Zionism, more than any other social and political movement in the modern era, has completely and fundamentally altered the self-image of the Jewish people and its relations with the non- Jewish world. As the dominant expression of Jewish nationalism, Zionism revolutionized the very concept of Jewish peoplehood, taking upon itself the transformation of the Jewish people from a minority into a majority, and from a diaspora community into a territorial one. Bringing together for the first time the work of the most distinguished historians of Zionism and the Yishuv (pre-state Israeli society), many never before translated into English, this volume offers a comprehensive treatment of the history of Zionism. The contributions are diverse, examining such topics as the ideological development of the Jewish nationalist movement, Zionist trends in the Land of Israel, and relations between Jews, Arabs, and the British in Palestine. Contributors include: Jacob Katz, Shmuel Almog, Yosef Salmon, David Vital, Steven J. Zipperstein, Michael Heymann, Jonathan Frankel, George L. Berlin, Israel Oppenheim, Gershon Shaked, Joseph Heller, Hagit Lavsky, and Bernard Wasserstein.

The relationship between nationalism and religion has throughout history been a stormy one, often characterized by antagonisms and antipathy. In this anthology, scholars from Israel and the US examine from various perspectives -- history, sociology, theology, law, political science -- the complex nexus within Judaism of these two sources of repeated ideological and political dispute. Essays are grouped around four themes: tradition and modernity in Eastern Europe; Orthodoxy, Liberalism, and Zionism in Western Europe; Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism in the United States; and traditional Zionism in the Yishuv. Together these authors address a fundamental question: was religion the essential foundation for Zionism, or a traditional component now amenable to modern interpretation? The result, the editors write, is a clearer understanding that "the permutations in the dynamic interaction between nationalism and religion are not confined solely to the plane of historical events, but are also evident in society and the intellectual sphere." CONTRIBUTORS: Shlomo Avineri, Israel Bartal, Stuart Cohen, Evyatar Friesel, Lloyd Gartner, Jeffrey Gurock, Israel Kolatt, Ehud Luz, Michael Meyer, Aviezer Ravitzky, Yosef Salmon, Jonathan Sarna, Chaim Schatzker, Yaron Tsur, Robert Wistrich, Steven Zipperstein, Yaakov Zur, and the editors