I have been asked on several occasions when I guide to provide a recommended English reading list to understand Israel. I have always appreciated the question, but have always struggled to put such a list together. Where does one start? There is so much archaeology, history, culture, religion, war, politics, ecology, geography, etc. that make up the story of the land of Israel. One can easily get lost in the myriads of perspectives and conflicting philosophies. To find a book, or books that can provide a synopsis of the Israeli experience is no small feat. I talk about the issues for a living, and I still feel that there is still much to learn. That said, I have put some thought into a potential list.
This list of books can be useful to anyone, but it is made with the religious Jew in mind. It is also tailormade to my mission of showing that Judaism and academia can coexist. Below are a few books that I would deem important reads, with links to purchase via my Amazon affiliate link. This list is by no means exhaustive. I don’t endorse everything that is written in all of these books, and for those that could be concerned, not all of them are written from a Torah perspective. Did I miss a book that you feel would be important to understanding Israel? I would be happy for anyone to chime in on other recommendations.
The Bible– One cannot understand anything about the Jewish (and Christian) relationship with the land of Israel without an understanding of the Bible. I personally benefitted very much from the Living Torah, and the 3 volume Living Nach Series:
- The Living Torah: https://amzn.to/37TG3Ew
- The Early Prophets: https://amzn.to/2VXc5NG
- The Later Prophets: https://amzn.to/3AO3dbK
- The Sacred Writings: https://amzn.to/3AVB1E3
For a non-traditional academic approach, which is important to understand the issues in biblical criticism and archaeology I would recommend:
- The Jewish Study Bible: https://amzn.to/3ATWbT4
Biblical Atlas- It’s one thing to know the stories, it’s another to get context with geography, and a brief synopsis of the places and artifacts.
- Carta Biblical Atlas: https://amzn.to/3y5QFur
For books that introduce and or provide answers to issues in archaeology, biblical criticism, historicity of the exodus, national revelation, creation narrative etc. here are some books I found informative:
- Ani Maamin by Rabbi Joshua Berman: https://amzn.to/3sDqBpp
- Created Equal: How the Bible Broke with Ancient Political Thought by Rabbi Joshua Berman: https://amzn.to/3z9Mxes
- Places in the Parsha: Biblical Geography and its Meaning by Rabbi Yoel Elitzur: https://amzn.to/383GKet
- Challenge of Creation by Rabbi Natan Slifkin: https://amzn.to/3B6zF9B
- Sacred Monsters by Rabbi Natan Slifkin: https://amzn.to/3B2dRMi
- Judaism Reclaimed: Philosophy and Theology in the Torah by Rabbi Shmuli Philips: https://amzn.to/3j7mv63
- Reason to Believe by Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb: https://amzn.to/3B2UxOR
- Israel in Egypt by James Hoffmeier: https://amzn.to/3goiE2G
- 1177 BC The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline: https://amzn.to/384ScXi
- From Eden to Exile by Eric Cline: https://amzn.to/2UEBgnt
- The Creation of History in Ancient Israel by Marc Bertler: https://amzn.to/3gnWXzz
- The Chronology of the Kings of Israel and Judah (Studies in the History and Culture of the Ancient Near East) by Gershon Galil: https://amzn.to/3sCy2gE
For a general knowledge about the 2nd Temple, Talmudic, and Geonic periods I recommend:
- The works of Josephus: https://amzn.to/2XDUF90
- Carta’s Illustrated Josephus the Jewish War: https://amzn.to/3mtrXCp
- A Temple in Flames by Gershon Bar-Cochva and Ahron Horovitz: https://amzn.to/3mmQwRf
- Echoes of Glory by Rabbi Berel Wein. Easy read. It gives a basic traditional non-academic overview of the period: https://amzn.to/2WbXVry
- The Sages Volume 1 by Rabbi Benny Lau: https://amzn.to/381e59S
- The Sages Volume 2 by Rabbi Benny Lau: https://amzn.to/382JTLx
- The Sages Volume 3 by Rabbi Benny Lau: https://amzn.to/384ihFU
- The Ancient Synagogue by Lee I. Levine: https://amzn.to/3j7KTnT
The Crusader Mameluke and Ottoman Periods:
- The Crusades: The War for the Holy Land by Thomas Asbridge: https://amzn.to/3zaCLZl
- Jewish Travelers in the Middle Ages: 19 Firsthand Accounts by Elkan Nathan Adler: https://amzn.to/3y5hgI9
- Maimonides: The Life and World of One of Civilization’s Greatest Minds by Joel L. Kraemer: https://amzn.to/3sKzsWv
- Tsfat the Mystical City by Dovid Rossoff: https://amzn.to/3D20Mo1
- The Jewish State by Theodore Herzl: https://amzn.to/382O6yP
- Old New Land by Theodore Herzl: https://amzn.to/3D5lP97
- The Making of Eretz Israel in the Modern Era: A Historical-Geographical Study (1799-1949) by Yehoshua Ben-Arieh: https://amzn.to/3gpEAKF
- Jerusalem in the 19th Century by Yehoshua Ben-Arieh: https://amzn.to/3B2jQAF
The British Mandate to Modern Periods:
- The Balfour Declaration: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Jonathan Schneer: https://amzn.to/3sF1VNC
- Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution by Yehudah Mirsky: https://amzn.to/3sDdDYK
- Defenders of the Faith: Inside Ultra-Orthodox Jewry by Samuel C. Heilman: https://amzn.to/3mpi8Fd
- 1948: A History of the First Arab-Israeli War by Benny Morris: https://amzn.to/3mnpaKJ
- Six Days of War by Michael Oren: https://amzn.to/3mkhWHz
- Catch-67: The Left, the Right, and the Legacy of the Six-Day War by Micah Goodman: https://amzn.to/38azFZr
- Start-Up Nation by Dan Senor and Saul Singer: https://amzn.to/3zcIC0y
I will be updating this list periodically as I have more time. If you wish to experience Israel first hand, make sure to reach out and book a tour!