A Promise Fulfilled: Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, David Ben-Gurion, and the Creation of the State of Israel - Hardcover

Greenfeld, Howard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006051504X ISBN 13: 9780060515041

Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2005

Synopsis

Here are the stories of three very different men -- a journalist, a scientist, and a labor leader -- who shared the same seemingly impossible dream. They were determined to create a Jewish state in the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants -- land the Jews had been exiled from nearly two thousand years ago. They faced towering obstacles and dramatic setbacks. Yet they prevailed. How?

Spanning nearly ninety years and many significant world events, this concise history tells the tale of the creation of the state of Israel through the lives of three men. Theodor Herzl, Chaim Weizmann, and David Ben-Gurion at times disagreed -- even vehemently -- but each needed the other two in order to accomplish a common goal. A Promise Fulfilled shows how events built on one another -- how the way one crisis was handled influenced the way the next played out. It is essential reading, not just for understanding how the nation of Israel came to be, but for insight into the controversy and crises that surround this country even today.

About this title

About the Author:

Howard Greenfeld grew up in New York City; graduated from Columbia University; and lived in Rome, Florence, and Camaiore, Italy; and in Paris, France. He wrote twenty books for young adults, including biographies of Marc Chagall, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the Impressionist painters. He founded the Orion Press to publish English-language translations of European writers and has translated several literary works himself from both French and Italian. He wrote the definitive book on publishing for young readers, Books: From Writer to Reader, a text which has also been used in college courses.

He wrote two critically acclaimed books about the Holocaust. The first, The Hidden Children, was described by The Horn Book in a starred review as "inspiring, and often troubling, reading . . . A lovely, important book about heroism and survival." The second, After the Holocaust, uses excerpts from personal interviews and archival photographs to explore the experiences of young survivors in the wake of World War II.

Howard Greenfeld died in 2006.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 7 Up -A short history of events that, over the course of 66 years, led to the creation of the state of Israel, focusing on the lives and political involvement of the three men most responsible. Beginning with each man's early years and education, Greenfeld offers some insight into how and why each individual was drawn to the Zionist ideal and outlines the part each one played in the establishment and settlement of the Jewish homeland. The book is divided into three sections, each presenting key happenings involving one of Israel's founding fathers that, finally, led to the U.N. decision, in 1947, to partition Palestine. The author shows how the lives and work of these men overlapped as the Zionist movement grew and events unfolded over half a century; and he points out the considerable differences in the three statesmen's backgrounds and personalities. Captioned black-and-white photos add realism to the text. A two-page time line; lengthy bibliography; and index help make the book useful for reports. There has been nothing else on the topic written for this age group in recent years.-Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
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About this edition

• Publisher: Greenwillow Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 006051504X
• ISBN 13: 9780060515041
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144