Book Review: Jerusalem Before Israel

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From Jerusalem Before Israel: The Ottoman occupation of Jerusalem in the 16th century until the early 20th was often marked by peaceful coexistence: Twice a year, Jews, Muslims, and Christians celebrated together at the shrine of Simon the Just, a popular biblical figure. Trying to pinpoint the moment when he realized that that the Israel-Arab conflict was inevitable, David Ben-Gurion, who became Israel’s first prime minister, said it was the day in 1915 that he sat on a train waiting to leave Jerusalem at the order of Ahmed Djemal, the city’s Ottoman ruler, who banished many known Zionist activists from

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Today in Jewish History – Iyar 7

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Sponsored by Aish.com: In 1943, the first Jewish agricultural settlement was established in the Negev, Kibbutz Gevulot. David Ben-Gurion believed that the Negev — encompassing about half the land mass of Israel — was the fledging country’s great frontier. Though the Negev was virtually uninhabited and thought by many to be uncultivable, Ben-Gurion believed that the desert could be tamed and turned into an asset. Many agricultural innovations, such as the use of hydroponics, have been developed in order to cultivate the Negev. And today, Beersheba — first known as the biblical watering hole for Abraham’s sheep — is a

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Who is David Ben Gurion?

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On the 33rd anniversary of the death of Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, Isracast has posted two audio interviews of him.Listen to first interview (courtesy of Asher Tarmon)Listen to second interview (courtesy of Asher Tarmon)From Isracast:David Ben-Gurion was born in Plonsk, Poland in 1886 and educated in a Hebrew school established by his father, an ardent Zionist. By his mid-teens, Ben-Gurion led a Zionist youth group, “Ezra,” whose members spoke only Hebrew among themselves. At the age of 18 he became a teacher in a Warsaw Jewish school and joined the Socialist-Zionist group “Poalei Zion” (Workers of Zion). Arriving

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450 Arab villages of Judea and Samaria bear Biblical names

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The 450 Arab villages of Judea and Samaria bear Biblical names (Anatot is Anata, Haramah is A-Ram, Gilo is Beit Jallah, Gofna is Jifna, Levonah is Luban, etc.). Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, Gaza and Golan have renewed ancient Jewish presence, which was violently suspended by Arab and prior aggression. Israel’s Founding Fathers were not inspired by the coastal plain (which played a minimal role in forging the Jewish identity), but rather by Judea and Samaria, Gaza and Golan, which constitute the Cradle of Jewish History. Ben Gurion stated: “The Jewish passport has been the Bible.” Statesmen do not

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