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Israel: Der Staatsgründer Erinnert Sich
David Ben-Gurion has been, for more than half a century, inseparably linked with the building of Israel as the Jewish State. More than any other man he is responsible for Israel's existence today; to millions of Jews, he is the Churchill of Israel. The story of his life is, in a very real sense, the story of Israel and the centuries of a dream. This book unfolds the story of Ben-Gurion's life in his own words. How he arrived in Israel in 1906, when there was no question of nationhood but rather of holding on to some rocky fields against the Bedouins. How he served in the Jewish battalion in World War I, the first Jewish military unit since the fall of Jerusalem in 73 AD. How he participated in the implementation of the Balfour Declaration, finally opening Palestine to Jewish immigration. Why, some years later, he struggled desperately against Britain's reversal of this policy on the eve of World War II, when the Nazis were preparing their "Final Solution." How he supported the illegal
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
David Ben-Gurion
53 books17 followersDavid ben Gurion, originally David Grün, active Polish-born Israeli political leader, in the Zionist movement founded the Mapai party in 1930, after World War II organized the resistance against the British, and upon independence from 1948 served as prime minister to 1953 and from 1955 to 1963.
David ben Gurion came first.
Passion of ben Gurion began early in life to a major and executive head in 1946. He headed the Jewish agency later as president of its executive de facto of the community in Palestine and largely its struggle. On 14 May 1948, he formally proclaimed the establishment of the state, helped to write the declaration, and first signed it. Ben-Gurion during the Arabs of 1948 united the various Jewish militias into the defense forces. People subsequently knew him as "father."
Ben-Gurion followed and first served. He helped to build the state institutions, presided, and aimed various national projects at the development of the country. He also oversaw the absorption of vast numbers of all Jews. A centerpiece of his foreign improved relationships with the West Germans. The Nazis persecuted Jews during the Holocaust; he worked very well with government of Konrad Adenauer in Bonn, and West Germany provided large sums in the reparations agreement in compensation.
He in 1954 resigned, served at defense, and afterward returned in 1955 to office. Arab guerrillas attacked; he responded aggressively and after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal invaded in 1956 alongside French forces.
From office, he stepped away in 1963 and from life retired in 1970. He then at Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev, lived until his death.
Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th century.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz considered Ben-Gurion "to have hated Judaism more than any other man he had met." On his religious views, Ben-Gurion was an atheist.
More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.biography.com/people/david...
David ben Gurion came first.
Passion of ben Gurion began early in life to a major and executive head in 1946. He headed the Jewish agency later as president of its executive de facto of the community in Palestine and largely its struggle. On 14 May 1948, he formally proclaimed the establishment of the state, helped to write the declaration, and first signed it. Ben-Gurion during the Arabs of 1948 united the various Jewish militias into the defense forces. People subsequently knew him as "father."
Ben-Gurion followed and first served. He helped to build the state institutions, presided, and aimed various national projects at the development of the country. He also oversaw the absorption of vast numbers of all Jews. A centerpiece of his foreign improved relationships with the West Germans. The Nazis persecuted Jews during the Holocaust; he worked very well with government of Konrad Adenauer in Bonn, and West Germany provided large sums in the reparations agreement in compensation.
He in 1954 resigned, served at defense, and afterward returned in 1955 to office. Arab guerrillas attacked; he responded aggressively and after Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal invaded in 1956 alongside French forces.
From office, he stepped away in 1963 and from life retired in 1970. He then at Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev, lived until his death.
Posthumously, Ben-Gurion was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Important People of the 20th century.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz considered Ben-Gurion "to have hated Judaism more than any other man he had met." On his religious views, Ben-Gurion was an atheist.
More: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...
http://www.biography.com/people/david...
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 29, 2021
I came across this book when I was reading Max Blumenthal’s “Goliath”, and came across this passage which acutely describe the book:
“[David Ben-Gurion] A self-described messianist who rejected the existence of God while simultaneously describing the Torah as his political guidebook, Ben Gurion saw the Negev as a blank slate for realizing his revolutionary dreams. In his memoirs, he fantasized about evacuating Tel Aviv and settling five million Jews in small settlements throughout the Negev, where they would be weaned off the rootless cosmopolitanism they inherited from life in the diaspora. Just as he disdained the worldly spirit of Tel Aviv’s urbanists, Ben Gurion was repelled by the sight of the open desert, describing it as “a reproach to mankind,” “a criminal waste,” and “occupied territory”—from his standpoint, the Arabs were the occupiers. In the place of sand dunes, he imagined a Jewish replica of Northern Europe. -Excerpt From: Max Blumenthal. “Goliath.” iBooks.
Ben-Gurion was the guy who expelled 55,000 Palestinians into the desert after colonising Lydda and Ramle in 1948, event known as "Lydda Death March".
Kwame Ture in his book "Ready for Revolution" mentions the Zionist project as avid supporter of South African racist apartheid: "As a matter of fact, these Zionist ideologues provided the strongest evidence against Israeli policies by openly revealing the naked colonialist intention at the heart of the Zionist enterprise. That was my second surprise. The third, and this was the shocker, was discovering the close military, economic, and political alliance between the Israeli government and the racist apartheid regime in South Africa."
Fayez A. Sayegh quotes Ben-Gurion from his "Rebirth and destiny of Israel":
"The State of Israel is a part of the Middle East only in geography, which is, in the main, a static element. From the decisive aspects of dynamism, creation and growth, Israel is a part of world Jewry. From that Jewry it will draw all the strength and the means for the forging of the nation in Israel and the development of the Land; through the might of world Jewry it will be built and built again."
He is highlighting the fact that, "Not only its vital and continuing association with European Imperialism, and its introduction into Palestine of the practices of Western Colonialism, but also its chosen pattern of racial exclusiveness and self-segregation renders it an alien society in the Middle East."
In the book, clearly we see the fascist elements of the Zionist thought. For example, he refers to Israel as “fulfillment of a militant Jewishness.”
Ben Gurion aim is to present Jewishness as Equivocal to Zionism. The same goal is now carried by IDF, and the fascist state of Israel by spending millions of dollars every year to talk about anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism. He also talks about colonization of Palestine, and states that without Israel Jews have to be minority somewhere else.
The very surprising element that he mentioned and was new to me, was when he referred to his Eastern European hometown of Polske: “I personally never suffered anti-semitism and Polske was relatively protected from it.”
This publication has no citation so you just have to trust the writer on the factuality of events.
After reading the first half of the book, it was made impossible to read second half because of the repetition of the same racist, ethno-nationalist colonialist ideas. He is tying every one of his actions to backwardness and emptyness of Palestine. Similar move he probably learned from other western colonizers from Australia to Africa and Americas. For example, here is quote on page 39: “I had decided to prepare to study Engeneering at the Warsaw Polytechnic Academy. I knew that Engineers would be needed to build up backward and undeveloped Palestine.”
He is also not shy to remind people about their bloodthirstyness: “we were prepared for blood on our hands in the name of Autonomy, self-determination and self-defense.” After reading this book you’ll find a very compelling reason to answer the 2021 question that why there are Israeli flags in Neo-nazi marches and blue-lives matter marches.
One of the reasons Ben Gurion (who’s birth name was David Gryn) wanted to go to Palestine as a settler, was to speak Hebrew with other Jewish people, but when he arrived he realized all the other settlers are speaking their native European languages.
On a few occasions you might come across his complaint on Israel being under attack (after the expulsion of Palestinians and colonizing Palestine) by Arabs and British. But he never mentions that creation of Israel was supported by the American and British imperialists from the beginning to this day. German funds enabled IDF to continue its genocidal war crimes against the Palestinians.
He also drops the word socialism a few times usually when he’s describing the task of nation building [on top of someone else’s land]. Similar to young colonial countries such as NewZealand, and United States these terms are made only to obscure the right-wing fascist nature of these projects.
“[David Ben-Gurion] A self-described messianist who rejected the existence of God while simultaneously describing the Torah as his political guidebook, Ben Gurion saw the Negev as a blank slate for realizing his revolutionary dreams. In his memoirs, he fantasized about evacuating Tel Aviv and settling five million Jews in small settlements throughout the Negev, where they would be weaned off the rootless cosmopolitanism they inherited from life in the diaspora. Just as he disdained the worldly spirit of Tel Aviv’s urbanists, Ben Gurion was repelled by the sight of the open desert, describing it as “a reproach to mankind,” “a criminal waste,” and “occupied territory”—from his standpoint, the Arabs were the occupiers. In the place of sand dunes, he imagined a Jewish replica of Northern Europe. -Excerpt From: Max Blumenthal. “Goliath.” iBooks.
Ben-Gurion was the guy who expelled 55,000 Palestinians into the desert after colonising Lydda and Ramle in 1948, event known as "Lydda Death March".
Kwame Ture in his book "Ready for Revolution" mentions the Zionist project as avid supporter of South African racist apartheid: "As a matter of fact, these Zionist ideologues provided the strongest evidence against Israeli policies by openly revealing the naked colonialist intention at the heart of the Zionist enterprise. That was my second surprise. The third, and this was the shocker, was discovering the close military, economic, and political alliance between the Israeli government and the racist apartheid regime in South Africa."
Fayez A. Sayegh quotes Ben-Gurion from his "Rebirth and destiny of Israel":
"The State of Israel is a part of the Middle East only in geography, which is, in the main, a static element. From the decisive aspects of dynamism, creation and growth, Israel is a part of world Jewry. From that Jewry it will draw all the strength and the means for the forging of the nation in Israel and the development of the Land; through the might of world Jewry it will be built and built again."
He is highlighting the fact that, "Not only its vital and continuing association with European Imperialism, and its introduction into Palestine of the practices of Western Colonialism, but also its chosen pattern of racial exclusiveness and self-segregation renders it an alien society in the Middle East."
In the book, clearly we see the fascist elements of the Zionist thought. For example, he refers to Israel as “fulfillment of a militant Jewishness.”
Ben Gurion aim is to present Jewishness as Equivocal to Zionism. The same goal is now carried by IDF, and the fascist state of Israel by spending millions of dollars every year to talk about anti-Zionism as anti-Semitism. He also talks about colonization of Palestine, and states that without Israel Jews have to be minority somewhere else.
The very surprising element that he mentioned and was new to me, was when he referred to his Eastern European hometown of Polske: “I personally never suffered anti-semitism and Polske was relatively protected from it.”
This publication has no citation so you just have to trust the writer on the factuality of events.
After reading the first half of the book, it was made impossible to read second half because of the repetition of the same racist, ethno-nationalist colonialist ideas. He is tying every one of his actions to backwardness and emptyness of Palestine. Similar move he probably learned from other western colonizers from Australia to Africa and Americas. For example, here is quote on page 39: “I had decided to prepare to study Engeneering at the Warsaw Polytechnic Academy. I knew that Engineers would be needed to build up backward and undeveloped Palestine.”
He is also not shy to remind people about their bloodthirstyness: “we were prepared for blood on our hands in the name of Autonomy, self-determination and self-defense.” After reading this book you’ll find a very compelling reason to answer the 2021 question that why there are Israeli flags in Neo-nazi marches and blue-lives matter marches.
One of the reasons Ben Gurion (who’s birth name was David Gryn) wanted to go to Palestine as a settler, was to speak Hebrew with other Jewish people, but when he arrived he realized all the other settlers are speaking their native European languages.
On a few occasions you might come across his complaint on Israel being under attack (after the expulsion of Palestinians and colonizing Palestine) by Arabs and British. But he never mentions that creation of Israel was supported by the American and British imperialists from the beginning to this day. German funds enabled IDF to continue its genocidal war crimes against the Palestinians.
He also drops the word socialism a few times usually when he’s describing the task of nation building [on top of someone else’s land]. Similar to young colonial countries such as NewZealand, and United States these terms are made only to obscure the right-wing fascist nature of these projects.
June 12, 2024
Complete hogwash as expected. Describes Palestine as desolate and virtually void of indigenous Palestinians, which later Israeli historians and other scholars around the world have refuted (ie Benny Morris, Illan Pape, Tony Judt, etc). The scourge of Zionism has culminated in the nakba, the world’s longest refugee problem, world’s longest occupation, tens of thousands if not millions of deaths, and increased anti-semitism. This book is utter immoral, rubbish.
August 4, 2022
Insightful, eloquent, and persuasive. The chapters “Humanists and Fighters” and “Peace” held up particularity well politically and theologically. I’m not sure if the book is still being printed, but finding a used copy is extremely worthwhile for anyone interested in the subject.
September 17, 2023
Read this many years ago
August 3, 2024
ISRAEL'S FIRST PRIME MINISTER TELLS HIS OWN STORY
David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) was the main founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel. He states in this 1970 book, that everything the Jewish people are "comes directly from the Bible. In size we are nothing as a people and never have been. Had we not been children of the Book, who would have heard of us? We should be lucky to occupy a mere footnote in history." (Pg. 16)
He states, "If the Bible is one main pillar holding up the Jewish ethos, the other... is nationhood. The uniqueness of the Jewish people and of Judaism consists in this: no other religion is connected with the physical existence of a nation. Remove Jewish history and there is no Judaism." (Pg. 21) He argues that only the Jewish people "have loved the land for itself, have worked it, improved it, made it theirs through their care for it. This was true two thousand years ago, it is equally true today. Israel is ours in the twentieth century not because we fought wars over it... but because we settled it. I have devoted my life to the act of settling this land." (Pg. 26-27) Later, he adds, "Both we and our ancestors have had to assume the dual role of humanists and fighters." (Pg. 67)
He contends that "the Jewish return to autonomy in Israel really dates from the fall of Jerusalem and Masada in the eighth decade of the Common Era... from the moment of conquest, bondage, expulsion, [the Jewish people] dedicated themselves as a people to return. All of Jewish culture strained toward that end... From the time the Jews ceased to rule here, no other people were able to make anything of Israel... Only in Jewish hands has this country been a true and viable independent State..." (Pg. 113)
Interestingly, however, he explains that "I believe that theology reverses the true sequence of events. To me it is clear that God was 'created' in the image of man as the latter's explanation to himself of the mystery of his own earthly presence." (Pg. 18) He elaborates, "Since I invoke Torah so often, let me state that I don't personally believe in the God it postulates. I mean that I cannot ... pray to a super-human Almighty Being living up in the sky... Yet, though my philosophy is secular, I believe profoundly in the God of Jeremiah and Elijah. Indeed, I consider it part of the Jewish heritage and the Jewish obligation to hold to this concept of God." (Pg. 120) Later, he adds, "I think the Jews chose their God and not, as the Torah puts it, that He chose us." (Pg. 122)
This is a fascinating and very revealing picture of a singularly important figure in the history of Israel, and of the Jewish people.
David Ben-Gurion (1886-1973) was the main founder and the first Prime Minister of Israel. He states in this 1970 book, that everything the Jewish people are "comes directly from the Bible. In size we are nothing as a people and never have been. Had we not been children of the Book, who would have heard of us? We should be lucky to occupy a mere footnote in history." (Pg. 16)
He states, "If the Bible is one main pillar holding up the Jewish ethos, the other... is nationhood. The uniqueness of the Jewish people and of Judaism consists in this: no other religion is connected with the physical existence of a nation. Remove Jewish history and there is no Judaism." (Pg. 21) He argues that only the Jewish people "have loved the land for itself, have worked it, improved it, made it theirs through their care for it. This was true two thousand years ago, it is equally true today. Israel is ours in the twentieth century not because we fought wars over it... but because we settled it. I have devoted my life to the act of settling this land." (Pg. 26-27) Later, he adds, "Both we and our ancestors have had to assume the dual role of humanists and fighters." (Pg. 67)
He contends that "the Jewish return to autonomy in Israel really dates from the fall of Jerusalem and Masada in the eighth decade of the Common Era... from the moment of conquest, bondage, expulsion, [the Jewish people] dedicated themselves as a people to return. All of Jewish culture strained toward that end... From the time the Jews ceased to rule here, no other people were able to make anything of Israel... Only in Jewish hands has this country been a true and viable independent State..." (Pg. 113)
Interestingly, however, he explains that "I believe that theology reverses the true sequence of events. To me it is clear that God was 'created' in the image of man as the latter's explanation to himself of the mystery of his own earthly presence." (Pg. 18) He elaborates, "Since I invoke Torah so often, let me state that I don't personally believe in the God it postulates. I mean that I cannot ... pray to a super-human Almighty Being living up in the sky... Yet, though my philosophy is secular, I believe profoundly in the God of Jeremiah and Elijah. Indeed, I consider it part of the Jewish heritage and the Jewish obligation to hold to this concept of God." (Pg. 120) Later, he adds, "I think the Jews chose their God and not, as the Torah puts it, that He chose us." (Pg. 122)
This is a fascinating and very revealing picture of a singularly important figure in the history of Israel, and of the Jewish people.
January 13, 2011
Nein, diese Buch taugt nichts. Autobiografien von Politikern sind schon meist problematisch, dann ist das hier auch keine Biografie am Stück, sondern eine Mischung von biografischen und Tagebucheinträgen. Langweilig, langatmig, selbstdarstellerisch.
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July 12, 2017The uttermost complex creation oft a New State in an ennemylike surrounding...fascinating lecture...
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews