A book from Jewish Lights, SkyLight Paths’ sister imprint
Illuminates the importance of Israel for Jews & examines the return to Zion as a significant theological event that can also strengthen the Christian faith. A clear & accessible introduction to the meaning of Israel for the Jewish People & the world.
Rabbi Eugene Korn, PhD
Paperback
5½ x 8½, 192 pp | 978-1-58023-318-7
A window into the Jewish People’s connection to Israel—written especially for Christians.
“Israel has taken Jewish sacred history, peoplehood, and ethics out of the realm of speculation and put them into the crucible of real life experience. In returning the Jewish People to its homeland, Israel has returned Jews to material reality—with all its challenges. The Jewish People’s return to the Land returns Judaism to its original vision and the Jewish People to the responsibilities of the biblical covenant.”
—from Chapter 9
Along with illuminating the importance of Israel for Jews, this special book examines the Jewish return to Zion as a significant theological event that strengthens the foundations of the Christian faith and its mission.
In clear and accessible language, this introduction guides Christians through the essential meanings of Israel for the Jewish People and for the world. It defines Israel as an indispensable part of Judaism’s vision for the Jewish People to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy people,” as a partner with God in the Bible’s sacred covenant. It examines Israel, a sovereign Jewish state, as a safe refuge and home for Jews fleeing persecution anywhere in the world, and how this gives meaning to the Jewish People’s convictions that the future can be more secure than the past.
The State of Israel stands at the center of how Jews see themselves today as individuals as well as at the center of the Jewish People’s collective self-perception. As a result, understanding Judaism and the Jewish People is possible only by grasping the Jewish hopes, dreams and experiences that center around Israel, the promised land.
“Direct, readable [and] accessible for a wide audience.... Provide[s] Christians with a genuine feeling for how Jews today perceive the reality of Israel.”
—Catholic Library World
“Informative.... Filled with interesting tidbits and opinions of which even Jewish readers may not be aware.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Essential reading for Christians who want to understand Israel as believing Jews understand both it and themselves.... Shows why the Land of Israel is theologically and pragmatically necessary for most Jews and dispels many myths that bedevil the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
—Dr. Gerald McDermott, professor of religion, Roanoke College
“Delivers on its promise. Highly readable, it should be on the shelf of any Christian interested in understanding the Jewish People.”
—Dr. Eugene J. Fisher, director emeritus of Catholic-Jewish Relations, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
“Just the book we need at precisely the time that we need it. It will be the primer for non-Jews to read if they want a deeper understanding of why this tiny land looms so large in the Jewish heart and mind.”
—Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin, editor, A Dream of Zion: American Jews Reflect on Why Israel Matters to Them
“Documents the love and commitment of a people for a land—always emphasizing the Jewish biblical and historical rights to Israel—in a most engaging manner and without sacrificing accurate scholarship. Anyone truly interested in understanding the Jewish connection to Israel will greatly benefit from this book.”
—Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of the city of Efrat, Israel; chancellor, Ohr Torah Stone Institutions, Israel
“A very worthwhile project. It lays the foundation for continuing dialogue between Jews and Christians by chronicling the biblical roots of Judaism, and situating the hopes, dreams, and experiences of contemporary Israel within context of the Promised Land.”
—Anthony J. Cernera, president, Sacred Heart University
