A wonderfully lucid historical, sociological, cultural, and
religious guide to the world's most revered and conflict-ridden
city, where "the myths of the ancient fathers are the essence of
local politics." A former deputy mayor of Jerusalem and author of,
most recently, Intimate Enemies: Jews and Arabs in a Shared Land
(1995), Benvenisti notes how both Jews and Arabs have greatly
expanded Jerusalem's borders since Israel and Jordan agreed to
divide the city in 1948, and particularly since Israel's conquest
of East Jerusalem and the city's reunification in 1967. He is
especially interesting on the anthropology of urban development,
noting how "every house built and every tree planted came to be
seen as a quasi-military stronghold in the national struggle for
spatial and demographic dominance." Benvenisti parcels out blame to
all sides for the interreligious suspicions and neighborhood
balkanization that characterize the city's political and
socioeconomic life. For example, although longtime Mayor Teddy
Kollek preached the glories of an "urban [ethnic] mosaic," his
administration practiced otherwise: Only six percent of his
proposed 1992 budget was earmarked for Arab neighborhoods. Yet
Israeli rule has benefited the Arab population economically and
must be seen in the context of the Jordanian occupation of East
Jerusalem (1948 - 67), when 80 percent of the 50,000 Jewish
gravestones on the Mount of Olives were desecrated. Benvenisti
writes especially well on the intricate spiritual politics of the
Temple Mount (site of the city's two great mosques, as well as the
Western Wall, its sacred revered Jewish site), and clearly
summarizes the major approaches to resolving the
Israeli-Palestinian dispute over Jerusalem, while wisely steering
clear of endorsing any single approach. This well-written,
clear-headed work is a significant contribution to the pursuit of a
diplomatic agreement on Jerusalem. (Kirkus Reviews)
Jerusalem is more than a holy city built of stone. Domain of
Muslims, Jews, and Christians, Jerusalem is a perpetual contest,
and its shrines, housing projects, and bulldozers compete in a
scramble for possession. Now one of Jerusalem's most respected
authorities presents a history of the city that does not fall prey
to any one version of its past. Meron Benvenisti begins with a
reflection on the 1996 celebration of Jerusalem's 3000-year
anniversary as the capital of the Kingdom of Israel. He then
juxtaposes eras, dynasties, and rulers in ways that provide grand
comparative insights. But unlike recent politically motivated
histories written to justify the claims of Jews and Arabs now
living in Jerusalem, Benvenisti has no such agenda. His history is
a polyphonic story that lacks victors as well as vanquished. He
describes the triumphs and defeats of all the city's residents,
from those who walk its streets today to the meddlesome ghosts who
linger in its shadows. Benvenisti focuses primarily on the
twentieth century, but ancient hatreds are constantly discovered
just below the surface. These hostilities have created intense
social, cultural, and political interactions that Benvenisti weaves
into a compelling human story. For him, any claim to the city means
recognizing its historical diversity and multiple populations. A
native son of Jerusalem, Benvenisti knows the city well, and his
integrated history makes clear that all of Jerusalem's citizens
have enriched the Holy City in the past. It is his belief that they
can also do so in the future.
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