Israel : As a Phoenix Ascending

“In close coordination with its foreign supporters, especially Diaspora Jewish communities, the Yishuv waged a tireless campaign, both before and during the 1947– 1949 War of Independence, to encourage the international community to grant de jure recognition to the Jewish state.

This political campaign… is by now the subject of a genuinely voluminous literature. Monty Noam Penkower, a… leading authority on these twin campaigns, has himself written a number of well-received books on the subject. In his latest work – which is perceptive, original and well written, like all of his previous works – he tackles a few of the less well-known episodes in this diplomatic tussle. … Penkower’s book should appeal in particular to those individuals who already possess some knowledge of Palestine-related diplomacy in the post-Second World War years. Nevertheless, even those individuals who are less familiar with the events in question can profit by consulting his book.”

— David Rodman, Israel Affairs

“What does a historian of diplomatic and political history do when he realizes that he cannot include in the last book of a trilogy on the Zionist movement and the rise of the State of Israel from 1933 until 1948 all the relevant material he has gathered? In the case of Monty Penkower… he convinces his publisher to put out another volume—and we can be grateful that he has succeeded in doing so.(...) As in his previous works, the author treats the reader to a flowing description of multiple centers of action and debate, including a wide array of actors of various levels of importance. We find ourselves in the relevant auditoriums, offices, and board rooms—and sometimes in the corridors of power and power sought. Occasionally, we are actually in the heads of his subjects. (...) Penkower''s true eye for history becomes evident as he zeroes in on people who deserve greater attention than they have hitherto received. (...) In this latest volume, Penkower illustrates just how all the belief, conviction, and determination that was Zionism forged ahead against all odds and opposition to bring about the establishment of Israel. (...) There are many… gems in this book that add to our understanding of the hurdles facing those who sought to realize the dream of Jewish statehood.”

— Israel Medad, Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs

“Penkower now has produced one more [book] in which he presents to his readers additional relevant material he gathered… thus enriching our knowledge and understanding of the history of this period of the Zionist movement and the rise of the State of Israel.

As is his style, Penkower’s presentation meticulously leads the reader through the maze of events, providing insight into how and why they happened; especially in this volume, we get to know the people who caused them to happen. The details are many, yet Penkower does not allow one to lose sight of the greater picture… The reader is led through halls, hotel rooms, offices and the corridors of power. Documents, diaries, minutes, ephemera, and newspapers are laid out to provide a reliable account of the history…

This book adds much to our understanding of the hurdles that faced Jewish statehood. Penkower’s series of volumes flesh out history, deepen our perception and force us to appreciate what dedicated human beings can accomplish. And he has done so admirably…

Penkower has accomplished an important task of transmitting history and adds much to our understanding of those two crucial, complex years.”

– Yisrael Medad, Jerusalem Post Magazine

“Building on his seminal studies on the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the establishment of the State of Israel, Monty Noam Penkower sheds fresh light on a number of hugely important, if surprisingly overlooked, episodes in this tumultuous process. Richly documented and lucidly written, this is a must read for anyone interested in the saga of Jewish national revival in the ancestral homeland.”

—Efraim Karsh, Professor Emeritus of Middle East & Mediterranean Studies, King’s College London & Bar-Ilan University, author of Palestine Betrayed

“After a soaring preface eloquently explaining just why the modern State of Israel is a phoenix, the master historian Monty Noam Penkower offers an illuminating mosaic—a series of deeply-researched, compellingly-written, sharply-etched portraits of key moments surrounding the founding of the State of Israel. Taking the readers into the auditoriums of the World Zionist Congress, the board rooms of American Jewry, the halls of the UN, and the naive illusions of Judah L. Magnes, Penkower deftly chronicles the very human—and courageous—leaps of faith that helped make Israel, the modern miracle, survive and thrive in 1948 and beyond.”

—Gil Troy, Professor of History, McGill University; author of The Zionist Ideas