Impossible Takes Longer

75 Years After Its Creation, Has Israel Fulfilled Its Founders’ Dreams?

By: Daniel Gordis

Narrated by: Rob Shapiro

WINNER OF THE RABBI SACKS BOOK PRIZE

A nuanced examination of the Israel’s past, present, and future, after reaching its seventy-fifth anniversary and enduring its most challenging year ever, from the two-time National Jewish Book Award–winning author of Israel. Revised and updated throughout for the paperback edition.

In 1948, Israel’s founders sought a “national home for the Jewish people,” where Jewish life would be transformed. The state they ultimately made, says Daniel Gordis, is a place of extraordinary success and maddening disappointment, a story of both unprecedented human triumph and great suffering.

When it marked its seventy-fifth anniversary, Israel was in the throes of a judicial reform crisis, its most dangerous internal rupture ever. Then, with the October 7th War, it was attacked from the outside and plunged into existential uncertainty. In light of those first seventy-five years and the events of 2023 that shook the country to its core, Gordis asks: Has Israel fulfilled the dreams of its founders?

Using Israel’s Declaration of Independence, Gordis measures Israel’s achievements, critiques its failures, and acknowledges its inherent contradictions—ultimately suggesting that, though it has often fallen short, the Jewish state is a success far beyond anything its founders could have imagined.

Good overview of Israeli and international views State of Israel

I like the author’s overviews: historic, Zionist and non-Zionist, Israeli and Arab, international and USA in particular. The author might have discussed Arab Jews in greater length, including their family histories, centuries long histories in Arab lands, changes in perceptions of them in the 20th century and Self-perceptions, and how this culturally Arab population integrated with the rest of Israel once home in the state of Israel.

I might read other books by the author but in general, being from the USA myself, I’m more interested in the different information from Jews who are not from the USA.

Important read

This is a great overview of Israel’s challenges, opportunities, and progress amidst immense challenges. Especially important today.

Nuanced and Thoughtful

Reading this post October 7th raises many more questions than answers, but the analysis overall is thought-provoking and balanced.
Minor performance annoyance: the reader mispronounced Hebrew and Arabic names of people and places more than a few times. Seems like a basic requirement for this recording would have been to verify and help the reader pronounce things correctly...
Would absolutely recommend this to anyone interested in understanding and thinking about Israel and the Jewish people.

Has Israel fulfilled its dream?

As usual, Daniel Gordis writes in a way that is inviting yet biting at times.

The principle of this book is that Israel's Declaration of Independence is the basis for which we will look at the question "Has Israel fulfilled its Founders' Dreams?" And in typical fashion, Daniel Gordis answers the question not one way or the other, but showing that, like history is apt to show, there is no black-and-white answer. While Israel has fulfilled the dreams of its founders in some ways, it has, in other ways, failed immensely.

A great book.

What an Analysis - An Incredible Book

Thought provoking, insightful, and introspective. So many ways to dissect so many issues. Very balanced. Fantastic reader.