Tonight, at sundown, Israel makes the jarring transition from a day of mourning the 24,213 soldiers who have fallen in action and 4,255 civilians killed in terror attacks. It is a deeply sombre day. Every single person in this country has lost someone close. War and loss are not abstract concepts from a previous century. They are raw and very real. As the mourning ends the celebrations begin. The miracle of Jewish nationhood is a fact that no one takes for granted, especially not this year. STLV speaks with two very feisty guys – Dov Zigler and Prof. Neil Rogachevsky – authors of an important and timely book: “Israel’s Declaration of Independence: The History and Political Theory of the Nation’s Founding Moment”, which focuses on the three weeks leading up to the moment when David Ben Gurion declared Israel to be an independent state. The back-story: political machinations; competing factions; the threat of a multi front war with no weapon supply – all these dramatic elements are brought to life by these skillful writers and raconteurs. This is historical story telling at its best and it’s wild to think that in the midst of all the crises coming at him that Ben Gurion only had a few hours to focus on this founding document; the meaning of which we parse and argue about to this day. And, especially this year, as the state of Israel grapples domestically with its basic national values.
E10. Israel at 75: A conversation about the political intrigue leading to David Ben Gurion Declaring Independence