With Eyes Toward Zion II is a collection of papers by distinguished scholars who have set out to rediscover the Holy Land and what it means to America. They delve into the hundreds of books and pamphlets that have been written by archaeologists, historians, scientists, Biblical scholars, American consuls, novelists, missionaries, tourists, and, above all, settlers and builders of the land. What results is an overview of the relationship between the American people and the Holy Land until the birth of the State of Israel in 1948.

A narrative complement to Eyes Toward Zion, Volume II (Praeger, 1986), this important new volume presents a comparative analysis of the influence of the Holy Land on Western Societies. Researched and written by a distinguished team of international scholars, Eyes III illuminates both parallelisms and unique elements in the idea of the Holy Land in the United States, Canada, Iberoamerica, Great Britain, France, and Germany. The pervasive Holy Land influence in these countries and the unique elements inherent in each culture are perceived through four constructs: diplomatic policy, Christian devotion, Jewish attachments, and cultural ties. The editors and contributors provide a detailed examination of the political and economic interests of the Western societies in the Holy Land, the role of Zion in Christian denominations, the Land of Israel in Jewish tradition and communal life, and the effect of the Holy Land on Western literature, art, and pilgrimage. Part I analyzes North America's early involvement with Palestine, focusing particularly on the writings of early Christian travellers from the U.S. and the role these visitors played in forming America's concept of the Holy Land. A separate chapter compares and contrasts the U.S. and Canadian experience. Parts II and III examine the Iberoamerican and European experience. The long, wide ranging, and significant relationships between the Holy Land and France, Germany, and the Latin American Republics are fully explored. Focusing primarily on the nineteenth century, Part IV documents the sturdy Biblical-Holy Land-British bond. The chapters in this volume are replete with references to the writings of archaeologists, historians, scientists, biblical scholars, novelists, consuls, missionaries, tourists and, above all, settlers and builders of the Land - all attesting to the intrinsic place of the Holy Land in the world imagination.

Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the study of Jewish civilization throughout the world. Globally, over 1,300 universities and colleges offer courses on some aspect of Jewish civilization. Some universities in areas which had little contact with Jewish heritage, such as the former Soviet Union, the Pacific Rim, and Africa, are increasingly introducing such studies into their course offerings.

This volume addresses the challenge of developing courses of study about Jewish civilizations appropriate for different peoples in many parts of the world at the same time. The more than 60 selections cover a broad range of conceptual, historical, thematic, pedagogic, and administrative areas and address the basic issues which confront university Jewish civilization studies. Such concerns as the incorporation of Jewish studies into general disciplines, the re-introduction of Jewish civilization studies into non- Western organizational university structures, and the place of Israeli universities in serving an ever-increasing number of universities abroad are addressed as the contributors elucidate the objectives, progress, achievements, and still unfulfilled goals of these programs. Of special utility is a world register of Jewish studies programs which provides a comprehensive global profile of institutions engaged in teaching Jewish history and civilization.

This fifth volume of the With Eyes Toward Zion series brings together 19 internationally renowned scholars to interpret how Jerusalem returned to the world stage in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The rediscovery of the Holy Land coincided with the greatest era of Christian missions and the birth of Zionism, and the face of Jerusalem began to change markedly. This volume explores those changes, looking at the influx of travelers and explorers to the Holy Land, and the evolving theological concepts among the various religious groups. This discussion of the rediscovery of the Holy Land delves into an issue that is at the forefront of current world discussion: the meaning of Jerusalem to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

The continuing relationship between America and the Holy Land has implications for American and Jewish history which extend beyond the historical narrative and interpretation. The devotion of Americans of all faiths to the Holy Land extends into the spiritual realm, and the Holy Land, in turn, penetrates American homes, patterns of faith, and education. In this book Davis illuminates the interconnection of Americans and the Holy Land in historical perspective, and delineates unique elements inherent in this relationship: the role of Zion in American spiritual history, in the Christian faith, in Jewish tradition and communal life, and the impress of Biblical place names on the map of America as well as American settlements and institutions in the State of Israel. The book concludes with an annotated select bibliography of primary sources on America and the Holy Land.

Recent years have witnessed an unprecedented growth in the study of Jewish civilization throughout the world. Globally, over 1,300 universities and colleges offer courses on some aspect of Jewish civilization. Some universities in areas which had little contact with Jewish heritage, such as the former Soviet Union, the Pacific Rim, and Africa, are increasingly introducing such studies into their course offerings.

This volume addresses the challenge of developing courses of study about Jewish civilizations appropriate for different peoples in many parts of the world at the same time. The more than 60 selections cover a broad range of conceptual, historical, thematic, pedagogic, and administrative areas and address the basic issues which confront university Jewish civilization studies. Such concerns as the incorporation of Jewish studies into general disciplines, the re-introduction of Jewish civilization studies into non- Western organizational university structures, and the place of Israeli universities in serving an ever-increasing number of universities abroad are addressed as the contributors elucidate the objectives, progress, achievements, and still unfulfilled goals of these programs. Of special utility is a world register of Jewish studies programs which provides a comprehensive global profile of institutions engaged in teaching Jewish history and civilization.