City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem Reviews
City of Stone: The Hidden History of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is more than a holy city built of stone. Domain of Muslims, Jews, and Christians, Jerusalem is a perpetual contest, and its shrines, housing projects, and bulldozers compete in a scramble for possession. Now one of Jerusalem’s most respected authorities presents a history of the city that does not fall prey to any one version of its past.
Meron Benvenisti begins with a reflection on the 1996 celebration of Jerusalem’s 3000-year anniversary as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. He then juxtaposes eras, dynasties, and rulers in ways that provide grand comparative insights. But unlike recent politically motivated histories written to justify the claims of Jews and Arabs now living in Jerusalem, Benvenisti has no such agenda. Hi
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Jerusalem Muslim Israel disputes,
Okay, the author is not an absolutist, unapologetic pro-Israeli. I marked up the book as I read it. When I initially finished it I felt somewhat disheartened about the book. I thought the book would be more about the history of almost every significant stone or brick in the city: where Jesus stubbed his toe while walking (and the religious significance of that) or where King David or another prophet found something of religious significance–but not to be. But after re-reading my marginal marks I realized how good this book really is. I thought that I had read a fair number of books about the Arab-Israeli wars and knew it all, but I found many new tidbits of information regarding the demarcation cease-fire lines from the 1948 War of Independence here, and explanations as to why the British and French were so interested in Palestine. (This is not a history of Christian missionaries in Palestine.) The author does cover a lot of Jerusalem history since King David, and reviews the theological importance of Jerusalem to Jews, Christians and Muslims. (This is NOT a bed-and-breakfast travel guide to Jerusalem!). The author does note the Muslim anti-Christian slogans in the Dome of the Rock. (This is not a history of the Muslim massacre of thousands of Jews during the 1920-40s, nor is it history of the Jews trying to defend themselves from Muslim attacks, nor a history of tank battles during the wars.) This is not a deep theological analysis of the religious beliefs in Palestine, but it is a very good review of the history of the theology as to how Jews claim this land, how Muslims demand unquestioned ownership of the Temple Mount, and how Christians are just caught up in this maelstrom. One of the major shortcomings of the author is his failure to note the intensity of the anti-Jewish and anti-Christian tenants in the Quran (as noted in Robert Spencer’s: “The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam”). Another companion book to read is Gorenberg’s “The End of Days.”
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|A different History of Jerusalem,
Written by a former deputy mayor of Jerusalem, this historical account looks at the last 150 years of Jerusalem’s history in the context of reaching a peaceful solution to this divided city. Though written from the Israeli point of view, the book delicately handles issues of institutionalized discrimination against the city’s Arab inhabitants and their national aspirations, often accurately representing the Arab side of the story on equal terms. The book excels in exposing the problems the city faces under Israeli rule. It also decisively critiques the myriad “solutions” to the city’s problems and explains why they are unworkable. Where the book fails is in suggesting a workable solution. Written in the latter 1990s, the book seems to attach an unreasonable hope on the Oslo peace process, which as we know now, ended in failure. Still, this is a must-read book for anyone wishing to understand the complexity of the issues surrounding the Holy City.
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|But I may be prejudiced. This is not a review–it’s info.,
I just want to let you know that Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta, translator of Meron Benvenisti’s latest book, Sacred Landscape, and Maxine Kaufman Nunn, translator of his previous book, City of Stone, are one and the same person–me. It would really be great if your link “all books by Maxine Kaufman-Lacusta” would include “and Maxine Kaufman Nunn” so that City of Stone would be included. Thanks.
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