Israel was born out of the ashes of the Holocaust.
Three years after six million Jews perished in Nazi-occupied Europe, three men created
a homeland.
Mordecai Schreiber was born in Haifa under the British mandate for Palestine, at a time
when Jewish people around the world did not have a country of their own.
By the time he turned nine, he and millions of Jews had a country, Israel, the Holy Land.
Since that fateful day in May of 1948, the country of Israel has been beset on all sides
by war, persecution, and troubles both internal and external.
Today however, some 70 years later, this start-up country smaller than the state of New Jersey
has become a major player on the world stage, an often stabilizing force in an unstable
region, a strong and vital ally of democracy, and the Zionist homeland for millions of Jews
around the world.
From his earliest days, Mordecai Schreiber grew with his country.
He became a rabbi, a scholar, educator, and author.
He has translated over 70 books from Hebrew.
He has written extensively on the subjects of Judaism.
The Holocaust, the relationship of God and man, and prayer along with many other subjects.
In this latest project, he applies his years of knowledge and personal experience to the
telling of how three individuals with differing opinions came together and despite the odds
led their people to the creation of a country, a homeland, Israel.
It is his unique personal experiences that make this telling so important.
In his youth, Rabbi Schreiber met David Ben-Gurion and heard some of his fiery speeches.
He personally hosted Monachem Begin in Cleveland and was captivated by the charm and humanity
of this former terrorist.
He also co-authored a biography of the great man.
Abraham Stern was assassinated when Schreiber was only three years old, but the rabbi did
translate a memoir by his chief of operations of what was pejoratively known as the Stern
Gang.
David Ben-Gurion, Abraham Stern, and Monachem Begin, three ordinary men representing different
factions of the Zionist movement, returned to the Middle East in the growing cloud of
World War II.
Their ideologies ranged from far left socialist to far right nationalist, and they had to overcome
their conflicting personal views to come together and make Israel happen, each played
a vital role in different, often disparate ways.
In The Three Founders of Israel, Schreiber has written an impartial and impassioned portrayal
of these three historical figures who were bitter adversaries during the years of war
and nation building, but who grew to appreciate and respect each other despite their differences.
Schreiber has chosen these three from dozens, if not hundreds, intimately involved in the
creation of the Israeli state because of their pivotal role in coalescing the hopes and wishes
of millions and in leading a revolution that brought together a people who had been stateless
for 2,000 years.
He revisits the early part of his life and the life of his people in the reticent state.
What were they all about?
How did they overcome such enormous odds and make the impossible happen?
Most importantly, where is the state heading now after seven decades of unresolved conflict?
The book will be published in early 2018 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the
creation of the Israeli state.
During this time of war in the world and uncertainty in every home, this is a story that needs
to be told, to remind and reinvigorate the peoples of the world.
It needs to be seen to show the people the heights that can be reached by putting aside
personal differences and working towards a good common goal.
It must be available to help Jews and others understand what has brought them to where
they are today and where they and their state might be heading in the next 70 years.
The Three Founders of Israel
