Track My Order
Help Centre
1300 187 187
Likes
My Wish ListsLogin / Join
Booktopia
Australia's local bookstore
Jews and Power : Jewish Encounters Series - Ruth R. Wisse

Jews and Power

By: Ruth R. Wisse

Hardcover | 28 August 2007 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover

$45.50

or 4 interest-free payments of $11.38 with

 or 

Aims to ship in 10 to 15 business days

Taking in everything from the Kingdom of David to the Oslo Accords, Ruth Wisse offers a radical new way to think about the Jewish relationship to power. Traditional Jews believed that upholding the covenant with God constituted a treaty with the most powerful force in the universe; this later transformed itself into a belief that, unburdened by a military, Jews could pursue their religious mission on a purely moral plain. Wisse, an eminent professor of comparative literature at Harvard, demonstrates how Jewish political weakness both increased Jewish vulnerability to scapegoating and violence, and unwittingly goaded power-seeking nations to cast Jews as perpetual targets.
Although she sees hope in the State of Israel, Wisse questions the way the strategies of the Diaspora continue to drive the Jewish state, echoing Abba Eban's observation that Israel was the only nation to win a war and then sue for peace. And then she draws a persuasive parallel to the United States today, as it struggles to figure out how a liberal democracy can face off against enemies who view Western morality as weakness. This deeply provocative book is sure to stir debate both inside and outside the Jewish world. Wisse's narrative offers a compelling argument that is rich with history and bristling with contemporary urgency.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Ruth Wisse's Jews and Power

"In an era of deepening political and moral confusion, Ruth Wisse supplies a voice that is both clarion and courageous. Hers is a vital message for anyone who cares about Israel's fate and the future of the Jewish people. Jews and Power is a book for our times and a cogent call for clarity."
-Michael Oren, author of Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East, 1776 to the Present

"Wisse's brilliantly discerning analysis supplies insights so historically striking, and so currently indispensable, that no honest thinker can do without them."
-Cynthia Ozick, author of Heir to the Glimmering World

"A book . . . that celebrates the Jewish return to sovereign power, in all its promise and complexity, is as unusual as it is welcome. Wisse has written such a book . . . [Jews and Power is] a good, fighting book that contains much information in few pages."
-New York Times Book Review

"Challenging, erudite and penetrating. . . Wisse shows no fear in these pages in saying exactly what she thinks, and you can't help but be impressed with her chutzpah, even if you totally disagree with her . . . Jews and Power makes no claim for objectivity, but it is an elucidating book. It will cause liberals to question their self-consciousness about Israel, since Wisse's argument about Jewish apologism challenges liberal ideas of victimhood. For conservatives, the book offers an intellectual understanding of what otherwise might seem to be only tribalistic loyalties.
-Los Angeles Times

You Can Find This Book In

Non-FictionReligion & BeliefsJudaismSociety & CultureSocial GroupsSocial & Cultural Aspects of Religious GroupsJewish StudiesHistorySpecific Events & Topics in HistorySocial & Cultural HistoryMind, Body, SpiritFiction
Modern & Contemporary FictionPhilosophyPolitics & GovernmentPolitical Science & Theory

More in Political Science & Theory

War - Bob Woodward

War

Hardcover

RRP $55.00

$39.90

27%
OFF
The Republic : Penguin Classics - Plato

The Republic

Penguin Classics

Paperback

$17.99

Filming the First : Cinematic Portrayals of Freedom of the Press - Helen J. Knowles

Filming the First

Cinematic Portrayals of Freedom of the Press

Hardcover

RRP $206.00

$160.75

22%
OFF
Pedagogy of the Oppressed : PMC - Paulo Freire

Pedagogy of the Oppressed

PMC

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$17.75

23%
OFF
The Road to Freedom : Economics and the Good Society - Joseph Stiglitz

The Road to Freedom

Economics and the Good Society

Paperback

RRP $36.99

$33.25

10%
OFF
My Own Words - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

My Own Words

Paperback

RRP $34.99

$31.75

The Prince : The Design by Coralie Bickford-Smith - Niccolo Machiavelli

The Prince

The Design by Coralie Bickford-Smith

Hardcover

RRP $24.99

$23.75

On Western Terrorism : From Hiroshima to Drone Warfare - Noam Chomsky

On Western Terrorism

From Hiroshima to Drone Warfare

Paperback

RRP $17.99

$17.25

Notes on Nationalism : Penguin Modern - George Orwell

Notes on Nationalism

Penguin Modern

Paperback

$2.50

This product is categorised by

Popular Searches