Menachem Begin

November 25, 2013
Gordis’s (Saving Israel) brief biography of the former Irgun leader and Israeli prime minister (Begin held the latter post from 1977–1982) eschews a comprehensive account of Begin’s life to focus on key events in Israeli history. Among these are the execution of two British soldiers by Zionists in 1947, in retribution for the execution of two militant Zionists by the British government; the 1948 Altalena affair; and the bitter, ongoing battle over Israel accepting West German reparations for WWII. Concerning the First Lebanon War in 1982, Gordis shows how a weary Begin allowed himself to be “outmaneuvered by Sharon,” so that Israel’s first offensive war was fought on a far broader scale than Begin had planned. Gordis writes well about Begin’s personal qualities, especially his belief in and practice of hadar (Jewish dignity) and his “appreciation for the rhythms and priorities of Jewish life and tradition, which had never yet been represented in the prime minister’s office.” Gordis also notes the ironies of Begin’s life; for instance, he was known as a terrorist for his role in the 1946 bombing of Jerusalem’s King David Hotel bombing, but Begin later signed Israel’s 1979 peace treaty with Egypt. Despite a few questionable assertions—Gordis claims that “Mein Kampf was required reading in Fatah training camps,” according to a secondary source—he captures both Begin’s character and his place in Israeli history.

December 15, 2013
A life of Menachem Begin (1913-1992) considers his legacy. With multiple biographies of Begin published in the last 10 years, Gordis (Senior Vice President/Shalem Coll.; The Promise of Israel, 2012, etc.) re-examines the controversial Israeli leader in order "to look at his life through the lens of the passion he still evokes" and to ask, "What was the 'magic' of his draw?" Born in Poland, Begin joined the Zionist Betar movement, founded by the charismatic Vladimir Jabotinsky. Serving in a leadership position in that organization, Begin honed his skills as a public speaker and committed himself to two basic ideas: the Jews must have their own state; independence required military strength. In 1939, Begin and his wife fled Poland for Palestine but got only as far as Vilna, Lithuania. There, Begin was arrested by the Soviets; although sentenced to 8 years in a labor camp, he was released after six months, joined the Free Polish Army and was sent as a soldier to Palestine. For the next 50 years, Begin was an outspoken, galvanizing and divisive force in Israeli politics. Gordis delineates the fierce controversies within the Zionist communities and focuses especially on the rivalry between Begin and David Ben-Gurion, a battle between Begin's "romantic preoccupation" with Jewish victimization and Ben-Gurion's pragmatic belief that Israel needed to move beyond the past. That essential difference resulted in opposing military, political and social strategies. In 1977, after losing eight consecutive elections, Begin finally achieved high office and became, as Gordis puts it, "the most Jewish of Israel's prime ministers." His first act was to give asylum to 66 Vietnamese refugees, and he insisted on welcoming Ethiopian Jews. Signing a hard-won peace treaty earned both Begin and Egypt's Anwar Sadat a Nobel Peace Prize. For Gordis, Begin stands as an exemplary leader whose selflessness and deep loyalty to the Jewish people and to Israel should inspire any who may question "the legitimacy of love for a specific people or devotion to its ancestral homeland."

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October 1, 2013

National Jewish Book Award winner Gordis arcs through the entire life of Menachem Begin, from his service in the Free Polish Army and the terrorist paramilitary Irgun in Palestine, to his rivalry with David Ben-Gurion and emergence as Israel's sixth prime minister, which netted him the Nobel prize for his rapprochement with Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Not a lot out there, though you can compare with last year's Menachem Begin: A Life by Avi Shilon.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.