Modern Zionism to 1949

Learning about modern Jewish history, Israel and the Middle East can be daunting. Whether student or teacher, Jew or non-Jew, knowing what sources to trust and where to find them can be overwhelming, given the number of blogs, organizations, websites, and individuals who claim their views are the most relevant, salient, or reliable! More than understanding Zionism’s role in modern Jewish and Middle Eastern history, feeling comfortable with Israel’s story allows belonging, encourages ownership, and may permit easy spread of the story’s relevance. After four decades of teaching modern Israel and discovering sources of all ideological colors, I am certain that I have omitted valuable views and sources, especially from books, articles and digital sources. Listings of books and articles not online can be found among the Bibliographies on the website. 

In this Curated Reading list, you will find overviews of Jewish and Middle Eastern history, with the primary focus on Zionism’s formation and Jewish nation-building to 1949. The period here rounds out with the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and study and learning aids (maps, chronologies, timelines, and a classic YouTube video series of modern Israel narrated by former Israel Foreign Minister Abba Eban). Access to several online courses on Israeli history and Israeli culture are noted. References to Israel’s modern story also can be accessed through the Topics section of the website.

— Ken Stein, January 2021

A. Overview of Jewish History 

Lord Jonathan Sacks and Simom Schama, “Genius, Story of the Jews, Their Resilience Against Adversity Through the Ages,” YouTube, 1:22, February 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17fw5ZC8ArM

Leon Wieseltier, “The Soul of American Jewry,” YouTube, 56:16, November 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXOHjZMvzHw

B. Overview — The Middle East, 19th to 21st Century

***“The Great Powers, the Middle East and the Cold War,” February 2025 (1,800 words), Center for Israel Education, https://israeled.org/great-powers-middle-east-and-the-cold-war

Bernard Lewis, “Impressions of the Middle East — Evolution of the Middle East to the 21st Century,” November 2003, YouTube, 54:10, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXg-VWbdEYU

Hisham Melhem, “The Barbarians Within Our Gates — Arab Civilization Has Collapsed. It Won’t Recover in My Lifetime,” Politico, September 18, 2014, http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/09/the-barbarians-within-ourgates-111116.html#ixzz3ZH6RwDcP

Jacques Neriah, “A Scorecard on the First Decade After the Arab Spring,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, December 31, 2019, https://jcpa.org/article/a-scorecard-on-the-first-decade-after-the-arab-spring

Zubair Iqbal, “The Arab Awakening: Determinants and Economic Consequences,” Middle East Institute (5 pp.), February 25, 2014, http://www.mei.edu/content/arab-awakening-determinants-andeconomic-consequences

***David Fromkin, “A Peace to End All Peace,” (1914-1922), YouTube, 26:36, March 2012, how the Ottoman Empire became modern Arab states at the beginning of the 20th century, interview based on his superb paperback of the same title, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN9KvSVWLko

C. On Zionism to Israel’s Establishment, 1800s to 1948

***“Era I: Jewish Peoplehood to 1897,” biblical covenants, Jewish life in Diaspora as a minority, rumblings of Zionism, 3,000 words, https://israeled.org/era-early-history-1897

***“Era II: Zionism to Israel, 1898 to 1948,” Ottoman and British rule, Zionist building of infrastructure for a state, Arab rejection of two states in Palestine, 4,000 words, https://israeled.org/era-ii-1898-to-1948

Zionism (unedited text of 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia- Biblical Origins to Herzl’s death in 1904), Richard Gottheil, https://israeled.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Zionism-entry-Jewish-Encyclopedia-1906.pdf

The Zionist Movement — The Israel Year Book, 14 pages, Herzl to 1949, https://israeled.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/1950-Zionist-Movement-History-to-1948-Israel-Year-Book.pdf

***Kenneth Stein, “How Did the Zionists Make the State, 1882-1947,” Center for Israel Education, June 2020, 48:31, traces Zionism, World War I and the end of the Ottoman Empire, and the British Mandate period through 1947, with PowerPoint, https://israeled.org/how-did-the-zionists-make-the-state-1882-1949

Cary Nelson, Rachel Harris and Kenneth W. Stein. “A Concise History of Israel,” 59 pages, in The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Israel, Cary Nelson and Gabriel Noah Brahm, eds., 2015, https://israeled.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/A_Concise_History_of_Israel_2015.pdf

***“Forming a Nucleus for a Jewish State, 1882-1947,” Jewish immigration and land purchase, plus Zionist institution building, 4,500 words, 20 maps and prose, https://israeled.org/forming-a-nucleus-for-the-jewish-state-1882-1947

D. First Arab-Israeli War 1947-1949

***1948, Israeli independence war, causes, course, end and consequences of 1948 war, 1,800 words,  https://israeled.org/the-arab-israeli-war-of-1948-a-short-history

Why Arabs lost the 1948 war? Arab scholarly viewpoints, 1,800 words, https://israeled.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/1945-1949-Reasoned-Views-for-Palestinian-Arabs-dysfunctional-condition.pdf

***How did the Zionists win the 1948 war? Israeli military leader Yigal Allon, translated from Hebrew, 3,000 words (1952),  https://israeled.org/lessons-war-independence

British Mandate for Palestine, 1922 – 1949 – How Zionism grew under British administration, https://israeled.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/1948-PALESTINE-HMG-termination-of-Mandate-1948.pdf, 13 pages, best unbiased account compiled by British Colonial Office

E. Study Aids

1. Israel’s History in Maps, https://israeled.org/type/maps

2. How to analyze a document, source or text? https://israeled.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Analyzing-Primary-Sources-Documents.pdf

3. Timeline of the Arab-Israeli conflict since the 1800s, https://israeled.org/israel-and-arab-israeli-conflict-timeline-1800s-to-the-present

4. Timeline — History of Jerusalem, https://israeled.org/jerusalem-timeline/

5. Overview of Israel, a YouTube video classic — Abba Eban’s “Israel: A Nation Is Born,” Parts 1 to 5. The former Israeli foreign minister’s preference in his magisterial history of modern Israel was to link Zionism almost exclusively to the Holocaust. He does not link of Zionism’s origins to Jewish peoplehood, Diaspora existence, or increased antisemitism in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

6. Online Courses

CIE has created a series of courses about Zionism and modern Israel. Each can be completed in about an hour.