Avner Shamir's Books

Incombustible Lutheran Books in Early Modern Germany

By: Avner Shamir

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Incombustible Lutheran Books in Early Modern Germany

By: Avner Shamir

This book discusses the early modern engagement with books that survived intentional or accidental fire in Lutheran Germany. From the 1620s until the middle of the eighteenth century, unburnt books became an attraction for princes, publishers, clergymen, and some laymen. To cope with an event that seemed counter-intuitive and possibly supernatural, contemporaries preserved these books, narrated their survival, and discussed their significance. This book demonstrates how early modern Europeans, no longer bound to traditional medieval religion, yet not accustomed to modern scientific ways of thinking, engaged with a natural phenomenon that was not uncommon and yet seemed to defy common sense.

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Page Count

294

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0429619596

ISBN 13

9780429619595

English Bibles on Trial

Bible burning and the desecration of Bibles, 1640–1800

By: Avner Shamir

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English Bibles on Trial

Bible burning and the desecration of Bibles, 1640–1800

By: Avner Shamir

The aim of this book is to explore antagonism towards, and acts of violence against, English Bibles in England and Scotland (and, to a lesser degree, Ireland) from the English Civil War to the end of the eighteenth century. In this period, English Bibles were burnt, torn apart, thrown away and desecrated in theatrical and highly offensive ways. Soldiers and rebels, clergymen and laymen, believers and doubters expressed their views and emotions regarding the English Bible (or a particular English Bible) through violent gestures. Often, Bibles of other people and other denominations were burnt and desecrated; sometimes people burnt and destroyed their own Bibles. By focusing on violent gestures which expressed resentment, rejection and hatred, this book furthers our understanding of what the Bible meant for early modern Christians. More specifically, it suggests that religious identities in this period were not formed simply by the pious reading, study and contemplation of Scripture, but also through antagonistic encounters with both Scripture itself and the Bible as a material object.

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Page Count

221

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Published Date

ISBN 10

131551396X

ISBN 13

9781315513966

Christian Conceptions of Jewish Books

The Pfefferkorn Affair

By: Avner Shamir

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Christian Conceptions of Jewish Books

The Pfefferkorn Affair

By: Avner Shamir

Explores how Christians understood the meaning and significance of Jewish books at the beginning of the sixteenth century. This book tells the story of the so-called Pfefferkorn affair, the attempt to confiscate and burn all Jewish post-biblical literature in the Holy Roman Empire in the years 1509-10.

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133

Publisher

Museum Tusculanum Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

8763507722

ISBN 13

9788763507721

The Worst-Kept Secret

Israel's Bargain with the Bomb

By: Avner Cohen

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The Worst-Kept Secret

Israel's Bargain with the Bomb

By: Avner Cohen

Israel has made a unique contribution to the nuclear age& mdash;it has created (with the tacit support of the United States) a special "bargain" with its bomb. Israel is the only nuclear-armed state that keeps its bomb invisible, unacknowledged, opaque. It will only say that it will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East. The bomb is Israel's collective ineffable& mdash;the nation's last taboo. This bargain has a name: in Hebrew, it is called amimut, or opacity. By adhering to the bargain, which was born in a secret deal between Richard Nixon and Golda Meir, Israel creates a code of nuclear conduct that encompasses both governmental policy and societal behavior. The bargain lowers the salience of Israel's nuclear weapons, yet it also remains incompatible with the norms and values of liberal democracy. It relies on secrecy and opacity. It infringes on the public right to know and negates the notion of public accountability and oversight, among other offenses. Author of the critically acclaimed Israel and the Bomb, Avner Cohen offers a bold and original study of this politically explosive subject. Along with a fair appraisal of the bargain's strategic merits, Cohen provides a critique of its antidemocratic faults. Arguing that the bargain has become increasingly anachronistic, he calls for a reform in line with domestic democratic values as well as current international nuclear norms. Most important, he believes the old methods will prove inadequate in dealing with a nuclear Iran. Cohen concludes with fresh perspectives on Iran, Israel, and the effort toward global disarmament.

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Page Count

412

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231136986

ISBN 13

9780231136983

Agnon’s Story

A Psychoanalytic Biography of S. Y. Agnon

By: Avner Falk

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Agnon’s Story

A Psychoanalytic Biography of S. Y. Agnon

By: Avner Falk

Agnon’s Story is the first complete psychoanalytic biography of the Nobel-Prize-winning Hebrew writer S.Y. Agnon. It investigates the hidden links between his stories and his biography. Agnon was deeply ambivalent about the most important emotional “objects” of his life, in particular his “father-teacher,” his ailing, depressive and symbiotic mother, his emotionally-fragile wife, whom he named after her and his adopted “home-land” of Israel. Yet he maintained an incredible emotional resiliency and ability to “sublimate” his emotional pain into works of art. This biography seeks to investigate the emotional character of his literary canon, his ambivalence to his family and the underlying narcissistic grandiosity of his famous “modesty.”

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Page Count

773

Publisher

BRILL

Published Date

ISBN 10

9004367780

ISBN 13

9789004367784

We Never Expected That

A Comparative Study of Failures in National and Business Intelligence

By: Avner Barnea

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We Never Expected That

A Comparative Study of Failures in National and Business Intelligence

By: Avner Barnea

The disciplines of strategic intelligence at the governmental level and competitive business intelligence constitute accepted methods of decision-supporting to prevent mistakes and strategic surprise. This research discovered that many researchers in the intelligence field feel that intelligence methodology in both contexts has reached a “glass ceiling.” Thus far, research has focused separately on national intelligence and intelligence in business, without any attempt to benchmark from one field to the other. This book shows that it is possible to use experience gained in the business field to improve intelligence practices in national security, and vice versa through mutual learning. The book’s main innovation is its proposition that mutual learning can be employed in the context of a model distinguishes between concentrated and diffused surprises to provide a breakthrough in the intelligence field, thereby facilitating better prediction of the surprise development. We Never Expected That: A Comparative Study of Failures in National and Business Intelligence focuses on a comparison between how states, through their intelligence organizations, cope with strategic surprises and how business organizations deal with unexpected movement in their field. Based on this comparison, the author proposes a new model which can better address the challenge of avoiding strategic surprises. This book can contribute significantly to the study of intelligence, which will become more influential in the coming years.

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Page Count

233

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield

Published Date

ISBN 10

1793619891

ISBN 13

9781793619891

Fratricide in the Holy Land

A Psychoanalytic View of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

By: Avner Falk

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Fratricide in the Holy Land

A Psychoanalytic View of the Arab-Israeli Conflict

By: Avner Falk

This is the first English-language book ever to apply psychoanalytic knowledge to the understanding of the most intractable international struggle in our world today—the Arab-Israeli conflict. Two ethnic groups fight over a single territory that both consider to be theirs by historical right—essentially a rational matter. But close historical examination shows that the two parties to this tragic conflict have missed innumerable opportunities for a rational partition of the territory between them and for a permanent state of peace and prosperity rather than perennial bloodshed and misery. Falk suggests that a way to understand and explain such irrational matters is to examine the unconscious aspects of the conflict. He examines large-group psychology, nationalism, group narcissism, psychogeography, the Arab and Israeli minds, and suicidal terrorism, and he offers psychobiographical studies of Ariel Sharon and Yasser Arafat, two key players in this tragic conflict today.

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Page Count

280

Publisher

Terrace Books

Published Date

ISBN 10

0299202534

ISBN 13

9780299202538

Israel and the Bomb

By: Avner Cohen

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Israel and the Bomb

By: Avner Cohen

In the first detailed account of Israel's nuclear record, Cohen forges an interpretive political history, drawing on thousands of American and Israeli once-classified documents.

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Page Count

494

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231104839

ISBN 13

9780231104838

Hayim Nahman Bialik

Poet of Hebrew

By: Avner Holtzman

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Hayim Nahman Bialik

Poet of Hebrew

By: Avner Holtzman

A moving inquiry into the dramatic life, epic success, and ultimate tragedy of the great Hebrew poet By the time he was twenty-eight, Hayim Nahman Bialik was already considered the National Hebrew Poet. He had only published a single collection, but his deeply personal poetry established a profound link between the secular and the traditional that would become paramount to a national Jewish identity in the twentieth century. When he died unexpectedly in 1934, the outpouring of grief was unprecedented, confirming him as a father figure for the Zionist movement in Palestine, and around the world. Using extensive research and elegant readings of Bialik’s poems, Avner Holtzman investigates the poet’s dramatic life, complex personality, beloved verse, and continued popularity. This clear-eyed and thorough biography explores how Bialik overcame intense personal struggles to become a charismatic literary leader at the core of modern Hebrew culture.

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264

Publisher

Yale University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0300227744

ISBN 13

9780300227741

Syria Under Assad (RLE Syria)

Domestic Constraints and Regional Risks

By: Moshe Maoz,Avner Yaniv

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Syria Under Assad (RLE Syria)

Domestic Constraints and Regional Risks

By: Moshe Maoz,Avner Yaniv

One of the most striking recent developments in the modern Middle East has been the transformation of Syria under Hafez al-Assad from a weak, vulnerable and internally divided state to a leading regional power. While this is increasingly acknowledged by observers of the Middle Eastern scene , the scholarly discussion of the origins, the scope, the durability and the implications of this change is only beginning to take place. Syria Under Assad addresses itself to this discussion. Based on a carefully selected collection of original articles, this volume focuses on the elements of Syria’s power, on Syria’s relations with each of its neighbours as well as on Syria’s relations with the superpowers. In the final analysis, conclude the editors, Syrian policies appear paradoxical. Its conduct ever since the advent of Hafez al-Assad exhibits subtle and hard-nosed pragmatism. Yet, in order to consolidate the domestic legitimacy of the Alawi Ba’athist regime, Syria has been impelled to articulate its foreign policy goals in the far-flung rhetoric of the Ba’athist ideology. As a result Syria is widely perceived of as a menace and, treated as such, it often responds in kind.

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Page Count

263

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1317818385

ISBN 13

9781317818380

Jewish Humor

By: Avner Ziv

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Jewish Humor

By: Avner Ziv

The thirteen chapters in this book are derived from the First International Conference on Jewish Humor held at Tel-Aviv University. The authors are scientists from the areas of literature, linguistics, sociology, psychology, history, communications, the theater, and Jewish studies. They all try to understand different aspects of Jewish humor, and they evoke associations, of a local-logical nature, with Jewish tradition. This compilation reflects the first interdisciplinary approach to Jewish humor. The chapters are arranged in four parts. The first section relates to humor as a way of coping with Jewish identity. Joseph Dorinson's chapter underscores the dilemma facing Jewish comedians in the United States. These comics try to assimilate into American culture, but without giving up their Jewish identity. The second section of the book deals with a central function of humor--aggression. Christie Davies makes a clear distinction between jokes that present the Jew as a victim of anti-Semitic attacks and those in which the approach is not aggressive. The third part focuses on humor in the Jewish tradition. Lawrence E. Mintz writes about jokes involving Jewish and Christian clergymen. The last part of the book deals with humor in Israel. David Alexander talks about the development of satire in Israel. Other chapters and contributors include: -Psycho-Social Aspects of Jewish Humor in Israel and in the Diaspora- by Avner Ziv; -Humor and Sexism: The Case of the Jewish Joke- by Esther Fuchs; -Halachic Issues as Satirical Elements in Nineteenth Century Hebrew Literature- by Yehuda Friedlander; -Do Jews in Israel still laugh at themselves?- by O. Nevo; and -Political Caricature as a Reflection of Israel's Development- by Kariel Gardosh. Each chapter in this volume paves the way for understanding the many facets of Jewish humor. This book will be immensely enjoyable and informative for sociologists, psychologists, and scholars of Judaic studies.

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Page Count

183

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351510932

ISBN 13

9781351510936

As Night Falls

Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Cities after Dark

By: Avner Wishnitzer

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As Night Falls

Eighteenth-Century Ottoman Cities after Dark

By: Avner Wishnitzer

In a world that is constantly awake, illuminated and exposed, there is much to gain from looking into the darkness of times past. This fascinating and vivid picture of nocturnal life in Middle Eastern cities shows that the night in the eighteenth-century Ottoman Empire created unique conditions for economic, criminal, political, devotional and leisurely pursuits that were hardly possible during the day. Offering the possibility of livelihood and brotherhood, pleasure and refuge; the darkness allowed confiding, hiding and conspiring - activities which had far-reaching consequences on Ottoman state and society in the early modern period. Instead of dismissing the night as merely a dark corridor between days, As Night Falls demonstrates how fundamental these nocturnal hours have been in shaping the major social, cultural and political processes in the early modern Middle East.

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Page Count

391

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1108934390

ISBN 13

9781108934398

The Middle East In Global Strategy

By: Aurel Braun,Edwin H Fedder,Avner Yaniv,Gerald Steinberg

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The Middle East In Global Strategy

By: Aurel Braun,Edwin H Fedder,Avner Yaniv,Gerald Steinberg

This book emphasizes the vital links between international politics and strategy and provides a comprehensive analysis of strategic interests of the major international actors in the Middle East. It contends that the policies of the superpowers toward the Middle East are fragmented and unproductive.

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Page Count

237

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000303373

ISBN 13

9781000303377

Sayeret Matkal

The Greatest Operations of Israel's Elite Commandos

By: Avner Shur,Aviram Halevi

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Sayeret Matkal

The Greatest Operations of Israel's Elite Commandos

By: Avner Shur,Aviram Halevi

Sayeret Matkal depicts the greatest operations of Israel’s elite commando force from the perspective of the people who were there—the soldiers and their commanders, many of whom became Israel's top leaders and politicians: people such as Benjamin Netanyahu, Moshe Ya’alon, and Ehud Barak. In riveting prose and fascinating detail, the book tells the stories of operations such as Spring of Youth, in which PLO terrorists were killed in their homes in Beirut; the daring hostage rescue mission in Entebbe, Uganda, one of the unit's most glorious operations; the assassination of Abu Jihad in Tunis, Tunisia, and many more. First and foremost, this is a book about the remarkable people who made Israel’s legendary commando unit an icon of determination, ingenuity, and courage.

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Page Count

290

Publisher

Simon and Schuster

Published Date

ISBN 10

1510773207

ISBN 13

9781510773202

A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews

By: Avner Falk

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A Psychoanalytic History of the Jews

By: Avner Falk

This includes the evolution of the Hebrew religion as a projective response to the inner conflicts produced by the human family; the sociopsychological development of the Israelite kingdoms in Canaan; the fascinating duality of Jewish life in the "Diaspora"; and the emotional ties of the Jews to their idealized motherland from the Babylonian exile to modern political Zionism.

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