Zionism and the Creation of a New Society

Zionism and the Creation of a New Society is an analysis of thedevelopment of the Jewish State. Tracing the history of Zionism from the latenineteenth century to World War II, the authors demonstrate the continuitybetween the principles and practices of the Zionist movement and the social andpolitical structure of Israel today. The idea of Jewish sovereignty as the meansto solve the "Jewish problem" is reflected in the cultural, economic, and socialinstitutions of contemporary Israeli society. Jehuda Reinharz and the late BenHalpern, two of the foremost scholars of modern Jewish history in the UnitedStates, have produced a most accessible, comprehensive, and incisive history ofZionism in the English language.

Jehuda Reinharz is Richard Koret Professor of Modern Jewish History and President of Brandeis University. He is the author, editor, and coeditor of numerous volumes, including Essential Papers on Zionism (1996), Chaim Weizmann: The Making of a Statesman (OUP, 1993), Chaim Weizmann: The Making of a Zionist Leader (OUP, 1985), and Israel in the Middle East (OUP, 1984). Dr. Reinharz is also General Editor of the "Studies in Jewish History" series published by Oxford University Press.
Ben Halpern (1912-1990) was Professor Emeritus of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University. Among his distinguished studies of the modern Jewish experience are A Clash of Heroes: Brandeis, Weizmann, and American Zionism (OUP, 1987), The Idea of the Jewish State (1969), Jews and Blacks (1971), and The American Jew: A Zionist Analysis (1956).