Homeland: The Illustrated History of the State of Israel

by Marv Wolfman, Mario Ruiz, William J. Rubin

Overview

Gold Medal Non-fiction Young Adult Moonbeam Book Award winner
 
Depicting the history of Israel from biblical Abraham to the present, this sophisticated, four-color graphic adaptation is academically grounded, guiding readers through highlights both in historical detail and from Israel's world view. History, religion, politics, and the current Middle East situation are all given comprehensive coverage in the text, which opens in a university setting with a professor teaching a series of sessions on Middle East/Near East modern history, beginning with Israel. With painted art that jumps right off the page, this crash course is an absorbing way for readers to absorb, understand, and retain key information about 4,000 years of complicated history.

The second edition, updated through July 2008, includes the Winograd Commission Report on the war in Lebanon, the threat to Israel by Iran, and Israel’s 60th anniversary as a State.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780977150717
Publisher:	Nachshon Press LLC
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Pages:	120
Product dimensions:	8.25(w) x 10.88(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Marv Wolfman is a creator and writer of children's books, novels, television, animation, and comic books, including Blade, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman Returns, and Teen Titans. He lives in Los Angeles. Mario Ruiz is the creator and artist of the graphic novels Sampson: Judge of Israel and Testament, the former editor-in-chief and creator of Metron Press, the founder of Valor Comics, and an advertising and graphic design art director. He lives in New York City. William J. Rubin is CEO of Nachson Press LLC and the project architect. He lives in Chicago.

Read an Excerpt

Homeland

The Illustrated History of the State of Israel

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By Marv Wolfman, Mario Ruiz

Nachshon Press LLC

Copyright © 2008 Nachshon Press, LLC
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-9771507-2-4

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CHAPTER 1

THE ISRAELITES BEGIN THEIR STORY IN THE BEGINNING ...

... GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH.

THE FIRST 11 CHAPTERS OF THE HEBREW BIBLE FOCUS GEOGRAPHICALLY ON THE AREA THAT STRETCHES FROM MESOPOTAMIA IN THE EAST TO EGYPT IN THE WEST.

THIS AREA HAS BEEN CALLED THE FERTILE CRESCENT, BUT CONTAINS SOME HARSH DESERT LANDSCAPES AS WELL. EARLY CIVILIZATIONS FLOURISH

TO THE EAST, THE SUMERIANS BUILD FORTIFIED CITIES FROM MUD BRICK. THEY FORGE BRONZE TOOLS AND PRODUCE THE EARLIEST WRITTEN LANGUAGE ON CLAY TABLETS.

TO THE WEST, THE EGYPTIANS ESTABLISH A POWERFUL EMPIRE AND ADVANCE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCES LIKE MATHEMATICS AND ASTRONOMY.

LINKING EAST AND WEST IS CANAAN, A LAND-BRIDGE BETWEEN THESE TWO IMPRESSIVE CULTURES.

MESOPOTAMIA IS ALSO THE WORLD OF ABRAHAM.

PROFESSOR, ALL THAT WAS 4,000 YEARS AGO. DOES STUDYING ANCIENT HISTORY REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO OUR LIVES TODAY?

THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION. FOR ONE THING, LEARNING HISTORY MEANS PUTTING TODAY'S EVENTS IN CONTEXT. OUR OWN LIVES IN THE PRESENT CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD THROUGH THE PAST.

THINK OF WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO WRITE A PERSON'S BIOGRAPHY WITHOUT COVERING HER EARLY YEARS. THE STORY OF ISRAEL IS A UNIQUE DRAMA CONCERNING A PEOPLE AND ITS LAND.

BUT UNDERSTANDING THIS STORY CAN TEACH US A LOT ABOUT THE SITUATIONS WE OURSELVES FACE AS INDIVIDUALS AND AS A NATION.

ABRAHAM, BORN ABRAM, AND HIS FAMILY LIVE IN MESOPOTAMIA'S RICH CAPITAL CITY OF UR, PROBABLY NEAR THE YEAR 1800 B.C.E. (BEFORE THE COMMON ERA).

IT IS A PROSPEROUS LAND, BUT TERAH, ABRAM'S FATHER, MOVES THE FAMILY HUNDREDS OF MILES NORTHWEST TO HARAN. ON THEIR TRAVELS THEY PASS THE FAMOUS TOWER, ORZIGGURAT, OF UR, STILL STANDING TODAY IN SOUTHERN IRAQ.

FOR THE ISRAELITE VIEW OF THIS PERIOD WE TAKE OUR MATERIAL MAINLY FROM THE HEBREW BIBLE. IN GENESIS, CHAPTER 12, GOD TELLS ABRAM

GO OUT FROM YOUR LAND, AND FROM YOUR BIRTHPLACE, AND FROM YOUR FATHER'S HOUSE TO THE LAND THAT I WILL SHOW YOU.

SO ABRAM, HIS WIFE SARAI, AND THEIR NEPHEW LOT LEAVE HARAN AND BEGIN A JOURNEY THAT STILL SHAPES US TODAY.

ARRIVING IN CANAAN, IN A PLACE CALLED SHECHEM, ABRAM SEES GOD AND IS TOLD,

TO YOUR OFFSPRING WILL I GIVE THIS LAND.

BUT SOON AFTER, A FAMINE DRIVES ABRAM AND SARAI DOWN TO EGYPT. THERE THEY FACE THE REIGNING PHARAOH BEFORE RETURNING TO CANAAN.

GOD'S WORDS TO ABRAM ARE FORMALIZED IN A PERMANENT CONTRACT, OR COVENANT. THROUGH ABRAM AND SARAI, A UNIQUE PEOPLE WILL BE BORN THAT IS MEANT TO BRING BLESSINGS TO EVERY OTHER NATION ON EARTH.

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OF SLAVERY AWAIT ABRAM'S CHILDREN. ONLY AFTER THIS WILL HIS PEOPLE RETURN TO THE GROUND THAT ABRAM NOW WALKS.

THIS PEOPLE WILL REACH AMAZING HEIGHTS AND EXPERIENCE TERRIBLE LOWS. ALTHOUGH PROMISED GREATNESS, EVEN INHERITING THE HOMELAND WILL BE NO SIMPLE MATTER FOR THEM.

SINCE ABRAM AND SARAI HAVE NO CHILDREN, SARAI TAKES A BOLD STEP. SHE TELLS ABRAM TO TRY TO HAVE OFFSPRING WITH THEIR EGYPTIAN SERVANT, HAGAR. A SON IS BORN, BUT A SHARP RIFT FORMS BETWEEN THE TWO WOMEN AND HAGAR IS DRIVEN OUT.

IN THE DESERT, GOD TELLS HAGAR TO RETURN TO ABRAM'S HOME AND NAMES THE BOY ISHMAEL, MEANING GOD HEARS.

ABRAM AND SARAI ARE AT ANOTHER TURNING POINT. GOD CHANGES THEIR NAMES TO ABRAHAM AND SARAH AND INSISTS THAT THE CHILD OF THE COVENANT COME FROM SARAH HERSELF, DESPITE HER

THE COUPLE'S LAUGHTER AT HEARING THIS NEWS GIVES THE BOY HIS NAME: ISAAC, MEANING, "HE WILL LAUGH."

A YEAR LATER, SARAH GIVES BIRTH AT THE AGE OF NINETY.

AS ISAAC GROWS, FRICTION FLARES AGAIN BETWEEN SARAH AND HAGAR. SARAH WANTS THE TEENAGER AND HIS MOTHER BANISHED. GOD REASSURES ABRAHAM THAT FROM ISHMAEL WILL COME A GREAT NATION.

AT THE OUTSET, GOD REVEALS TO ABRAHAM THAT HE WILL FATHER A GREAT NATION IF HE ABANDONS HIS PAST. NOW, MANY YEARS LATER, GOD COMMANDS ABRAHAM TO SURRENDER HIS FUTURE BY SACRIFICING HIS BELOVED ISAAC.

OBEDIENTLY, ABRAHAM SETS OFF AT DAWN WITH ISAAC IN THE DIRECTION OF MOUNT MORIAH. THIS IS A JOURNEY OF THREE DAYS. THE BOY HAS QUESTIONS; THE FATHER DOES HIS BEST TO ANSWER, "AND THE TWO OF THEM WALKED ON TOGETHER."

AT THE LAST POSSIBLE MOMENT GOD SPARES ISAAC AND THE PROMISES MADE TO ABRAHAM ARE CONFIRMED.

EARLY JEWISH TRADITIONS IDENTIFY THE PLACE OF ABRAHAM'S ULTIMATE TEST WITH THE SITE WHERE SOLOMON'S TEMPLE LATER STANDS IN JERUSALEM.

AT THIS TIME, SARAH DIES AND IS BURIED IN A CAVE IN THE TOWN OF HEBRON. EFRON, A LOCAL HITTITE, OFFERS TO GIVE ABRAHAM FULL USE OF THE PROPERTY FOR BURIAL, BUT THE PATRIARCH INSISTS ON PAYING 400 SHEKELS OF SILVER TO OWN THE LAND OUTRIGHT.

ABRAHAM HIMSELF DIES AT THE AGE OF 175 AND IS BURIED BESIDE SARAH. FOR THE MOMENT, HIS DEATH BRINGS TOGETHER THE TWO DIVIDED SONS, ISHMAEL AND ISAAC.

LIKE HIS FATHER, ISAAC HAS TWO SONS, THE TWINS ESAU AND JACOB. JACOB IS A QUIET, CLEVER MAN WHO STRUGGLES WITH MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY AND WITH GOD. JACOB IS FAVORED BY HIS MOTHER, REBECCA. UNDER HER GUIDANCE, JACOB DEFEATS ESAU IN THE CONTEST FOR GOD'S BLESSING.

MANY YEARS AFTERWARD, AS HE IS ABOUT TO FACE ESAU AGAIN, JACOB IS GIVEN A SECOND NAME, ISRAEL AFTER AN ALL-NIGHT STRUGGLE WITH A MYSTERIOUS BEING. SOME SUGGEST HE WRESTLED WITH AN ANGEL OR HIS OWN CONSCIENCE. WHATEVER OCCURRED, THE BIBLE STATES THAT THE NAME ISRAEL MEANS "ONE WHO STRUGGLES WITH GOD AND WITH PEOPLE AND TRIUMPHS."

JACOB'S FOUR WIVES, LEAH, RACHEL, BILHAH AND ZILPAH, GIVE HIM 12 SONS AND A DAUGHTER. THIS CLAN WILL GROW INTO A LARGE NATION DURING EGYPTIAN EXILE.

REMEMBER, GOD HAD WARNED ABRAHAM THAT HIS OFFSPRING WOULD ENDURE HARSH SLAVERY IN A FOREIGN LAND. JACOB'S TALENTED SON, JOSEPH, BECOMES A POWERFUL OFFICIAL IN EGYPT AND THE HEBREWS JOIN HIM THERE TO ESCAPE FAMINE. AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, JOSEPH MAKES HIS FAMILY SWEAR TO BRING HIS BONES BACK TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL.

THE STORY OF ISRAELITE BONDAGE OPENS IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH AS THE NEW PHARAOH DECREES THAT ALL MALE NEWBORN BABIES BE DROWNED IN THE NILE. TWO MIDWIVES REFUSE TO COMPLY, AND ONE MOTHER SETS HER SON ADRIFT ON THE RIVER, HIS OLDER SISTER WATCHING FROM THE SHORE.

THE BASKET IS DISCOVERED BY PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER. SHE DECIDES TO RAISE THE BABY AS HER OWN. BUT MOSES IS NOT COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM HIS BIRTH-FAMILY OR THE STORIES OF HIS PEOPLE, SINCE HIS MOTHER YOCHEVED IS HIRED TO NURSE AND CARE FOR HIM.

MOSES OWED HIS LIFE TO MANY WOMEN: YOCHEVED; MIDWIVES WHO REFUSED TO KILL CHILDREN; HIS SISTER MIRIAM; AND PHARAOH'S DAUGHTER. THE LIBERATION FROM EGYPT BEGINS WITH FEMALE COURAGE.

ONE DAY MOSES, NOW AN ADULT PRINCE, GOES OUT AND WITNESSES SLAVERY FIRSTHAND. HE SEES AN EGYPTIAN BEATING A HEBREW. THE BIBLE DOES NOT DISCUSS WHAT MOSES FEELS AT THIS MOMENT. IS HE TORN ABOUT HIS IDENTITY?

MOSES KILLS THE EGYPTIAN AND HIDES THE BODY IN SAND.

FOR THIS CHOICE, MOSES MUST FLEE EGYPT. HE MAKES HIS WAY ACROSS THE DESERT TO THE TERRITORY OF MIDIAN. HE MARRIES TZIPORAH AND WORKS AS A SHEPHERD FOR HIS FATHER-IN-LAW, JETHRO.

THERE IS A MOUNTAIN CALLED HOREV NEAR WHERE MOSES TENDS SHEEP. MOSES NOTICES WHAT MAY HAVE BEEN A COMMON SIGHT IN THE DESERT: A BURNING THORN-BUSH. BUT, STRANGELY, THE BUSH DOES NOT BURN UP.

APPROACHING FOR A CLOSER VIEW, MOSES ENCOUNTERS THE PRESENCE OF GOD WITHIN THE FLAMES.

GOD'S MESSAGE HAS THREE PARTS:

I KNOW MY PEOPLE'S PAIN; I WILL BRING ISRAEL BACK TO THEIR LAND; AND YOU, MOSES, WILL LEAD THEM.

BUT TAKING ON THIS HUGE TASK DOES NOT COME NATURALLY TO MOSES. HE RESISTS, HE FINDS EXCUSES. SO GOD PLEDGES TO BE WITH HIM AND TO SEND ALONG HIS OLDER BROTHER, AARON.

MOSES CONFRONTS PHARAOH WITH GOD'S DEMAND: RELEASE MY PEOPLE SO THEY MAY SERVE ME. BUT PHARAOH REJECTS THE AUTHORITY OF THE GOD WHO TOLD MOSES,"

I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE."

SO TEN DEVASTATING PLAGUES COME UPON THE EGYPTIANS, WHILE IN THE GOSHEN DISTRICT THE ISRAELITES REMAIN UNHARMED.

THE RELENTLESS ASSAULT ON EGYPT ALSO SERVES AS A REFUTATION OF THE GODS WORSHIPED THERE. FOR EXAMPLE, THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS BLOTS OUT THE SUN, WHICH IS WORSHIPPED BY THE EGYPTIANS, IN A THREE-DAY ONSLAUGHT OF DARKNESS. POWERFUL SOURCES OF LIGHT ARE SHOWN TO BE NOTHING BEFORE THE WILL OF THE CREATOR.

IN THE FINAL PLAGUE, GOD TAKES THE LIFE OF EGYPT'S FIRSTBORN, AS YEARS BEFORE, PHARAOH PUT TO DEATH ISRAEL'S INFANTS. AT LAST, LITERALLY AMID THE DEAD OF NIGHT, PHARAOH SETS THE ISRAELITES FREE.

IN THE MORNING, MOSES LEADS HIS NATION PROUDLY OUT OF BONDAGE. WITH JOSEPH'S BONES GATHERED UP, THEY HEAD TOWARD THE WILDERNESS.

A FEW DAYS LATER, GOD HAS THEM MAKE CAMP WITH THEIR BACKS TO THE RED SEA (BASED ON THE HEBREW, REALLY THE REED SEA). THIS GETS EGYPT THINKING THAT ISRAEL IS HELPLESS AFTER ALL. PHARAOH AND THOUSANDS OF HIS BEST WARRIORS GIVE CHASE.

GOD DIVIDES THE SEA. THE ISRAELITES CROSS SAFELY ON DRY GROUND, BUT WHEN THE EGYPTIANS TRY TO PURSUE, WATER CRASHES DOWN AND DROWNS PHARAOH'S MEN.

BEFORE WE CONTINUE, LET ME DESCRIBE ONE METHOD JEWS HAVE USED TO READ THE BIBLE, KNOWN AS MIDRASH.TRADITIONAL JEWISH SCHOLARS FELT THAT A HOLY TEXT COULD HAVE DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS.

FOR EXAMPLE, ONE OPINION CLAIMS THAT MOSES TELLS THE ISRAELITES TO MOVE INTO THE WATER BEFORE THE SEA PARTED. BUT NO ONE MOVED.

FINALLY, NACHSHON, LEADER OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, PLUNGES AHEAD. HE ENTERS AS FAR AS HIS WAIST ... HIS CHEST ... HIS NECK. ONLY WHEN THE WATER IS ABOUT TO OVERTAKE HIM DOES THE SEA SPLIT.

ANOTHER MIDRASH SUGGESTS THAT THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL STRUGGLE WITH EACH OTHER IN THEIR RUSH TO BE FIRST INTO THE SEA.

PROFESSOR, THOSE ARE NICE STORIES, BUT ACCORDING TO JEWISH TRADITION, WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

WELL, FOR NOW LET'S SAY THAT MIDRASH SEEMS MAINLY INTERESTED IN DISCUSSING THE MEANING OF EVENTS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE STORY ABOUT NACHSHON TEACHES THAT ONE PERSON'S COURAGE AND INITIATIVE CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

MOSES AND THE PEOPLE CONTINUE THEIR WILDERNESS TREK, BUT OTHER PROBLEMS AWAIT. THE GREAT VICTORY OVER EGYPT DOES NOT PREVENT A DESERT TRIBE CALLED AMALEK FROM ATTACKING THE WEAKEST PARTS OF ISRAEL'S CAMP. THIS UNPROVOKED MALICE CAUSES AMALEK TO BE BRANDED THE ETERNAL ADVERSARY OF ISRAEL.

ALMOST TWO MONTHS LATER, ISRAEL ARRIVES IN THE SINAI DESERT, THE SAME DESERT WHERE MOSES CARED FOR SHEEP.

"NOW MOUNT SINAI WAS ALL IN SMOKE BECAUSE THE LORD HAD COME DOWN UPON IT IN FIRE."

SO BEGINS THE ISRAELITES' FACE-TO-FACE NATIONAL COVENANT WITH GOD. HERE THEY LEARN PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE THEIR LIVES FOREVER. THE TEXT RECORDING DIVINE REVELATION WOULD BE CALLED THE TORAH, THE TEACHING.

LET ME GIVE YOU ANOTHER SAMPLE OF TWO DIFFERENT MIDRASH READINGS. ONE SAYS THAT GOD RAISES UP MOUNT SINAI AND THREATENS TO BURY ISRAEL UNDER IT UNLESS THEY ACCEPT THE TORAH.

ANOTHER OPINION TEACHES THAT ISRAEL COMMITS TO KEEPING THE TORAH EVEN BEFORE HEARING WHAT IT CONTAINS: WE SHALL DO AND WE SHALL HEAR, THE ISRAELITES SAY. GOD THEN SENDS ANGELS TO PLACE CROWNS OF GLORY ON THEIR HEADS AS A REWARD FOR FAITH.

PROFESSOR, I THINK I UNDERSTOOD WHAT YOU SAID BEFORE ABOUT DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS, BUT THIS IS QUITE A CONTRADICTION, ISNT IT?

YES, BUT PERHAPS INTENSE EXPERIENCES, LIKE THE ONE AT SINAI, CREATE CONTRADICTORY EMOTIONS.

DO YOU MEAN THAT IN SOME WAY THE ISRAELITES FEEL FORCED INTO THE COVENANT? I MEAN, THEY'RE SUPPOSEDLY MEETING GOD BUT IN ANOTHER WAY, BECAUSE IT IS GOD, THIS SEEMS LIKE AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY.

EXCELLENT, YES, SOMETHING QUITE LIKE THAT. AND THE SECOND MIDRASH EMPHASIZES THAT GOD ALLOWS ISRAEL TO FREELY CHOOSE ITS DESTINY.

THIS PEAK MOMENT IS FOLLOWED, 40 DAYS LATER, BY ONE OF THEIR LOWEST TIMES EVER.

WITH MOSES ON SINAI, THE PEOPLE WHO HEARD GOD SAY, "YOU SHALL MAKE NO STATUE," DEMAND THAT AARON PRODUCE A GOLDEN CALF TO GO BEFORE THEM. GOD CONSIDERS DESTROYING THE ISRAELITES FOR THIS AND MOSES PLEADS FOR THEM. BUT UPON SEEING THE SIN FOR HIMSELF, MOSES SMASHES THE TABLETS OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND SENDS LOYAL MEN FROM THE TRIBE OF LEVI TO ELIMINATE THOSE MOST RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SIN. THREE THOUSAND DIE.

ALTHOUGH GOD SPARES THE NATION, THEIR FUTURE SEEMS TO LIE RUINED AMONG THOSE BROKEN TABLETS. BUT SINAI, THE PLACE OF GOD'S COMMANDMENTS, BECOMES THE PLACE OF GOD'S COMPASSION. THE COVENANT IS RENEWED AS MOSES LEARNS GOD'S WAYS

"THE LORD, THE LORD, GOD MERCIFUL AND GENEROUS, PATIENT, FULL OF COMPASSION AND TRUTH...."

A YEAR PASSES AND THE ISRAELITES APPROACH THE BORDERS OF CANAAN. GOD DIRECTS MOSES TO SEND TWELVE SCOUTS, ONE FROM EACH TRIBE, TO REPORT ON WHAT THEY WILL FACE WHEN FIGHTING FOR THE LAND.

THE MEN MAKE THEIR WAY TO HEBRON. THE PATRIARCHS AND MATRIARCHS OF ISRAEL WERE BURIED THERE, EXCEPT RACHEL, JACOB'S WIFE, WHO WAS BURIED ON THE ROAD TO BETHLEHEM.

THE SCOUTS REACH A RIVER BASIN RICH IN NATIVE FRUITS. TO SHOW THEIR BRETHREN THE LAND'S BOUNTY, THE MEN CUT OFF A SINGLE CLUSTER OF GRAPES SO LARGE THAT TWO ARE NEEDED TO CARRY IT.

AFTER FORTY DAYS, THE SCOUTS RETURN. THEIR MAJORITY REPORT IS MIXED. THEY HOLD UP THE HUGE FRUIT, BUT SEEM MORE WORRIED ABOUT THE SIZE OF THE INHABITANTS. THEY SPEAK OF GIANTS LIVING THERE, OF FEELING LIKE INSECTS BY COMPARISON. THE PEOPLE ARE GRIPPED BY ANXIETY.

BUT TWO SCOUTS SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY: "WE CAN DEFINITELY TAKE THIS LAND!" CALEB SAYS. "DO NOT FEAR THE INHABITANTS," JOSHUA INSISTS. "WE'LL TEAR THROUGH THEM LIKE A MAN TEARS THROUGH BREAD."

BUT THE ISRAELITES BEGIN TO PANIC. FEARING A GRUESOME DEATH AT THE HANDS OF ENORMOUS ENEMIES, THEY DOUBT EVERYTHING, INCLUDING THEIR FREEDOM FROM SLAVERY.

THIS FAILURE TO TRUST GOD MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE END OF THE STORY. BUT AGAIN GOD FORGIVES. NEVERTHELESS, THERE ARE GRAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE ISRAELITES; THEY WILL WANDER ONE YEAR FOR EVERY DAY OF THE SCOUTS' MISSION. EXCEPT FOR THE HOUSEHOLDS OF CALEB AND JOSHUA, EVERYONE AGE 20 AND OVER DIES IN THE DESERT.

SO THE JOURNEY RESUMES. WITH CLOUD AND FIRE GOD LEADS ISRAEL, AND NOURISHES THEM WITH A SWEET SUBSTANCE CALLED "MANNA." BY DIRECTLY CARING FOR ISRAEL IN THIS WAY, GOD TEACHES THEM TO RELY ON HIS POWER.

A MIDRASH SUGGESTS THAT FRESH WELL-WATER FOLLOWED THE ISRAELITES THROUGH THE WILDERNESS. THIS WELL WAS LINKED TO THE SPIRITUAL POWER OF MOSES' SISTER, MIRIAM, WHO HAD A LIFE-LONG CONNECTION WITH WATER MIRACLES. IT WAS MIRIAM WHO GUARDED MOSES ON THE NILE AND LED THE WOMEN IN CELEBRATION AT THE REED SEA.

ISRAEL ENCOUNTERS MANY OTHER CHALLENGES ALONG THE ROUTE, BOTH PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL. BUT FINALLY THE LAND COMES AGAIN INTO VIEW.

MOSES IS NOT PERMITTED TO ENTER. THE REASON WHY IS SOMEWHAT HIDDEN, LIKE MOSES' OWN SITE OF BURIAL, A BURIAL PERFORMED BY GOD ALONE.

FROM ATOP MOUNT NEBO, GOD SHOWS MOSES WHAT HE MAY NOT TOUCH.

"THIS IS THE LAND I SWORE TO ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB."

WE CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT MOSES REALLY SEES IN HIS LAST MOMENTS.

THE PEOPLE CROSS INTO THE LAND UNDER THE NEW LEADERSHIP OF JOSHUA. AHEAD OF THEM, INSIDE A SMALL ARK, THEY CARRY THE TABLETS OF GOD'S COVENANT.

BUT, PROFESSOR, THERE WERE PEOPLE ALREADY LIVING IN THE LAND. HOW DID THE ISRAELITES JUSTIFY TAKING IT FROM THE INHABITANTS?

THE BIBLE PORTRAYS THIS AS A RETURN, NOT A FOREIGN INVASION. THE WARS WITH THE CANAANITE TRIBES, WHO ARE NOW LOST TO HISTORY, ARE SEEN AS GOD'S WAY OF RESTORING THE LAND TO ITS PROPER OWNERS.

THERE IS ALSO A BIBLICAL CONCEPT THAT THE LAND CANNOT TOLERATE ETHICAL AND SPIRITUAL IMPURITY AND WILL "SPIT OUT" THOSE WHO SIN THERE. THE CANAANITES WERE SAID TO ENGAGE IN IDOLATRY AND CHILD SACRIFICE. NOTE THAT THE BIBLE DESCRIBES THE ISRAELITES THEMSELVES BEING PUNISHED WITH EXILE LATER FOR SPIRITUALLY DEFILING THE LAND.

FROM A MORE SECULAR VIEWPOINT, YOU MIGHT SAY THE ISRAELITES TOOK THEIR LAND THE WAY MOST NATIONS DID, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES: THROUGH WARFARE AND CONQUEST.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE CANAANITES WERE "LOST TO HISTORY"? WERE THEY WIPED OUT FIGHTING ISRAEL?

THE BIBLE IS NOT CLEAR ABOUT THIS. IT'S HARD TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THE CANAANITES WERE DESTROYED OR EVEN CONQUERED. FOR EXAMPLE, THE BOOK OF JUDGES INDICATES THAT CANAANITES CONTINUE TO DWELL IN THE LAND LONG AFTER THE ISRAELITES ARRIVE.

IN FACT, A SERIES OF ISRAELITE CHIEFTAINS BATTLE WITH SURROUNDING CANAANITE ENEMIES FOR MANY DECADES. ONE OF THE BEST OF THESE LEADERS IS A WOMAN NAMED DEBORAH.

FOR MORE THAN 200 YEARS, THE TWELVE TRIBES LIVE IN LOOSE ASSOCIATION WITH ONE ANOTHER. SAUL BECOMES ISRAEL'S FIRST KING AND BEGINS UNIFYING SEPARATE TRIBES INTO A NATION.

NEAR 1000 B.C.E., A YOUNG SHEPHERD AND SINGER FROM THE TRIBE OF JUDAH DEFEATS THE HUGE PHILISTINE CHAMPION, GOLIATH. DAVID, SON OF JESSE, SOON REPLACES SAUL AS KING. AFTER REIGNING FOR SEVEN YEARS IN HEBRON, DAVID CONQUERS JERUSALEM. CENTRALLY LOCATED AND SURROUNDED BY HIGH HILLS, JERUSALEM IS WELL-POSITIONED BOTH STRATEGICALLY AND POLITICALLY.

THIS IS ALSO THE MOMENT WHEN THE NAME "ZION" ENTERS ISRAEL'S HISTORY. ZION WAS ORIGINALLY A FORTRESS TAKEN IN THE BATTLE FOR JERUSALEM. AFTER KING DAVID BUILDS HIS ROYAL RESIDENCE THERE, THE NAME BECOMES ATTACHED TO THE HILL ON WHICH THIS FORTRESS STOOD. IN TIME, ZION BECOMES SYNONYMOUS WITH ALL JERUSALEM, AS WELL AS ALL THE LAND OF ISRAEL.

"FOR MY HOUSE WILL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS. "ISAIAH 56:7

DAVID ENJOYS AMAZING FAVOR WITH GOD AND PEOPLE. GOD PROMISES THAT ALL KINGS OF ISRAEL WILL COME FROM HIS DESCENDANTS. BUT DAVID SPENDS HIS LIFE AT WAR AND HAS A TERRIBLE MORAL LAPSE WITH THE BEAUTIFUL BATHSHEBA. BECAUSE HIS HANDS HAVE SPILLED MUCH BLOOD IN WARFARE, DAVID IS NOT ALLOWED TO GIVE GOD'S ARK A PERMANENT HOME IN JERUSALEM.

INSTEAD HIS SON, THE WISE AND WORLDLY SOLOMON, BUILDS THE TEMPLE.

THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE BECOMES A NATIONAL CENTER FOR THE ISRAELITES, AND PROPHETS OF ISRAEL SEE IT AS A PLACE OF WORLD UNITY. ISAIAH PREDICTS THAT, "ALL THE NATIONS SHALL STREAM TOWARD IT ... NATION SHALL NOT TAKE UP SWORD AGAINST NATION; THEY SHALL NEVER AGAIN KNOW WAR."

THE TEMPLE ALSO REPRESENTS THE CHALLENGE TO LIVE RIGHTEOUSLY. THE PROPHET JEREMIAH TEACHES THAT LIFE IN THE LAND DEPENDS ON GOOD CONDUCT, NOT BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS, EVEN THE HOUSE OF GOD:

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Homeland by Marv Wolfman, Mario Ruiz. Copyright © 2008 Nachshon Press, LLC. Excerpted by permission of Nachshon Press LLC.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

INTRODUCTION,
WHY THIS BOOK?,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
END NOTES,
PHOTO CREDITS,
SOURCES,

Editorial Reviews

I've never been able to understand the conflict in Israel/Palestine. This book turned out to be something different.

Sabrina's Reviews

A provocative, evocative look at Israel's history . . . a fest of full-color photos and painted art illustrations.

Dallas Morning News

Explains and illustrates the reasons for the existence of [Israel] in terms that Jews and non-Jews can easily understand.

Cleveland Jewish News

An unprecedented depiction of Israel's history.

JUF News

Can best be described as one of the greatest history text books ever created . . . the educational value is limitless.

BrokenFrontier.com

For those with little or no knowledge of Mideast history, Homeland is a wonderful introduction.

South Mississippi Sun Herald

Puts Israel into its proper historical context . . . it can serve as a supplemental or introductory text for high school students.

VOYA

Graphic nonfiction of the very highest quality.

Association of Jewish Libraries Magazine

Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award, Social Studies Curriculum, Grades 9-12

National Jewish Book Award Winner

Gold Medal Winner, 2008 Independent Publisher Book Awards, Multicultural Non-Fiction, Teens and Young Adults

Sydney Taylor Notable Book

"A provocative, evocative look at Israel's history . . . a fest of full-color photos and painted art illustrations."  —Dallas Morning News

"Homeland is graphic nonfiction of the very highest quality."  —Association of Jewish Libraries Magazine

"For those with little or no knowledge of Mideast history, Homeland is a wonderful introduction."  —South Mississippi Sun Herald

"Explains and illustrates the reasons for the existence of [Israel] in terms that Jews and non-Jews can easily understand."  —Cleveland Jewish News

"Puts Israel into its proper historical context . . . it can serve as a supplemental or introductory text for high school students."  —VOYA

From the Publisher