Menachem Begin: The Battle for Israel's Soul

by Daniel Gordis

Reviled as a fascist by his great rival Ben-Gurion, venerated by Israel’s underclass, the first Israeli to win the Nobel Peace Prize, a proud Jew but not a conventionally religious one, Menachem Begin was both complex and controversial. Born in Poland in 1913, Begin was a youthful admirer of the Revisionist Zionist Ze’ev Jabotinsky and soon became a leader within Jabotinsky’s Betar movement. A powerful orator and mesmerizing public figure, Begin was imprisoned by the Soviets in 1940, joined the Free Polish Army in 1942, and arrived in Palestine as a Polish soldier shortly thereafter. Joining the underground paramilitary Irgun in 1943, he achieved instant notoriety for the organization’s bombings of British military installations and other violent acts.

Intentionally left out of the new Israeli government, Begin’s right-leaning Herut political party became a fixture of the opposition to the Labor-dominated governments of Ben-Gurion and his successors, until the surprising parliamentary victory of his political coalition in 1977 made him prime minister. Welcoming Egyptian president Anwar Sadat to Israel and cosigning a peace treaty with him on the White House lawn in 1979, Begin accomplished what his predecessors could not. His outreach to Ethiopian Jews and Vietnamese “boat people” was universally admired, and his decision to bomb Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981 is now regarded as an act of courageous foresight. But the disastrous invasion of Lebanon to end the PLO’s shelling of Israel’s northern cities, combined with his declining health and the death of his wife, led Begin to resign in 1983. He spent the next nine years in virtual seclusion, until his death in 1992. Begin was buried not alongside Israel’s prime ministers, but alongside the Irgun comrades who died in the struggle to create the Jewish national home to which he had devoted his life. Daniel Gordis’s perceptive biography gives us new insight into a remarkable political figure whose influence continues to be felt both within Israel and throughout the world.
 
This title is part of the Jewish Encounters series.

Genres: Israel, Biography, History, Middle East, Nonfiction, Jewish, Judaism

320 pages, Hardcover

First published March 4, 2014

Reviews

[Dee Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audible sale (#40 of 40) 7 hours 19 min. Narrated by Walter Dixon (A)

Daniel Gordis is a knowledgeable historian on the country of Israel and also a great writer. Earlier this year, I read the biography of David Ben-Gurion A State At Any Cost. Last year, I listened to Gordis's book Israel:A Concise History of a Land Reborn. I also listened to Lioness: Golda Meir and the State of Israel. Now, with this biography of Menachem Begin, I have a more rounded perspective on the state of Israel of the 20th century and its most prominent early prime ministers. I appreciated that Begin's strengths and weaknesses were included and that new research has led to a more enlightened picture of man who was often seen as a terrorist during his life.

Gordis does a skillful job of comparing and contrasting the early lives and also the contributions of Menachem Begin with Ben-Gurion throughout the biography. If Ben-Gurion was the Thomas Jefferson of the war for Israel's independence, then Menachem Begin was the George Washington. One led with his words and the other led in the bloodshed, and it took the influence of both men to bring about the birth of a nation. All these men were revolutionaries. Menachem Begin was the soul of the Jewish state, and Ben-Gurion was the humanist spirit of Israli state.

Gordis uses his final chapter to make a compelling comparison with birth of America in 1776, and the birth of Israel in 1947.
I appreciated the passages from the Old Testament that Daniel Gordis chose to introduce each chapter.
Pray for the peace of Israel.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Menachem Begin was something of a curiosity to me, being the first Prime Minister of Israel from the conservative Likud Party, yet also willing to meet with Anwar Sadat of Egypt to sign a peace treaty. Considered a terrorist by the British before the State of Israel was formed, and then someone who ultimately became the head of State. A man who approved the bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor, and also a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Quite a man, quite a leader, and quite a story, and therefore I was curious to pick up Daniel Gordis' book "Menachem Begin".

Gordis' book covered the bulk of Begin's life as a member of the underground Irgun, the leader of his Herut political party, his term as Prime Minister. Gordis clearly shows how dedicated Begin was to the creation and continuation of a Jewish national home.

But one drawback I found was a lack of regional historic context which coincided with some of the events in the book. The various battles and wars in Israel from its founding in the late 1940's to today were mentioned, of course, but I found myself looking for additional description of the underlying details of the conflicts, and of the Arab perspective leading up to these events. Also, I would have liked deeper insights into other Begin policies. For example, I would have liked reading more about his Peace Agreement with Egypt. I had hoped the book might explain if the peace deal with Egypt was the lesser of two evils for him, one in which he gave back some territorial gains in the Sinai, but by so doing avoided having to participate in a broader International Conference being championed at the time by the U.S. and the Soviet Union, one in which he may have been pressured to withdraw from the West Bank. Gordis was also silent about Begin's rumored involvement with the unsuccessful assassination attempt of Germany's Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, and I was curious about Begin's involvement, if any. But I recognize that every book must draw the line on what to include and what to exclude, and there was more than enough information to make the book worthwhile.

[Alan Zwiren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Daniel Gordis' biography on Menachim Begin. I found it to be very thorough highlighting the major incidents in the Prime Minister's life. I also found it consistent with what I have read from other sources. He portrayed Menachem Begin not as a hero or villain, but as someone who had laudable and challenging incidents in his life; however, he never backed away from his beliefs. He came from a generation where most, but not all, demonstrated incredible integrity.

One of the interesting vehicles in the book is comparing Menachem Begin's actions to that of David Ben-Gurion. The two were rivals their entire lives, and highlighting their contrasting opinions and approaches served the book well. Daniel Gordis points out that without both David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin there may not be a State of Israel today.

I found the epilogue to be extremely interesting; especially for American readers. Although Menachem Begin was a Nobel Peace Prize winner, there were several incidents in his past that always haunted his legacy. These include Deir Yassin, Altalena, and of course the massacres at Sabra and Shatila. Daniel Gordis calls on his American readers to compare and contrast the actions Menachem Begin undertook to build the modern State of Israel to the actions the founding father's took to build the United States of America. He posits although many of the actions were similar, American's seem to conveniently forget or ignore the actions their fore-fathers took while critically judging those of Menachem Begin's. I believe this insight into how American's look at Menachem Begin could be the beginning of the divide we see today between Israelis and American Jews. This happens to be the next book Daniel Gordis is publishing, "We Stand Divided: The Rift Between American Jews and Israel." I am looking forward to reading it.

[Carmen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on an extraordinary, often misunderstood and even vilified man. A must read.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last fall (2014) I re-read Lawrence Wright’s book “Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin and Sadat at Camp David” I thought this might be a good book to provide more information about Begin.

Begin had run for prime minister eight times when in 1977 he won on his ninth try. Apparently Begin was extreme right wing, he helped formed the Herut party. Begin was despised by the ruling establishment. Begin’s Herut party platform called for Jews to rule in all of Palestine. The Egyptian and Syrian attack in 1973 set up the change to help Begin win in 1977.

Gordis in his biography of Begin starts with his childhood and adolescence in a Polish Shtetl. Begin was an active Zionist. Begin graduated from University as an attorney. Gordis tells about Begin and his wife Aliza flight from Poland in 1939 to escape the Nazis, only to be imprisoned in Siberia by the Russians. They finally arrived in Palestine in 1942.

The author tells of Begin’s life in the Irgun, the underground fighting force in Palestine, following their arrival in 1942. Begin lost his family in the Holocaust and that had a major influence on his belief in a homeland for the Jews.

Gordis covers in depth Begin’s life as prime minister; he covers Begin’s liberalization policies that hastened the end of Israel’s semi-socialist economy. In 1981 Begin bombed Saddam Hussein’s nuclear reactor to prevent them from making a nuclear bomb. Begin welcomed Ethiopian Jews to Israel. The author discusses the peace treaty with Egypt and the 1982 war in Lebanon. Begin won the 1978 Nobel Peace Prize for the peace with Egypt.

According to Gordis, Begin’s most important legacy is the restoration to Israeli’s public life of a fundamental sense of Jewish purpose that was missing from it during the long years of Labor hegemony. The author says Begin was a person whose Jewish soul dictated virtually everything he says; every action he took. Gordis states that Begin remains the, most Jewish prime minister that Israel has ever had. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Walter Dixon narrated the book.

[Steve Gross · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book as I am a big fan of Menachem Begin. Unfortunately, it is a poorly written effort. The author repeats himself endlessly; for example, we are told at least a half a dozen times that Begin is "inching" towards being Prime Minister. he also hagiographically repeats every few paragraphs that Begin is an honorable, traditional old-world Jew. Most disappointing is that there is very little personal detail on Begin. Avoid this book.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely crucial figure in the foundation and development of the State of Israel, Menachem Begin was vilified by his enemies and unwavering in his principles. A survivor of the Polish ghettoes and the Nazi Holocaust, he was never disposed to compromise on his commitment to establishing and safeguarding a homeland for the Jewish people. This frequently led him into violent conflict with the British Mandate authorities in Palestine, with other factions of the Jewish independence movement, and of course with armed Palestinian Arab groups and their supporters and exploiters in the Arab states surrounding Israel. Those who hated him called him a terrorist for his command of the paramilitary Irgun Zvai Leumi group, which attacked British targets, hanged British soldiers in retaliation for death sentences carried out on Jewish militants, bombed the Mandate headquarters in the King David Hotel, Jerusalem, and carried out the notorious "Deir Yassin massacre" (although the cause and consequences of this has, by common consent among serious historians, been much-exaggerated and distorted). In the Knesset, Prime Minister Ben-Gurion, former leader of the rival Haganah faction and of the Israeli Labor Party, refused even to speak his name. He fought eight General Elections as leader of the right-wing parliamentary bloc, was beaten in seven, and finally became Prime Minister himself in 1977. Whereupon he made peace with Israel's old antagonist Egypt, destroyed for good Iraq's nuclear weapons-building capacity by ordering the bombing of the Osirak reactor, then entered into what was intended as a purely defensive incursion into south Lebanon - a country without central control - to drive back Palestinian terror groups that were attacking northern Israel, but which turned into a bloodbath which robbed him of much of his military credibility. Already in poor health, he resigned in 1983. For someone who had such a major effect on his country's fortunes, it seems almost incredible that his premiership should have been so short.

This is a sympathetic account of Begin's life and career, one which goes some way to correcting the predominant negative discourse around him, both among foreign enemies of Israel and critics within that country, by pointing out the factors which drove Begin in his commitment. Firstly, having witnessed the destruction of European Jewish culture and the genocide of European Jews, he was utterly dedicated to the survival of his people and the preservation of their culture, with its religious, philosophical, intellectual, humane and communitarian principles. Secondly, he was clear in his mind that, as had been pointed out by his mentor, the 'revisionist' (i.e. non-Socialist) Zionist leader Ze'ev Jabotinsky, that if the Jews were to return to the land of Israel they would have to fight the Arab population for it, and there could only be one winner - a fact continually elided and avoided by those Zionists who did not wish to face it. Thirdly, he was a democrat completely convinced of the necessary preeminence of the Rule of Law, which led him to face down Ben-Gurion's attempts to avoid giving the new State a constitution and also, at a time when he was being accused of 'racism' toward Arabs, to insist on offering Israeli citizenship, the vote, and all associated civil rights to all people living under Israeli governance.

In a thoughtful and persuasive coda to the biographical content of this book, Gordis makes a fruitful comparison between the foundation of Israel and that of the United States, from where many of Begin's critics, Jewish and Gentile, have originated, pointing out that the displacement in the 1940s of the Palestinian Arabs, while regrettable, pales into fairly limited significance compared with the genocide of Native Americans during the 19th century, about which the beneficiaries of the US's current stability and constitutional safeguards prefer to remain silent. In many ways, Begin's implacability has served his enemies on the Israeli Left well, in that it has given them a villain to castigate for actions which they recognise as having been necessary to protect their country, but for which they themselves do not wish to assume responsibility.

A large proportion of the human race has a probably quite laudable desire to be led by people whose conduct conforms in all respects to an abstract notion of 'goodness', a counsel of perfection which we all know is extremely unlikely ever to be achieved. We expect such people to be capable of reconciling diametrically opposed standards, thus letting ourselves off the hook for our own unwillingness to think through the necessary processes and consequences involved, and enabling us to step aside and condemn those who actually *do* engage with the grittily-textured reality of the world for not satisfying the moral absolutes of all people in all ways. People like Menachem Begin, because they are clear-sighted and prepared to make a choice between available options, both good and evil, end up doing our work for us. We all benefit by their courage.

[Emmanuel Harel]

"A fire breaks out in a house, and you happen to pass by. What do you do? Naturally you hasten to telephone the fire brigade, but if you hear the voice of a woman or a child screaming in the flames, will you wait for the fire brigade to get there? Of course you wont"

"Faith does not stand in contradiction to intelligence; but man, in his intelligence understands that there are things he cannot fathom by rationality, and so he believes in a Higher Power"

"Civil War - Never!"

"A narrative that was largely invented by the Jews was broadcast to the world and continues to haunt the Jews and Israel to this day"

"Some say that it is impossible for us to provide full equal rights to Arab Citizens of the state because they do not fulfill full equal obligations. But this is a strange claim. True we decided not to obligate Arab residents, as distinguished from the Druze, to perform military service. But we decided this of our own free will and I believe that the moral reason is valid. Should war break out, we would not want one Arab citizen to face the harsh human test that our own people had experienced for generations...We believe that in the Jewish state, there must be and will be equal rights for all its citizens, irrespective of religion, nation or origin."

"If I knew Begin like I know him now' he would later say, 'the face of history would have been different'" - Ben Gurion

"if they put Jews into gas chambers in the Soviet Union, it is not an American concern. Maybe a humanitarian concern." - Henry Kissinger

"You followed me into the wilderness.. in a land not sown/ a land sown with land mines" (Jeremiah 2:2)

"Begin was released from hospital in March and on his way down the stairs, in front of television reporters and photographers, he forgot to hold the rail on his left side. When his doctor reminded him to use the railing he grinned. 'I never lean to the left'."

"Why do Jewish Americans bow their heads in respect to Nathan Hale, but wince in shame at the mention of Feinstein, Barazani, and the other Hebrew freedom fighters who sought precisely what it was that Nathan Hale died for? Why is George Washington, who conducted a violent, fierce, and bloody campaign against the British, a hero, while for many, Begin remains a villain , or at the very least, a Jewish leader with a compromised background?"

[Shawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daniel Gordis presents us with a picture of Menachem Begin as a complex, principled, sometimes paradoxical man. Gordis shows us the full humanity of Begin. Gordis shows us why Begin ought to be honored and praised as one of the re-founders of Israel, while avoiding hagiography. Equally, Gordis presents us with many reasons to be sharply critical of Begin without lapsing into vilification or demonization.

The central theme of Gordis’ book is that Begin was deeply committed to the Jewish people and the restoration of the Jewish homeland. So much of what animated and informed Begin’s actions and decisions was Jewish history and thinking. The history of Jewish suffering and oppression was never far from his mind: he experienced all the 20th century threw at the Jews. He suffered the pogroms of Poland; the murder of his family by the Nazis, the tyranny of the Soviet Union, the restrictions and oppression of the British, and Arab hatred. Throughout it all, he remained steadfast in the need for Jewish freedom and Jewish sovereignty. These principles shaped the man and through him, they helped shape the country.

Another interesting motif running throughout the book is the troubled relationship between Begin and David Ben-Gurion. Though they at times despised each other; the two needed each other: Begin the principled and steadfast idealist; Ben-Gurion the pragmatist single-mindedly focused on building the state. Unsurprisingly in his own biography, Begin comes out getting the better of this fraught relationship.

Begin is sometimes and unfairly presented as harshly militant (even a terrorist). True, he did not shy from the use of force, especially when fighting the British. But he was willing to take big swings at peace (e.g. Egypt). He argued against the military administration for Israeli Arabs, engineered the rescue of Ethiopian Jews, and was the first major political figure to reach across Ashkenazi and Mizrahi lines.

Though his legacy was permanently tarnished by the Lebanon War, Begin’s impact on Israel is uncalculatable. Gordis’ biography captures this important man’s life and historic contributions.

[Brian Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about one of Israel’s founders. Menachem Bagin was born in 1913 in Poland and lived a very tough life. He completed law school in 1935 and immigrated to Palestine in 1942, without his family, who was later killed by the Nazi’s, and was instrumental in the resistance against the British through a group called Irgun. He learned a lot from Ze’ev Jabotinsky, one of the early figures of Zionism.

There was a great rivalry between Menachem Bagin and David Ben-Gurion through out the early days of Israeli statehood. Ben-Gurion was depicted as more practical and pragmatic, while Begin was depicted as more of a radical. Begin, through Etzel (a resistance group that would later fold into IDF) planned the attack on the King David Hotel and the British in retaliation of British arrests of Jewish leaders, which ultimately contributed to British withdrawal of Palestine.

Politically, Begin was an outsider, but still a member of the Knesset. He spoke against proposals for German reparations for the Holocaust, which were advocated by Ben-Gurion. Begin advocated for a constitution, which Ben-Gurion quietly sidestepped. In 1973 Begin formed the Likud party.

In May 1977 Begin was elected Prime Minister of Israel. Begin viewed himself first as a Jew and second as an Israeli. He granted 66 Vietnamese asylum, rescued Ethiopian Jews and supported the relocation of Soviet Jewry to Israel as a show of Jewish universalism. In 1978 Begin was awarded a Nobel Peace prize for his efforts with Anwar Sadat to come to a peace agreement with Egypt after a two week summit host by President Carter at Camp David. In 1981 Begin gave the approval for IDF to destroy the Iraqi nuclear reactor at Osirak. In 1982, to counter PLO rockets landing in the Galilee, Begin launched an attack on the PLO, which had made its HQ’s in Lebanon, which forced the PLO to relocate to Tunisia. He resigned as PM in 1983 and died in 1992, buried at Mount of Olives.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

There have been various books about Begin but this is the only one I have read (so far). The book is mainly based on secondary sources and does a great job in conveying the personality and thinking of the man.

What are the key points I take about him?

1. The importance of Jewish dignity in his view of the world. It is not difficult to see how putting that at the centre leads to many of the actions he took as leader of the Irgun, in politics and eventually as PM of the State of Israel.

2. The importance of the continuity between the State of Israel and Jewish people, and respect for the tradition. It is quite remarkable that he addressed crowds in Israel as “Jews” as opposed to “Israelis”; and that some politicians referred to him as the first Jewish Prime Minister - not that the other were not Jewish but that Begin brought a Jewish character that the others did not bring to the office.

3. Personally, I am at ease with the author’s view about Begin’s Judaism that “one could harbor both a deeply humanistic convictions and passionate allegiance to one’s own people. A particularism that comes at the expense of broader humanism is inevitably narrow … But a commitment to humanity at large that does not put one’s own people at the centre … is a human life devoid of identity”

One of the gems in the book is the explanation of the Arab opposition to the 1947 partition plan: “[the Arabs] objected to the Jews, who constituted 37 per cent of the population, being given 55 percent of the land. But everyone understood that the objection was more basic they had no intention of accommodating any Jewish state in the region, no matter what its borders.” I am not sure how much that has not changed.

[Diyavol Pasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading this book, I came to know a person devoted to saving the dignity (hadar) of the Jewish people.

As an actively devoted person in the field, striving to create a long-lasting country and as a politician, one can sometimes be required to make tough decisions. Menachem was no exception in this regard. However, he was different in the sense that his sole aim was to protect his people's honor and secure their future. He did so in a "Jewish way". Not only did he save the Jewish people, but he also saved some gentiles as well. One can witness the humanitarian and psychological side of this great leader. It's also fascinating to observe in the book how one creates oneself and is shaped by the history full of suffering and the religion.

He was a unique kind of politician, a man dedicated to his ideals, and a survivor of both Nazis and Russian hardships.

[Shai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though written at times like an apologist's memoir for Menachem Begin, one looks for his leadership today. While still applying western paradigms of Jewish identity and even believing in the Jabotinsky's Iron Wall, Begin was a revolutionary who commands the respect and admiration of aspiring revolutionaries.
Though he is often seen as a rightist, his revolutionary streak gives him certainly complicates this. His offer to give all Palestinians voting rights (a move rejected by the Carter administration) complicates this. All in all, Begin's leadership showed Israel's complex right. A right that is against giving away an inch of territory, embraced Jews of Mizrahi origin yet respected Palestinian freedom fighters and possibly their aspirations. Benjamin Netanyahu is none of these things.

[Mindy Swedarsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am expanding my knowledge of Israeli history beyond the timeline of the "conflict". From this book, I learned that Begin was considered the first "Jewish" prime minister of Israel. Although the PM's before him were also Jewish, Begin brought the language of Judaism to the floor of the Knesset. Though he was not observant, he had grown up so and could and would quote Torah and Talmudic themes. The book read smoothly and acknowledged the several other biographies of Begin that had already been written. Gordis wrote about Begin through the lens of Begin's attractiveness as a leader for Mizrachi, religious Jews, the Ethiopian airlifted community and others- and why he was so controversial to so many others.

[Natan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, and learned from it. But, still, I'm not quite sure what the author was trying to do here. It's not a full-length biography, certainly, but it goes through his life and picks out specific episodes. I'm also not clear why these events were chosen and not others weren't.

I think this good for someone who wants to get maybe a different perspective on Israeli society, or history, in addition to learning about Begin himself.

Yehuda Avner's book The Prime Ministers is quotes often and for good reason. There's quite a lot of overlap between the books. If you can only read one of them, I would suggest Avner's book.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is much shorter than most biographies I have read - for example, it is only 1/3 as long as the Golda Meir biography I read last summer. Pros and cons of this truncated approach: it is more readable, and moves pretty quickly, but there are parts I would have liked more coverage on (go even further in depth on Carter/Begin relationship, or what did Begin do after Sadat was assassinated to build a relationship with Mubarak?). There was very little on Begin’s personal life.

Begin was truly a remarkable man. Given the choice between reading this or Yehuda Avner’s “The Prime Ministers” I would recommend the latter (Avner is sourced widely in the biography).

[Amy Goldman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I decided to read this book about Begin because it said “it reads like a novel,” it was definitely a difficult novel to get through (not a page turner for me). I thought it was well written with insights into Begin and his choices that I did not know prior to reading this book. It includes insights into relationships with Ben-Gurion and other leaders in Israel’s history as well as international leaders from Britain and the US and Egypt. His love of the Jewish people, Zionism and the right of Israel to exist and defend itself is evident in all he does and all the decisions he made.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Gordis is quickly becoming my favorite go to author on all things Israeli history. He is certainly a fan of Begin and does not buy into "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter theory" of Begin's life. Having grown up with Begin in the backdrop of my life, the way Carter/Reagen/Thatcher/Gorbachev were, I had the general idea that he was a "statesman" in the traditional sense of the word and a proud Jew. Reading this biography, confirmed my view of the man (maybe that's not good, as it should have challenged it).

[Kimron · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say, I am a sucker for books about Israeli history. It's important from time to time to refresh some of the things I learned in my degree. I found the author's pro-Begin bias to be thinly veiled, but didn't mind. It's nice from time to time to read a Zionist account that isn't pro Ben Gurion. I have already read Yehuda Avner's The Prime Ministers, and didn't find it necessary to have quoted from it so much.

[Alexandria Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Finally! I am working for a Jew.”

I’ve been reading a lot of Israeli history including Gordis’ book on Israel, a biography on Golda Meir, The War of Return, Bibi’s recent book. Menachim Begin is a fascinating character especially compared to his contemporaries and rivals like Ben Gurion. I can’t shake the origin story of having been fighting in between the army of the Kaiser and the Russians. Getting put in a Soviet prison.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much a biography of Menachem Begin as a history of the founding and development of the State of Israel.

So much of the philosophies recounted in this book still ring true today, as Israel fights a war against the terrorist Hamas.

[Elliot Kaufman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for its size. But too small. Any by the end I didn't really believe Gordis

[Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. Not a definitive biography of Begin, but it does an incredible job of describing his impact on Israel.

[Yosef Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good quick biography on Menachem Begin.

[Ido · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short and simple introduction to one of Israels most special leaders

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kinda failed to draw me in.

[Keren Binyamin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Jew, or anyone who wants to understand modern Jewish history, should read this book.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only a tentative rating. I do not know much about Begin so I can't really judge how well the author captured his life. When I know more I'll adjust my rating.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful look at an important character in 20th century history

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative, but felt at times as if you could tell the author was a big fan of Begin.