Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn

Why this book

For most Persian speakers, a full account of Israel’s history has simply not been available. What has been available came through one channel, and that channel had a position to defend. Not a debate with a missing side — a debate that was never held.

Gordis wrote a history from documented sources: how the modern state came to exist, what it was built on, what it has done, and the arguments that have run through it from the beginning. It is a book with a point of view, and it says so. That is a different thing from a book with a permit.

We did not translate it because we expect readers to agree with it. We translated it because a reader cannot disagree with a book they have never been allowed to read.

The book

Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn traces the story from the origins of the Jewish people to the present day — the founding, the wars, the arguments over what the country is for, and the questions that remain open. It has won several major awards and is widely used as an introduction for readers coming to the subject without background.

Gordis writes for the non-specialist. The book is long on narrative and short on apparatus, which is why we thought it would travel.

About the author

Daniel Gordis is among the better-known contemporary writers and scholars on Jewish history and the Middle East. He has written a number of books and research articles, and his work is generally credited with clarity, depth and even-handed analysis.

About the translator

Yasser Qorashi is a writer, physician and human rights activist. He translated the book so that Persian readers would have an account they could weigh for themselves — particularly on a subject as contested as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, where almost everything a Persian reader has been given has arrived pre-decided.