Returning

How can one understand the return of the Jewish people to the land of Israel after 2000 years of separation? How can one explain the overwhelming concern Jews worldwide exhibit for the State of Israel, even as they are loyal citizens of other countries? Israel has ever been central to Jewish identity, but always in a complex way.Exploring the history of how the Jews related to that land, Benjamin Segal seeks to enlighten and guide the present by presenting a plethora of models from the past.From the Prologue: "This is a history of a nation struggling with itself, moving far from its Land while carrying the Land along with it, constantly returning, constantly leaving, and always looking backward and forward at the same time, finding the Land of Israel at both extremes. It is a history unfinished, clearly still being written. Ironically, the current chapter seems to be seeking its predecessors, for progress is again predicated on knowing where one has been. This is, then, an effort at tracing the deepest roots of the modern return, both for those who would understand and for those who would take part."

Benjamin J. Segal, lecturer and author of articles and books on Israel, Jewish Thought, Bible and Education, has lived in Jerusalem since 1973. He is president of Melitz, the Centers for Jewish Zionist Education, and former president of the Schechter Institute of Judaic Studies.