"It was not the security of biblical Israel’s states, but rather the fear of those states’ collapse, that established a national Jewish consciousness."

Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis

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"It was not the security of biblical Israel’s states, but rather the fear of those states’ collapse, that established a national Jewish consciousness."

A conversation with Professor Jacob Wright about his new book "Why the Bible Began", and how it is catastrophe, not victory, that has always defined Judaism.

Nov 17, 2023

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Jews, despite what everyone may think, are not a people about celebration. Indeed, argues Jacob Wright in a fascinating new book, we’re a nation that formed its defining narrative around defeat.

Here’s how he put it in an article in Azure a few years ago:

While defeat indeed brought down Israel’s first states (the Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.E., and of …

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Israel from the Inside with Daniel Gordis

Israel from the Inside is for people who want to understand Israel with nuance, who believe that Israel is neither hopelessly flawed and illegitimate, nor beyond critique. If thoughtful analysis of Israel and its people interests you, welcome!

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