(Includes quiz on book content and resources for pro-Israel activism!) Take your child (6+) on the soul-stirring journey of the Jewish people through history up to the Zionist dream becoming a reality. Introduce your child to the Jewish people's return to the promised land, and the important role Israel plays in securing a Jewish future. Among other things, this book is a response to the popular children's book P is for Palestine, which promotes violence against Israel. Gone are the days when our children can grow up innocent. They are now inundated with anti-American/anti-Israel propaganda online, at school and in the media. This book is a small measure to push back against the misinformation children may be exposed to. For some, Zionism has become a bad word that can't be uttered in public. This is nonsense. We need to teach our children to be proud Zionists.
Age appropriate lessons included in this book: Introduction to Judaism; History of Israel; Israel as a force for good in the world; Importance of Israel for Jewish self defense; Discussion of anti-semitism; Palestinian Arab rejection of Israel.
About the author, Ze'ev Zion: I work professionally countering the enemies of Israel and the Jewish people. In the past I worked for influential Jewish and pro-Israel organizations. Unfortunately, too many fellow Jews, who mean well, don't believe in proudly defending our identity and homeland. As a result, young Jews are growing up and embracing values antithetical to Judaism. I was compelled to write this book in order to provide a way for our children to understand the facts about Israel, in an age appropriate manner, before they are exposed to the many anti-semitic lies that pervade our society online, at school and in the media.
Passages from the book:
Thousands of years ago, the ruler of the universe, God, made a covenant with Abraham, the very first Jew. A covenant is like an agreement. God promised to give the land of Israel to the Jewish people. Later on, God gave his commandments, which are like rules, to the Jews in the Torah. It is these three things-God, Torah and Israel-that form the foundation of Judaism...
...Some didn't like that the Jews introduced God and moral demands into the world. Others told lies about Jews and blamed them for problems they didn't create. While others didn't like that the Jews were different than them. This poor treatment of Jews is called anti-semitism...
...For thousands of years, the land of Israel was conquered and ruled by many different groups, including the Romans, Muslims, Greeks and Turks. But none of them had the same historical, legal or God-given right to the land as the Jews. Also, they didn't have the same level of emotional attachment to the land as the Jews...
...After the Holocaust Jews swore that they would Never Again allow something like that to happen. It became even more clear why Zionism was so important. The Jewish people needed to return to Israel, not only because it belonged to them, but also so they could join together with one another and defend themselves...
...Israel tried to make peace over and over again with the Palestinian Arabs. Israel offered to share the land with them and even agreed to give up part of Israel to create a Palestinian state. But the Palestinian Arabs were not interested...
...Israel does an excellent job defending itself. Israel has one of the most powerful militaries in the world. Israel is strong, smart, confident, successful and gives Jews all around the world pride. Israel is thriving...
...Israel is a free country that treats all of its citizens fairly, even the ones that aren't Jewish. Israel is the only country in the Middle East that truly lets its citizens choose who leads them. This is called democracy...
...Israel and the United States have a special relationship...
