The Peace and Violence of Judaism
From the Bible to Modern Zionism
Robert Eisen
Reviews and Awards
"A masterful job...Dr. Eisen has written a thoughtful and balanced piece on the ambiguity of Jewish tradition regarding the use of violence."--Journal of Religion and Violence.
"This is a work of breathtaking scope and innovative methodology. Deploying a wide range of texts, it demonstrates the ambivalence towards the resort to violence that has always characterized Jewish teachings. The result is an informed and sensitive discourse on the moral condition of the Jewish people, present as well as past, which is sure to become an essential point of departure for all future studies in the field."--Stuart Cohen, Professor of Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University, and author of Israel and Its Army
"Professor Robert Eisen's masterful volume is the best in-depth study to date of peace and violence in Judaism, ancient, medieval and contemporary. He is unflinching in confronting the essential moral questions of Jewish self-definition, including Israel's conflict with the Palestinian people. This is a balanced account of Jewish sources that should be read by everyone, layman and scholar, Christian and Muslim. It is a profound paradigm of reflection and self-reflection."--Marc Gopin, James H. Laue Professor and Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University
"Robert Eisen has written a remarkable book on a subject of compelling historical and contemporary importance. He has set a high standard for what hopefully will be comparable works that others will write on Christianity and Islam."--Rev. Dr. David Smock, Director, Religion and Peacemaking Program, United States Institute of Peace
"A tour de force of even-handedness."--The Canadian Jewish News
"Eisen has done a remarkable job of collating and critiquing the myriad claims about Jewish sources and their relationship to peace and violence. All future thinking on the subject will need to begin with this book."--Shofar
"An extraordinary contribution to long-term hopes for peace...careful attention to [Eisen's] work can only increase peace in the world. That is a true scholarly contribution."--Jewish Ideas Daily
"Robert Eisen's study The Peace and Violence of Judaism is a major contribution...Overall, this is a very successful and incisive work. It will be a resource for teaching, and also a challenge to all who must choose texts to illustrate certain periods or ethical questions."--H-Judaic
