The Invention of the Jewish People

A fascinating history of how a political movement has turned the world's most diverse, morally-correct culture into an ethno-centric blood-creed of cultural imperialism. It is written by a secular Jewish professor of History, who worked in France and now teaches in Tel Aviv University. This book is a history book. The first 100 pages or so beyond the introduction (which is beautiful) is very dry history or European Nationalism. It is tedious reading for the lay person but it sets the stage for the rest of the book. This book is monumental in its insight, research and revelation. The only shortcoming is that some of the sentences are structurally complex and must be read slowly. This could have been caused by the difficulties is translating from Hebrew to English. You might have noticed that the reviewers of this book either loved it or hated it, as evidenced by 5 Star and 1 star review rating numbers are much more than 2, 3, or 4 star ratings. There an obvious reason for that. Sand makes a simple case, based on solid history and references, that the "Jewish race" is an invention of European elitists, driven by the perceived need to nationalize a morally correct, religious, mystical culture. Zionism turned the historic character of this culture on its head. Shlomo simply shows that the tribal perception that all Jews are related by blood, has been exploited to the maximum, and Sand proves this "Jewish" association to be totally false. Judaism is/was a religious ethnic group/culture through most of its history, and only recently has been remodeled primarily as a blood-identity ethnic group. Many Palestinians could have more of the original tribal "Jewish blood" than do the Eastern European converts that now oppress them. Few rural Jewish farmers were ever "driven into exile" and may well have converted to Islam centuries ago to keep their farms, and to keep his/her family from scattering into abject poverty and/or homelessness in the wilderness, either of which could have been literally life-threatening. The great coversions to Judaism in Eastern Europe, North of the Black Sea, in the 700-1000 CE centuries were never recognized by the Zionist, as they rallied Jewish people to believe they were all "bloodline" inheritors of the holy land. This ignoring of historical conversions was essential for the tribal consciousness required to justify the Zionists terrorists seizing farms from indigenous people of former Palestine. The first 100 pages of the text is difficult reading, as Sand teaches us about the world race towards nationalism in the 20th and 19th century, of which Nazi Germany was the most notorious example. There were rediculous myths and stories of nations' blood line identities in many countries and ethnic groups. The European Jewish people were no different and started the Zionist movement around the turn of the century. After the first 100 pages or so, the book becomes very interesting. There are footnotes at the bottom of each page, and a robust index. The book ends declaring that one true democratic State (not a two-state solution; and not an exclusive "Jewish State") of all Israelis, and a right of return for both the indigenous Palestinians as well as Jews, is the only way to peace in Israel. That's why this book is so contraversial.

also read: Evron's JEWISH STATE OR ISRAELI NATION? Sands is a scholar's scholar. I think any Arab or Palestinian who decides to take revenge on Israel and kill all the Jews should first spend a year at an Israeli university. There you find truly beautiful minds with giant hearts. There you find the real Jewish Ethic struggling with the Zionist Myth. There you find thinking, debating, talking and delving into complexity as you find nowhere else. If you think we need another Holocaust to rid the world of Jews,then write down your reasons on a paper, put it in your pocket, and go to any Israeli university. There you will see that your reasons apply to no one there. You will see that Jewish intellect-- even Israeli intellect-- cannot be characterized in any generality as Jewish/Israeli intellect is always: SIX OF THE WORLD'S BEST MINDS ARGUING ENDLESSLY OVER SEVEN OPINIONS. So how could you have a reason to love them, to hate them, to be neutral towards them....IT IS AN ENDLESS ROLLERCOSTER RIDE!!!! Their intellect cannot be pinned down to this and that. All you can say is that Israelis/Jews are divers. They love to dive into the darkness of complexity and bring back to the light of understanding to the surface. Then, only then, ask yourself if you really want to destroy these monuments to human evolution. Israel is not where you find perfection. But it is where you find endless contemplation. Israelis are *SECRETLY* constantly searching their souls asking: WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? They have been over-propagandized with the HOLOCAUST and think it is an INEVITABLE fate, like a Sword of Damocles, hanging over their heads. They are scared that 1) Diaspora Jews will abandon them; b) that their past lack of mensch-hood will come to haunt them and cause them to become victims again and; 3) that everyone hates them because they think they are miserable people. Well, my father was just like an Israeli Jew. That is because he is an East European. We are not very easy to take. Me, I'm far more traveled than my dad and never felt compelled to prove myself to others or to compete in order to survive. But East Euros are all like that. I'm more like my mom-- East Euro women are wonderful, like Asian women. They are everything the men are not. Well, Sands, like Boas Evron, is trying to tell you that, when you strip the Zionist myths of some sort of blood line identity, what you've got is the best of Eastern Europe because the Jews who "came back to the Holy Land" are really East Euros from a long line of converts. You see, Judaism spread north far, far faster than it could through reproduction and migration. Like Christianity, it was Middle Eastern monotheist mysticism that got right to the heart of East Euros. Unfortunately, Israel is really East Euros who rightly despised how they were treated by their fellow East Euros so they moved to Palestine and there are treating the Arabs exactly as they were treated. Hey, no one is perfect! These two books-- Evron and Sands-- are hard to read. Afterall, guys who learn European languages think like European in complex sentences. None of the American type: "Jack and Jill went up the hill. Jack turned to Jill. Jill said "what?" Jack jumped her bones. Jill loved it...." No, it's more like: "Jack, step by step, Jill's right hand in his left--eyes fixed on her small (nevertheless succulent cleavage"-- and those ankles...Lord God, how did you think of making such ankles...so gracefully walking up the hill-- made love fire up his brain and desire burn in his loins....." Get what I mean? But don't be put off by that, nor by the small print. When you read them both, you are left wondering: my God, from afar Israelis all seem like Zionazis. Yet, there they go, producing such deep introspection. Everyone of these books that you would imagine would produce a scandal about Zionism and surely would be suppressed by American Zionists, labeling them "anti-Semitic," in fact, are common fare in Israel and create quite a discussion. Why? Because Israelis are the sabra children of East Euro's best intellectuals. Sabra is a prickly plant and that they are indeed, but they are the BEST minds of a Europe that may have been primitive and wild but, nevertheless, regarded its intellectuals as gifts from God. It is unfortunate that they so mistreated their Jews. But you see, East Euros ALWAYS HURT THE ONE THEY LOVE and live the rest of their lives in tragedy. I'd say the main problem is that we're kind of paranoid and, therefore, extremely jealous. Take Stalin, he came to love Jews as his mentors and teachers as he moved from the path of an Eastern Orthodox monk to that of a Communist revolutionary. But as soon as he saw Golda Meyer come to Moscow as Israel's ambassador and how Jews bowed to her in admiration as a rep from the world's first Jewish State, he got jealous and began the Doctors' Plot. Everything is a lot more complicated to be sure, but there's truth in what I say. Jews in East Europe are OF US so they are like us....That's why no one likes them as no one likes us: because we're perpetual drama queens. But go to Israel and see how--even the wrong headed and the hasbara liars-- they produce such marvelous thinking and have such kind hearts (though they have an inferiority complex, are paranoid and very jealous types) that you leave wondering: HOW THE HELL COULD ANYONE HATE THESE PEOPLE. Well, then read BLOODLANDS to see what a murderous place East Euro was through the 1930s and 40s. I can't believe that I'm still alive. Perhaps, the East Euro Israelis should intermarry with the Italian ones to soften their edges. But, be that as it may, these two books: Sands and Evron will make you understand and see what BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE ISRAELIS ARE and what victims they are of insecurity, fearing betrayal by their kin in Diaspora-- that's what they think will bring about their Holocaust. Yet, when you get Israeli Jews and Arabs together, invariably you realize: Wow, these guys are family...it just clicks perfectly. So read about Israeli Jews and Arabs and East Euro too and you'll see that, though a pain in the ass, they are well worth putting up with and trying to keep up with their genius because beneath it all is the best heart of mankind. I would love nothing more than to end my days as a goy olim making my aliyah to Israel where I'd be on their turf and nobody there would tell me: "you can't talk about that because if you question in any way Zionist exceptionalism, you're an anti-Semite. No way, in Israel you've got brilliant intellectuals who-- if they're not doing brilliant science-- are disemboweling all their myths subjecting them to philosophical inquiry. In conclusion, what I'm saying is read anything an Israeli writes introspectively because you know it is profound, in no way self-sparing (even brutal) and will make you think, think, think. In America that's exactly what we need to do to avoid waking up one morning and realizing that we're nothing but a bunch of chimps who can only say: "SAVE ME JESUS!" Reading Jewish self-criticism or inteospection is the best way to immunize yourself against anti-Semitsm and to see what a wonderful home for your mind is an Israeli cafe. As soon as Arabs realize that, there will be wonderful family gatherings between the two....all it takes is tweeking Israeli's East Euro craziness. Sands is a perfect example of mensch-hood with limitless intellectual courage. But the fine print and torturous Englsih syntax...oy!

Good and interesting book, well written and well documented. Not that easy to read, the work of a great scholar.

Un excelente libro.

Interesting book, I learned a lot. Shlomo Sand takes a fair perspective outside of the religious dogma that dominates the boomer generation in Jewish and evangelical Christian zio circles.

I highly recommend this comprehensive and very well written book by Shlomo Sand. For people interested in why politics drives into certain directions and leads to path dependency, into apparently ineluctable stable constellations, Sand recapitulates modern instruments in historical sciences since the 1980ies, that is to say the reality of constructivism in its consequences, and comes back to the politics of normative definition, decisive in politics. Worthwile view on the concept of "nation" and and "nationalism" in the modern age adapted to the specific subject matter. If one is interested in humanities: An interesting and important lens for the wish to understand the sociopolitical situation in the middle-east. Moreover: Very well written.

Livro muito bom. Reflete não apenas sobre a formação de uma consciência judaica, mas também sobre transformações dessa consciência por meio de narrativas e ideologias ao longo de diversos períodos históricos. Concordando ou discordando do autor, o leitor, certamente, terá um momento de reflexão e amadurecimento. Verá que, ao final, não somente o povo judeu teve sua invenção, mas que, na linha de B. Anderson, todas as comunidades são imaginadas, criadas, recriadas, narradas e o sentido coletivo é uma construção narrativa ficcional com carga histórico-ideológica que é dotada do valor quase que dogmático de verdade em toda e qualquer nação ou comunidade. Assim, o sentido de pertencimento, sempre será daqueles que se adequarem à visão dominante e sua "narrativa verdadeira". Mas, o leitor crítico, expandirá o estudo e verá que não apenas todas as comunidades são imaginadas, todas as narrativas são fictícias como, e mais importante, no final, tudo é literatura ou mentira, conforme o prisma que se usa para tratar de qualquer cultura ou comunidade.