Ken Stein assembled and composed these sources and materials during and after his years of doctoral research and college teaching in Atlanta. The materials are under copyright, October 2023.

Ken’s Blog

He provides regular analyses and insights on matters relating to Israel, Middle East and international relations.

Issues & Analyses

Contemporary and historical topics are covered, framed by events, ideas, opinions, people, and sources.

Israel-Hamas War 2023

Documents, videos, timelines, analyses, event summaries, educator guides and more resources to the war that broke out Oct. 7, 2023, between Gaza-based Hamas and Israel.

CIE Digital

There are four sets of digital items: webinars, Israel on Board (short white board videos) that explain an issue or topic, IDEAL © (Israel Direct Education and Learning, three self-instructional on-line classes that cover Israeli history (7 sessions) and Israeli culture (3 sessions), and presentations accumulated from our numerous learning seminars and public presentations. Spanish sub-titles are provided for some of these items, but not for IDEAL

College Syllabi

The two dozen college course syllabi are appropriate for advanced teen, college and adult education. They include weekly topics of study, suggested book journal readings, and sometimes assigned paper topics.

Contemporary Readings

Contemporary Readings are monthly selections on matters relating to Israel. CIE reviews some 300 readings a month, and provides some 30 suggestions. These selected readings cover 2013 – present.

Curated Readings

Curated Readings are a few lists of suggested readings on a particular subject that relate to some aspect of Israel and its origins. For the advanced or beginning learner we suggest the Annotated bibliography of books on Zionism and Israel. This list contains some of the most useful items in learning about Zionism and Israel. For deeper understanding of modern Zionism to 1949, we suggest the articles and books on this list.

Documents and Sources

Assembled here are more than 200 documents and sources that shaped Zionism, Israel, the unfolding Arab-Israeli Conflict, and the modern Middle East. For most items, we have included detailed introductions that provide texture and perspective with the historical context. For each entry, we have provided quick access to the preceding and following source or document. These documents and sources are found also in their proper historical place when reading the history of Zionism/Israel in the Era summaries.

Eras

In an effort to show Israel’s emergence from its origins in Jewish history, we have written an overarching history in four chronological periods. Two eras are written and two are being revised: Early history to 1897; Autonomy without Sovereignty, 1898 to 1948; Sovereignty to Recognition,1948 to 1979; and Recognition to Normalization, 1980 to the present. Each Era is between 3,000 and 6,000 words in length; they are also available in Hebrew and Spanish. Documents and sources relevant to the unfolding story are linked in each era for further exploration and to establish perspective.

Glossaries, Personalities, and Terms on Zionism and Modern Israel

The glossaries have been reprinted from other sources, with permission of the original authors.

Hebrew Materials

The Hebrew language section offers resource items and key articles about Israeli history and politics that are likely not found elsewhere.

IDEAL© Israel Direct Education and Learning

IDEAL© is CIE’s collection of online podcasts, videos, white board explanations, power points, courses, and webinars. Two general overviews in multiple sessions are offered, one on modern Israel’s evolution and one on Israeli culture. Both are delivered through the learning platform Teachable. Access to 100 plus CIE Digital items is here. Spanish subtitles are provided for two dozen digital items at Recursos Digitales.

Israel@75

In commemorating 1948-2023, we compiled lists of 75 personalities who contributed and sustained Israel, and lists of art work, foods, and suggested items to read. Special topical webinars and student competitions were held.

Italian Materials

A limited number of source and learning items appear here.

League of Nations

Established in 1920, the League of Nations evolved out of the Paris Peace Conference. One of its objectives was to evolve former colonial territories into self-governing administrations. These annual reports are extraordinary detailed reviews of policies and events as they unfolded in Palestine from 1922-1939. Yearly debates are chronicled on the interactions between Arab, British, and Jewish leaders and their communities.

Maps

Diplomacy and war reflect the changing contours of states and borders in the evolution of Israel and the modern Middle East. We wish to thank the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for allowing us to use some of their published maps. Other maps were made exclusively for CIE use. Designed by Ken Stein, Gabriel Epstein and CIE staff, a unique collection of 20 maps exists, in English, Hebrew and Spanish which traces the Formation for a Jewish State from 1882 – 1947.

Polls and Surveys

Public opinion both shapes and reflects policy choices. Attitudes provide snap shots of short and long term trends. Assembled here are a variety of current data about policies, reflections, and expectations. Surveys by the Israel Democracy Institute, the American Jewish Committee, Gallup and Pew are included and linked.

Polish Materials

A limited number of resources and learning items appear here.

Portuguese Materials

A limited number of resources and learning items appear here.

Research Bibliographies

Research Bibliographies exist for each Theme. Each bibliography contains books and articles and is routinely updated every three years.

Spanish Materials

The Spanish language section offers an extensive array of CIE produced materials, all of which have been carefully translated by CIE staff. The Spanish map collection is particularly useful for following the changing borders of the Holy Land, Palestine, and Israel. Spanish language time lines for Jerusalem’s history, the June 1967 War, and the Arab-Israeli Conflict are available.

Timelines

The master timeline contains more than 1000 entries, following Jewish History from the origins of Jewish identity in biblical times to the present, including diaspora experiences, modern Zionism, and contemporary issues in Israel. Timelines are provided in English and in other languages on specific topics including, Jerusalem’s evolution, the chronology of the Arab-Israeli conflict, detail of events in the unfolding of the June 1967 War, and the changing attitudes of American officials toward Zionism, Israel, and the US-Israeli Relationship, from 1922 – present.

Themes

CIE has arranged core content material into two dozen themes that reflect events, concepts, and disciplines about Zionism and modern Israel. Each theme contains a suggested bibliography of articles and books, relevant documents to use in understanding a theme, special recommended readings, sometimes translated or republished with authors’ permission, and occasionally, educational tools.

Today in Israeli History

CIE staff have matched a yearly date with events or personalities in Jewish, Zionist, and Israeli history. Each item is explained in detail, with entries also appearing on the main timeline of Jewish, Zionist, and Israeli histories.

Transcripts/Interviews

Assembled here are transcripts – with permission of the sponsoring organizations – of key conferences convened over the last fifty years that reflect some aspect of Israel. Particularly unique are transcripts of interviews of individuals who were involved in Arab-Israeli diplomacy from the 1960s forwards. The depth and richness of these interviews provide unique glimpses into personal assessments of how history and international relations unfolded. Permission to make these interviews public was granted by each person.

Weekly Torah Portion

The Parashah Hashavuah is the weekly portion of the Torah, five books of Moses that is read by Jews throughout the world each week and on specific holidays. Here you will find the Torah Portion by its Hebrew name. We have suggested some ideas on how that weekly portion may be connected to some aspect of modern Israel.

Weizmann Letters

With permission of the Weizmann Archives in Rehovot, CIE has republished the five to seven page informative introductions that accompany each of the 23 volumes of Chaim Weizmann’s Letters and Papers. The Letters and Papers cover the period from 1885 to 1952. Reading each volumes’ introduction together provides an excellent evolutionary summary of Zionism and Israel through the eyes and attitudes of one of its key founders.

Useful Links

Israeli news, politics, society, international relations, economics and culture are frequent topics of many organizations across the world. Archives and libraries noted house rich and unique collections of Jewish, Zionist, and Israeli history. For example, the National Library of Israel houses enormously rich collections of newspapers and music. Similarly, the Israel State Archives and the Central Zionist Archives house rich collections about modern Jewish history, personalities, Zionism’s evolution, state-seeking, state-making, and state-keeping. Each link entry includes a brief thumbnail description.