The Chosen: The History of an Idea, the Anatomy of an Obsession [Hardcover]

The Chosen explores Judaism s key defining concept and inquires why it remains the central unspoken and explosive psychological, historical, and theological problem at the heart of Jewish-Gentile relations. Crisscrossing the twin cultural and theological divides between Judaism, Christendom, and Islam, The Chosen explains how the Jews, of all people, have come to represent at once the epitome of both the good and the odious. Beker covers not only the great stories of how the Jews came to be chosen and the Christian, Muslim, and Nazi efforts to appropriate the title, but also the key role chosenness plays in contemporary anti-Semitism and in the current Middle East conflict over the Land of Israel and the chosen city of Jerusalem.Preface * Confronting the Issue of the Chosen * How Were The Chosen Chosen? * The Gentile Replacement of the Chosen * Global but Apart * Hating the Chosen: Anti-Semitism * Shoah: The Final Solution for the Chosen * Israel: A Chosen Nation in their Chosen Land * Jerusalem: The Chosen City * Epilogue: Why is the World Obsessed with the Jews?

Well-researched, insightful, Avi Beker s volume on the theme of the chosenness of the Jewish people responds to many questions, both ancient and contemporary, that are worthy of the reader s interest. - Elie Wiesel, author of Night

The Chosen takes up a concept that goes straight to the heart and root of Judaism - the role of chosenness that the Jews saw for themselves and the role which they played in the unfolding history of our civilization. Beker makes an important contribution in taking us back to the sources of the deep and embedded hatred of the Jews over the centuries. This scope of the book makes it very important to scholars, activists, and anyone interested in a very unique approach to an ancient puzzle. - Natan Sharansky, Israel s Minister for Jerusalem & Diaspora Affairs, and former Jewish human rights activist

Avi Beker s The Chosen is lsi