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Modern day Israel, and the Jewish community, is strongly influenced by the memory and horrors of Hitler and the Holocaust. Burg argues that the Jewish nation has been traumatized and has lost the ability to trust itself, its neighbors or the world around it. He shows that this is one of the causes for the growing nationalism and violence that are plaguing Israeli society and reverberating through Jewish communities worldwide. Burg uses his own family history--his parents were Holocaust survivors--to inform his innovative views on what the Jewish people need to do to move on and eventually live in peace with their Arab neighbors and feel comfortable in world at large. Thought-provoking, compelling, and original, this book is bound to spark a heated debate around the world.
Avraham Burg on WNYC’s “The Leonard Lopate Show"; Dec. 8, 2008
Avraham Burg in the news:
The Hoya’s coverage of Avraham Burg at the Doha Debates; March 26, 2009
Avraham Burg on Jewish Book Week; March 1, 2009
TIME.com posted a feature on Avraham Burg: Jan 1, 2009
The Jewish Chronicle; Dec. 23, 2008
New York Times Saturday Profile by Ethan Bronner; Dec. 20, 2008
Talking Points Memo Bookclub; Dec. 12, 2008
BloggingheadsTV with Gershom Gorenburg of The American Prospect, Dec. 9, 2008
NPR’s “Talk of the Nation”; Dec. 8, 2008
Arab News; Dec. 5, 2009
New York Public Library; Dec 2, 2008
Ian Masters' Background Briefing; Nov. 23, 2008
The Los Angeles Times, Nov. 16, 2008
The Independent; Nov. 1, 2008
THE JERUSALEM POST, Aug. 20, 2008
“This is an important book by a very courageous man. The shadow of the Shoah and its abusive application to the contemporary Middle East have been a catastrophe for Jews, Israelis and Arabs alike. In Burg's view Israel must move beyond Hitler's poisoned legacy. If they cannot or will not do this, the Middle East will never see peace and Israel has no future.” -- Tony Judt, bestselling author of Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 and Professor at New York University
“An Israeli-born son of Holocaust survivors, Burg addresses a heartfelt plea to his countrymen: remember the past, but do not be its slaves; pathology is neither patriotism nor statescraft. A compelling and eloquent cri de coeur from a veteran of Israel's wars and politics.” -- Howard M. Sachar, bestselling author of A History of the Jews in the Modern World and A History of Israel
"Burg takes a blunt, loving, painful and desperately important look at the state of the Jewish soul today. Anyone who cares about the future of the Middle East and the fate of victimized peoples needs to read this book and think hard." -- J.J. Goldberg, author of Jewish Power: Inside the American Jewish Establishment and Editorial Director of The Forward
“This fascinating and thought-provoking book should be read by every person who cares about Israel. Burg's central theme is that Israeli leaders use the memory of the Holocaust in ways that are warping the country's soul, creating unnecessary fear, and making it impossible to achieve peace with the Palestinians.” -- John J. Mearsheimer, bestselling author of The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy and Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago
"[An] assured and provocative polemic. . . . [A] lecture with much wisdom . . . worthy of global consideration." -- Kirkus Reviews
“An honest reflection of a tormented man searching for the universal values in Judaism.” -- Le Figaro
“In this book of memories and reflections, the former Knesset Speaker delivers his disquieting findings about Israel that 'became a Kingdom without a prophesy.'... Foremost a book of hope from a man who wants to find ways to return Judaism to its universal calling.” --Le Monde
Avraham Burg is the former Speaker of the Knesset in Israel (1999-2003). He has been active in politics as a leader in the Labor Party and the One Israel party. His article in The Guardian called "The End of Zionism" was widely read and debated. He lives with his wife in Nataf, a small village outside Jerusalem.
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