An engaging series of essays, originally given at the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. The aim of the colloquium was to make available the results of recent archaeological work to a wider interested public, and specifically to bring science to bear on the early history of the Jewish people.

This book goes farther than any previous work in uncovering the historical Israel ben Eliezer--known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, or the Besht--the eighteenth-century Polish-Jewish mystic who profoundly influenced the shape of modern Judaism. As the progenitor of Hasidism, the Ba'al Shem Tov is one of the key figures in Jewish history; to understand him is to understand an essential element of modern Jewish life and religion. Because evidence about his life is scanty and equivocal, the Besht has long eluded historians and biographers. Much of what is believed about him is based on stories compiled more than a generation after his death, many of which serve to mythologize rather than describe their subject. Rosman's study casts a bright new light on the traditional stories about the Besht, confirming and augmenting some, challenging others. By concentrating on accounts attributable directly to the Besht or to contemporary eyewitnesses, Rosman provides a portrait drawn from life rather than myth. In addition, documents in Polish and Hebrew discovered by Rosman during the research for this book enable him to give the first detailed description of the cultural, social, economic, and political context of the Ba'al Shem Tov's life. This book goes farther than any previous work in uncovering the historical Israel ben Eliezer--known as the Ba'al Shem Tov, or the Besht--the eighteenth-century Polish-Jewish mystic who profoundly influenced the shape of modern Judaism. As the progenitor of

George W. Ramsey offers a critical assessment of recent developments toward the study of early Old Testament history, including principles and procedures of historical research, and thoughts on the relationship of history and faith.

William G. Dever is recognized as the doyen of North American archaeologist-historians who work in the field of the ancient Levant. He is best known as the director of excavations at the site of Gezer but has worked at numerous other sites, and his many students have led dozens of other expeditions. He has been editor of the Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, was for many years professor in the influential archaeology program at the University of Arizona, and now in retirement continues actively to write and publish. In this volume, 46 of his colleagues and students contribute essays in his honor, reflecting the broad scope of his interests, particularly in terms of the historical implications of archaeology.

In this much-anticipated textbook, three respected biblical scholars have written a history of ancient Israel that takes the biblical text seriously as an historical document. While also considering nonbiblical sources and being attentive to what disciplines like archaeology, anthropology, and sociology suggest about the past, the authors do so within the context and paradigm of the Old Testament canon, which is held as the primary document for reconstructing Israel's history. In Part One, the authors set the volume in context and review past and current scholarly debate about learning Israel's history, negating arguments against using the Bible as the central source. In Part Two, they seek to retell the history itself with an eye to all the factors explored in Part One.

Emanuel Shahaf has succeeded in producing a book that reflects both a rich career in the field together with a profound understanding of the deeper significance of the period he has lived through. Any person either interested in experiencing a period of active life in the region or who wishes to delve into the culture and characteristics of key figures who made history will benefit considerably from a very good read. Ephraim Halevy, 9th Director of the Mossad.Part autobiography, part concise political treatise, Emanuel Shahaf tells his story from childhood in Germany, how he found his destiny in the Jewish State, served in the Israel Air Force and later on as Mossad Head of Station in South East Asia. His path leads him to insights of significance in the rapidly changing world that Israel has to adapt to. His political engagement in conjunction with his diverse background and experience has taught him to consider identities for a new Israel that are of relevance to all those who have Israel's future at heart. An easy and sometimes funny read with an optimistic outlook for all those who are concerned about the path Israel is taking today.The book outlines a new and unique approach that may enable a resolution of the deadlock Israel has found itself in politically and diplomatically, an approach that doesn't belong to either side of the political map.Emanuel Shahaf, Co-Chair of the Federation Movement and political and social activist served the country for 21 years in the Air Force and the Mossad in Israel and abroad retiring as head of a station in South East Asia. Based on his accumulated experience he proposes a federation in the Land of Israel as an alternative political solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.

A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE A SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE BESTSELLER In AD 70, when the Second Temple was destroyed, a handful of visionaries saved Judaism by reinventing it, taking what had been a national religion and turning it into an idea. Whenever a Jew studied—wherever he was—he would be in the holy city, and his faith preserved. But in our own time, Zionists have turned the book back into a temple, and unlike an idea, a temple can be destroyed. With exuberance, humor, and real scholarship, Rich Cohen's Israel is Real offers "a serious attempt by a gifted storyteller to enliven and elucidate Jewish religious, cultural, and political history . . . A powerful narrative" (Los Angeles Times).