The Hebrew community that lived in Acre during the British Mandate period did not leave an actual signature on the urban landscape, and did not record glorious tales of heroism or destruction. This fascinating story, which had been omitted from the collective memory and is currently revealed in depth in this book, illuminates this community's place in the building of the Jewish national society in Palestine. In particular, the book reveals the complex relationships that existed between the Zionist institutions and the Jewish and Hebrew societies in the Arab cities. Despite the decline of the old Jewish communities in the Arab cities, the unusual story of Acre shows how it managed to attract new, nationalist settlers. For a brief moment in the city's history, a Hebrew community existed that combined old and new settlements, had a national Zionist orientation and included Jews with local and Mizrahi recognition. This is a local story, but it seeks to shed light on the complexity and diversity of the Zionist enterprise in relation to the Arab and mixed cities of mandatory Palestine, by raising questions about the relationship between the "history of a place" and the "national history". Through the description of the failure of the Hebrew settlement in Mandatory Acre, the book looks at the Zionist project as a fascinating meeting point between the dreams of those who created the leading narratives and between the local interests and the geographical conditions unique to the region.

In The Captive Sea , Daniel Hershenzon explores the entangled histories of Muslim and Christian captives—and, by extension, of the Spanish Empire, Ottoman Algiers, and Morocco—in the seventeenth century to argue that piracy, captivity, and redemption helped shape the Mediterranean as an integrated region at the social, political, and economic levels. Despite their confessional differences, the lives of captives and captors alike were connected in a political economy of ransom and communication networks shaped by Spanish, Ottoman, and Moroccan rulers; ecclesiastic institutions; Jewish, Muslim, and Christian intermediaries; and the captives themselves, as well as their kin. Hershenzon offers both a comprehensive analysis of competing projects for maritime dominance and a granular investigation of how individual lives were tragically upended by these agendas. He takes a close look at the tightly connected and ultimately failed attempts to ransom an Algerian Muslim girl sold into slavery in Livorno in 1608; the son of a Spanish marquis enslaved by pirates in Algiers and brought to Istanbul, where he converted to Islam; three Spanish Trinitarian friars detained in Algiers on the brink of their departure for Spain in the company of Christians they had redeemed; and a high-ranking Ottoman official from Alexandria, captured in 1613 by the Sicilian squadron of Spain. Examining the circulation of bodies, currency, and information in the contested Mediterranean, Hershenzon concludes that the practice of ransoming captives, a procedure meant to separate Christians from Muslims, had the unintended consequence of tightly binding Iberia to the Maghrib.

The kibbutz is a social experiment in collective living that challenges traditional economic theory. By sharing all income and resources equally among its members, the kibbutz system created strong incentives to free ride or—as in the case of the most educated and skilled—to depart for the city. Yet for much of the twentieth century kibbutzim thrived, and kibbutz life was perceived as idyllic both by members and the outside world. In The Mystery of the Kibbutz , Ran Abramitzky blends economic perspectives with personal insights to examine how kibbutzim successfully maintained equal sharing for so long despite their inherent incentive problems. Weaving the story of his own family’s experiences as kibbutz members with extensive economic and historical data, Abramitzky sheds light on the idealism and historical circumstances that helped kibbutzim overcome their economic contradictions. He illuminates how the design of kibbutzim met the challenges of thriving as enclaves in a capitalist world and evaluates kibbutzim’s success at sustaining economic equality. By drawing on the stories of his pioneering grandmother who founded a kibbutz, his uncle who remained in a kibbutz his entire adult life, and his mother who was raised in and left the kibbutz, Abramitzky brings to life the rise and fall of the kibbutz movement. The lessons that The Mystery of the Kibbutz draws from this unique social experiment extend far beyond the kibbutz gates, serving as a guide to societies that strive to foster economic and social equality.

Two focal points are at the center of this book: the history of German Jews during the Holocaust and the involvement of the Foreign Ministry of Nazi Germany. The process of "solving the problem of the German Jews" consisted of stages of escalation that are exemplified in 175 translated documents written by or addressed to German diplomats. The narrative that is placed in the historical context, demonstrates the course that began with the deprivation and dispossession of German Jews of their civil and economic rights, continues with their forced immigration and finally with their deportation and extermination. Included are the reactions of the German Jews, the responses that came from outside Germany, and the role of the Foreign Ministry, who was eager to participate in “solving the Jewish Question”. The book opens with a preface by Prof. Moshe Zimmermann.

Between Hitler and Churchill reveals an unknown facet in the history of World War II - an attempt by a senior Polish government official to contact the leadership of the Third Reich and a successful effort by British intelligence agencies to thwart this dialogue in its infancy. This surprising and fascinating event is described in the book through the personal stories of its two main protagonists, Jews born in Poland. One of them mediated the said contacts, while the other assisted the British in capturing the mediator, bringing him to Palestine and killing him there without trial. Using this fascinating story, the book challenges the traditional perception of the Nazi occupation of Poland as a sure prologue to World War II. It claims that in the first year and a half after September 1, 1939, European leaders, including Polish and British senior officials, were engaged in feverish diplomatic maneuvers and could actually end the war on the continent before it became the greatest disaster in human history. Due to its ability to shed new light on this topic, the book adds great value to those interested in the theory and practice of international relations.

The Adventurous Simplicissimus , the great literary monument of the Thirty-Years War (1618–1648) published in nearly real time – 20 years after it took place – combines a picaresque, historical, satirical, autobiographic, realistic and fantastic novel. This war which devastated Europe was the first example of a "world war" in history. The author, Hans Jacob Christoffel Grimmelshausen (1622–1676), experienced it in person and also took part in it at a young age. As author, he avoids taking sides with anyone of the fighting parties, or, as he declares, "For the future generations I will describe the atrocities that were committed again and again in our German war." The strange adventures of the hero are depicted sometimes with lurid detail, but always with a pinch of humor, ridiculing any admiration of heroes or personality cult. Thus Simplicissimus has become one of the most powerful anti-war literary works of all times.

Le 17 juin 1940, l’écrivain français Jean Guéhenno prit une double résolution après avoir entendu la déclaration radiophonique du maréchal Pétain annonçant aux Français la fin des combats et la demande d’armistice: tenir un journal, mais ne rien publier tant que durerait l’occupation allemande. Le récit de cette période trouble parut en 1947 sous le titre éloquent de Journal des années noires. Si le livre a été quelque peu oublié, la formule, par contre, est passée à la postérité. Dans l’esprit de Guéhenno, elle signifiait que ces années-là furent un tunnel, sinon un cauchemar: noires pour les victimes civiles et militaires disparues; noires pour les errements et les égarements des élites gouvernant la France; noires encore et surtout pour le déshonneur infligé à la conscience historique d’une grande nation; l’envers des Lumières, lesquelles se confondaient pour lui avec l’idée qu’il se faisait de la France.

Hasidism is one of the most important-influential movements in Judaism during the modern era. This book shows that the scholarly style of Hasidim abided by the rhetoric that was common within Jewish culture in Eastern Europe in the generations prior to Hasidism and in the generation of Hasidism itself among non-hasidic leaders.

The book examines the ideological motivations behind the selection of representations for Israeli banknotes and coins. The research is based on the proceedings and correspondence of the Bank of Israel Banknotes and Coinage Planning Committee from its inception in 1955 to 2012. The study reveals the mechanisms in which the legal tender is exploited as an expression of banal nationalism, implementing national emblems in an unnoticed manner. Banal nationalism is one of three theoretical frameworks we adopted. The other two are the long history of the Jewish people in the territory which today is the State of Israel; and selective tradition as a means for designing a nation. The book comprises eight chapters: theoretical overview; analytical portrayal of the working methods of the Bank of Israel Banknotes and Coinage Planning Committee; a study of the first designed “Allegoric Figures Series” (1959); analysis of the selection of human figures; the construction of the state borders through an array of landscape images; the reflection of the shifting boundaries in the changing representations in Jerusalem; the selection of archaeological emblems as a proof for national continuity; and the symbolic role of flora as identification with the land.

The World of Machiavelli explores his teaching by placing it squarely in its political and intellectual context. Based on a wide range of personal letters, diplomatic dispatches and administrative memoranda as well as on his treatises, plays and poems, it traces the development of his skills, mental habits and unique views from his youth, through his turbulent public career, to his last days. Alongside the formative historical and personal circumstances, the book explores the universal dimensions of Machiavelli’s thought, which forms an integral part of an ongoing conversation about our ability to organize our shared lives and shape our destiny. Thus, The World of Machiavelli differs from most biographies and studies of his thought: focusing on a cluster of themes that are central both in his works and in our modern public life, the book invites the readers to reflect on major issues of our time by engaging with Machiavelli.

Today, the term "natural reserve" is common in Israel. However, this wasn’t the case during the first years of its existence. A majority of the planning authorities did not understand what natural reserves were and why they were required, and the Hebrew language did not yet have a term for them. A small group of nature lovers struggled to preserve nature, leading battels, some of which continue to this day. The results of some of the successful battles can be seen across Israel today – in natural reserves, national parks and fields of wildflowers. The history of these battles is brought forth in this book by Dr. Uzi Paz, one of the pioneers of nature preservation in Israel. He also unfolds the changes formed in the country's landscape, flora and fauna, from ancient times to this day. The book contains a wealth of photographs taken by the author.

In the late fifteenth century, many of the Jews expelled from Spain made their way to Morocco and established a dynamic community in Fez. A number of Jewish families became prominent in commerce and public life there. Among the Jews of Fez of Hispanic origin was Samuel Pallache (circa 1550-1616), who served the Moroccan sultan as a commercial and diplomatic agent in Holland until Pallache's death in 1616. In Samuel Pallache , his world is viewed as a microcosm of early modern society, one far more interconnected, cosmopolitan, and fluid than is often portrayed. Pallache's missions and misadventures took him from Islamic Fez and Catholic Spain to Protestant England and Holland. Through these travels, the authors explore the workings of the Moroccan sultanate and the Spanish court, the Jewish communities of Fez and Amsterdam, and details of the Atlantic-Mediterranean trade. At once a sweeping view of two continents, three faiths, and five nation-states and an intimate story of one man's remarkable life, Samuel Pallache is history at its most compelling.