Antony Lerman traces his five-decade personal and political journey from idealistic socialist Zionist to controversial critic of Zionism and Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. As head of an influential UK Jewish think tank, he operated at the highest levels of international Jewish political and intellectual life. He recalls his 1960s Zionist activism, two years spent on kibbutz and service in the IDF, followed by the gradual onset of doubts about Israel on returning to England. Assailed for his growing public criticism of Israeli policy and Zionism, he details his ostracism by the Jewish establishment. Through his insider's critique of Zionism, critical assessment of Jewish politics and analysis of the Israel-Palestine conflict Lerman presents a powerful, human rights-based argument about how a just peace can be achieved.

By:   Antony Lerman
Imprint:   PLUTO PRESS
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 23mm,  Width: 230mm,  Spine: 150mm
Weight:   544g
ISBN:  

9780745332765

ISBN 10:   0745332765
Publication Date:   August 2012
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Undergraduate ,  Further / Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock at Abbey's Bookshop
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An honest and moving account of how Antony Lerman - like so many Jewish liberals of his generation - fell in and out of love with the Zionist dream as translated into Israeli reality. A singular figure of principle in the grubby world of communal politics, Lerman retells factually and with a commendable lack of bitterness his shameful treatment at the hands of the British Jewish establishment. -- Rabbi David J. Goldberg, author of This Is Not the Way: Jews, Judaism and Israel (2012) In this very courageous, personal yet intellectual expose, Antony Lerman, who, unlike many of his peers, refused to cross the red lines into the ideological territory of ethnocentric particularism, explores his journey to and from Zionism. His critique contains sharp insights and the inspiration of an optimistic prophet who believes that peace, justice and human rights are the true Jewish values. -- Avraham Burg, former Speaker of the Israeli Knesset and author of The Holocaust is Over: We Must Rise From its Ashes (2008) Lerman's journey from fervent Zionist to thoughtful critic of Zionism is fascinating enough. But this rich and compelling account also charts his sustained vilification and shows how extensively bigotry has replaced reason in the Middle East debate. You leave it, however, uplifted by the encounter with a commentator who has wrestled with these difficult questions with seriousness, thoughtfulness and integrity all his professional life. -- Anne Karpf, sociologist, journalist and author of The War After: Living With the Holocaust (1996)

An honest and moving account of how Antony Lerman -- like so many Jewish liberals of his generation -- fell in and out of love with the Zionist dream as translated into Israeli reality. A singular figure of principle in the grubby world of communal politics, Lerman retells factually and with a commendable lack of bitterness his shameful treatment at the hands of the British Jewish establishment. -- Rabbi David J. Goldberg, author of This Is Not the Way: Jews, Judaism and Israel (2012) In this very courageous, personal yet intellectual expose, Antony Lerman, who, unlike many of his peers, refused to cross the red lines into the ideological territory of ethnocentric particularism, explores his journey to and from Zionism. His critique contains sharp insights and the inspiration of an optimistic prophet who believes that peace, justice and human rights are the true Jewish values. -- Avrum Burg, former Speaker of the Israeli Knesset and author of The Holocaust is Over: We Must Rise From its Ashes (2008)

An honest and moving account of how Antony Lerman - like so many Jewish liberals of his generation - fell in and out of love with the Zionist dream as translated into Israeli reality. A singular figure of principle in the grubby world of communal politics, Lerman retells factually and with a commendable lack of bitterness his shameful treatment at the hands of the British Jewish establishment. -- Rabbi David J. Goldberg, author of This Is Not the Way: Jews, Judaism and Israel (2012) In this very courageous, personal yet intellectual expose, Antony Lerman, who, unlike many of his peers, refused to cross the red lines into the ideological territory of ethnocentric particularism, explores his journey to and from Zionism. His critique contains sharp insights and the inspiration of an optimistic prophet who believes that peace, justice and human rights are the true Jewish values. -- Avrum Burg, former Speaker of the Israeli Knesset and author of The Holocaust is Over: We Must Rise From its Ashes (2008)