The centrality of the book is Gandhi's disposition and orientation towards the idea of Jewish homeland. When it comes to Jews, Jewish nationalism and their aspirations in Palestine, even Mahatma Gandhi was not infallible. His abiding empathy for the Jews was negated by his limited understanding of Judaism and Jewish history. His perception of the Palestine issue and his support for the Arabs was rooted in the domestic Indian context. The conventional understanding that Gandhi was ‘consistently’ opposed to Zionism and the Jewish aspirations for a national home in Palestine does not correspond with his later remarks. While demanding Jewish non-violence both against Hitler and in Palestine, Mahatma was prepared to understand, the ‘excesses’ of the Arabs who were facing ‘overwhelming odds.’ His position on the domestic situation largely influenced his stand viz-à-viz Palestine and hence his demand for Jews to abandon their collaboration with imperialism and follow the path of negotiation should be read within the Indian context. So long as India pursued a recognition-without-relations policy toward Israel, one could rest on Gandhi’s shoulders and adopt a self-righteous attitude. However, can one rely on the Gandhian paradigm to explain India’s new-found bonhomie toward Israel without sounding selective, hypocritical or both? The primary focus of this book is the explication of political constraints and oversensitivity towards the religious minority for political gains, which shaped Gandhi's notion about the Jewish homeland. The author has conducted an empirical survey of the political, religious and strategic constraints behind Gandhi's idea of the Jewish homeland that in common parlance is seen as an ardent disapproval of Zionism by Gandhi. Please note: This title is co-published with KW Publishers, New Delhi. Taylor & Francis does not sell or distribute the Hardback in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka

Most of Gandhi's associates in South Africa were Jewish. They were brought together through a common interest in theosophy and became deeply involved in Gandhi's campaigns, looking after his affairs when he was away in London or India. This book looks at the association between the two groups.

Most of Gandhi's associates in South Africa were Jewish. They were brought together through a common interest in theosophy and became deeply involved in Gandhi's campaigns, looking after his affairs when he was away in London or India. This book looks at the association between the two groups.

In this book the author relates Gandhi's response to the challenge of religious diversity to his awareness of other pluralities - social, economic and political. To Gandhi, religion was not an isolated marker of identity. Beginning with his own Hindu heritage, his relations with Muslims, Christians, Jains and Jews are presented as the basis for his faith that separate heritages could be shared and all could engage in common tasks. His early contact with non-theist thought systems in fin de siècle London, his strong reaction to Curzon's Convocation address in Calcutta University, the pedagogic implicate of the prayer meetings, his attitude to conversion, his special relation to Quakers, and why toleration was not enough, are some of the fresh perspectives offered. Philosophers of religion who analyse religious pluralism, students of modern Indian history, and the general reader concerned about the conflictual role that religion appears to have in the contemporary world, will not fail to find this new study of Gandhi fascinating.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

A history of Judaism written in letters from historian Martin Gilbert to his acquaintance in India, who wants to learn more about her ancestry. At her ninetieth birthday celebration in New Delhi, “Auntie Fori” revealed to her longtime acquaintance, Sir Martin Gilbert, that she was not of Indian birth but actually Hungarian—and Jewish. She did not know what this Jewish identity involved, historically or spiritually, and asked him to enlighten her. In response, Gilbert embarked on the series of letters that have been gathered to form this book, shaping each one as a concise, individually formed story. He presents Jewish history as the narrative expression—the timeline—of the Jewish faith, and the faith as it is informed by the history. In Sir Martin’s hands, these stories are rich in incident and achievement, starting with Adam and Eve through the Biblical and post-Biblical periods, to the long history of the Jews in the Diaspora, and ending with an unexpected visit to an outpost of Jewry in Anchorage, Alaska. Ranging through almost every country in the world—including China and India—he maintains a chronological structure, weaving in the history of other peoples and faiths, to give Auntie Fori, and us, a sense of the larger stage on which Jewish history has played out. “Compact, breezy, and thoroughly enjoyable . . . For those, like Auntie Fori, hoping to understand the Jewish past and present, this book is a treasure.” —Booklist