An Impossible Story, 75 Years in the Making

Of all the revelations about Israel’s establishment in Koret Distinguished Fellow Dr. Daniel Gordis’ newest book, the most astonishing is surely that its founders “did not really agree about the fundamental justification for the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine.” And yet, as he points out in Impossible Takes Longer, a fearless examination of Israel’s fulfillment of—and distance from—its founders’ dreams, they nonetheless managed to forge a declaration that established a Jewish state, bringing to an end 2,000 years of exile and inspiring people around the world for three quarters of a century. This week, as we celebrate Israel’s 75^th Independence Day against the backdrop of months of civil unrest, might we find lessons for Israel’s future in its improbable founding story?

We invite you to read Gordis’ new book to explore the often-overlooked reasons for the establishment of the state—a function, Gordis argues, of that state’s very success—and of the cultural, social, economic, and political challenges it faces in the second half of its eighth decade. We hope you’ll agree with Gordis that, despite its failures and internal contradictions, the Jewish people’s nation-building project has been an improbable—even impossible—success.

Wishing you a very happy Israeli Independence Day from Jerusalem.

Shalem College

To order a copy of Impossible Takes Longer: 75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders’ Dreams? click here.

To register for Daniel Gordis’ blog, “Israel from the Inside,” click here.