a putative nation—returned at last to its Biblical homeland?

Shlomo Sand argues that most Jews actually descend from converts, whose native lands were scattered far across the Middle East and Eastern Europe. The formation of a Jewish people and then a Jewish nation out of these disparate groups could only take place under the sway of a new historiography, developing in response to the rise of nationalism throughout Europe. Beneath the biblical back fill of the nineteenth-century historians, and the twentieth-century intellectuals who replaced rabbis as the architects of Jewish identity, The Invention of the Jewish People uncovers a new narrative of Israel’s formation, and proposes a bold analysis of nationalism that accounts for the old myths.

After a long stay on Israel’s bestseller list, and winning the coveted Aujourd’hui Award in France, The Invention of the Jewish People is finally available in English. The central importance of the conflict in the Middle East ensures that Sand’s arguments will reverberate well beyond the historians and politicians that he takes to task. Without an adequate understanding of Israel’s past, capable of superseding today’s opposing views, diplomatic solutions are likely to remain elusive. In this iconoclastic work of history, Shlomo Sand provides the intellectual foundations for a new vision of Israel’s future.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Israel’s Declaration of Independence states that the Jewish people arose in the Land of Israel and was exiled from its homeland. Every Israeli schoolchild is taught that this happened during the period of the Roman rile, in 70 CE. The nation remained loyal to its land, to which it began to return after two millennia of exile. Wrong, says the historian Shlomo Sand, in one of the most fascinating and challenging books published here in a long time. There was never a Jewish people, only a Jewish religion, and the exile also never happened—hence there was no return.”—Tom Segev, Haaretz

“The reader will have understood the message: what this well-documented and fearless book explodes is the myth of a unique Jewish people, miraculously preserved, in contrast to all the other peoples, from external contamination ... [Sand’s] conclusions, which are prudently formulated, nonetheless lead one towards a sole solution: the construction of a secular and democratic Israel.”—Jacques Julliard, Le Nouvel Observateur

“Shlomo Sand has written a remarkable book ... Anyone interested in understanding the contemporary Middle East should read it.”—Tony Judt, author of Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

“The Invention of the Jewish People is an indispensable challenge and a very complex intellectual exercise ... a more secure society [than Israel] would include the book in the core curriculum of its school system.”—Avraham Burg, former Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Yedioth Ahronoth

About the Author

Shlomo Sand studied history at the University of Tel Aviv and at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales, in Paris. He currently teaches contemporary history at the University of Tel Aviv. His books include The Invention of the Jewish People, On the Nation and the Jewish People, L’Illusion du politique: Georges Sorel et le débat intellectuel 1900, Georges Sorel en son temps, Le XXe siècle à l’écran and Les Mots et la terre: les intellectuels en Israël.

Hardcover: 332 pages
Publisher: Verso; 1St Edition edition (October 19, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1844674223
ISBN-13: 978-1844674220
Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
Average Customer Review: 216 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #397,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #245 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > History > Middle East
- #250 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Religious Studies > Judaism
- #568 in Books > History > World > Religious > Judaism

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Matthew W. Quinn

The Most Controversial and Interesting Part Gets The Least Page-Time.

December 30, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I bought it because I was interested in the most controversial parts of his thesis--that modern Jews are largely descended from converts and the Jews of the Bible remained in the Middle East and eventually became the modern Palestinians--but the majority of the book is focused on the transformation of the Jewish people from a primarily religious group to an ethnic one.

The most interesting parts were the couple of chapters dedicated to Jewish proselytism and whether or not there was a mass expulsion of Jews from Judea. The parts of the book about Jewish ethno-nationalism in the 19th Century were far less interesting.

20 people found this helpful

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Geoffrey Elliott

Not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination

August 10, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a VERY scholarly and minutely detailed tome. Not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination. Wonderful insights of course, and DEEPLY sourced materials! I would highly recommend!

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William F. Donovan

Reads like a medical book but if your interested in who ...

May 27, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Reads like a medical book but if your interested in who is making believe they are jewish than this is for you.

5 people found this helpful

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Thoughtworks

Everyone Should Understand the Truths Within This Book

April 5, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am not "anti-Semitic." Half the books I read are written by wonderful "Jewish" minds. But there is this horrible confusion in the world today that the people running Israel (and have been stealing from and murdering Arab people for decades) are "Jewish" by blood. They aren't. Almost all people in the Western, modern world today who are regarded as Jews are, for the most part, Russian/Khazarian. That's not a crime. That's fine. But we don't call Irish people "Catholic," simply because many practice the Catholic religion. Worse yet, the original inhabitants of the Old Testament lands were Semitic...Arab/Phoenician, etc. They are brown or black-skinned (a fact mentioned in the Bible). This very well-written book, written by a Khazarian "Jew," addresses this confusion. Israel, and America's support of it, is the fault-line of the world. These misconceptions, and the Israeli lobby in America, are going to get us all killed. But not if we understood the details of Shlomo Sand's book. I am very grateful for having read it.

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