The Divided Self: Israel and the Jewish Psyche Today

How should Jews respond to an age of militant Zionism and resurgent anti-Semitism? Is insisting on a separate sense of identity anachronistic and dangerous, or is it the only way of preserving the Jewish cultural heritage? Rabbi David Goldberg, one of today's most respected and outspoken Jewish leaders, grapples with the dilemmas of contemporary Jewishness with characteristic candour, and sketches the emerging faultlines in the Jewish sense of identity. He offers up a completely fresh reading of Jewish history, arguing that the narrative of relentless woe and suffering popularised by nineteenth-century writers, such as George Eliot was based on a highly selective reading of the past. Goldberg retraces the history of the Jews, and rejects the mythology of eternal victimhood. Instead, he focuses on the survival strategies that have been pursued throughout the centuries. He contrasts the pragmatic flexibility of the Jewish Diaspora with the military assertiveness of modern Israel. With wit, insight and compassion he highlights the growing gulf between Israeli and Diaspora Jewishness. Following G.B. Shaw's quip about Britain and America, Goldberg argues that Israeli and Diaspora Jews are in danger of becoming divided by a common heritage. This book will stimulate, engage and provoke readers of all beliefs and cultures.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. 1. The Zionist version of Jewish history 2. Relativism and Absolutism in Biblical times 3. Dependency on more powerful neighbours 4. Learning the lessons of exile 5. The Roman disaster 6. The shifting groun of diaspora existence 7. Factors in survival 8. Emerging from the ghetto 9. Redefining the Jew 10. Zionists, Socialists, old Jews, 'new' Hebrews 11. Zionism for the few, integration for the many 12. The Golden Age of German Jewry 13. Liberal values and political realities 14. Zionism's radical demands 15. Holocaust survivors and Zionist incomprehension 16. From destruction in Europe to redemption in Israel 17. A false sense of security 18. Israel, the Diaspora and Likud 19. The sea change 20. From optimism to disillusionment 21. Taking stock; Israel and the diaspora today 22. 'The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing'

About the Author :
David J Goldberg OBE is Rabbi Emeritus of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London, having served Europe's largest Progressive congregation for nearly thirty years. Well-known for his longtime involvement in Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives and pioneering activity in the field of interfaith dialogue, he is a regular media commentator on Jewish and Middle Eastern issues. He is the author of an acclaimed study of Zionism To the Promised Land: A History of Zionist Thought.

Review :
'David Goldberg's vivid, provocative and witty book should be required reading for anyone who cares about the future of the Jewish people, and the peace of the Middle East.' - Max Hastings 'Surveying clearly and concisely the history of both Jewish life in the diaspora and of diaspora relations with Israel, David Goldberg reopens a debate that has laid dormant, if not suppressed, for decades: is Zionism good for the Jews? This is no anti-Zionist rant, but a careful, impeccably fair questioning of the Zionist assumption that diaspora living is neurotic and doomed' - Jonathan Freedland, journalist and author 'Engaging and provocative and is sure to raise some conservative heckles. It's an interesting and stimulating read by one of the most respected commentators on the subject.'- The Dubliner.