Palestine Posts: An Eyewitness Account of the Birth of Israel

“History at its most compelling – vivid, detailed, immediate. This book is a gift to the Jewish people.”
—Yossi Klein Halevi, Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute

“To read Palestine Posts is to learn Israel all over again, and to walk away enchanted and inspired.”
—Daniel Gordis, Senior VP, Koret Distinguished Fellow, Shalem College

Mordecai Chertoff came to Palestine in 1947 as a twenty-five-year-old, determined to make his contribution to the emerging Jewish State. Between 1947 and 1949 he was variously, local news editor, foreign news editor and war correspondent for the Palestine Post, soldier in the Haganah and resident of Jerusalem. In vivid and often moving letters to his family back in the United States (annotated and contextualized by his son), Mordecai describes the news of the UN vote for partition, the ongoing battles along the dangerous Jerusalem–Tel-Aviv highway and the attempts to break the siege of Jerusalem, the bombing of the Palestine Post, the declaration of the State of Israel, and, inevitably, the loss of friends. The correspondence, filled with details of everyday life in Jerusalem and encounters with famous and soon-to be famous people, includes historical information never before disclosed and ranges from passionate discussions about Zionism to the more personal drama of his search for a mate. Included are select letters, articles and photographs placed in their historical context in order to form a coherent narrative of the period. Extensive annotations identify and bring to life important personalities, events and concepts. The book also reflects the personal journey undertaken by the author to better understand a crucial period in Jewish history as well as his father as a young man and describes powerful encounters with people who appear in the book or with their descendants.

About the Author

Daniel Chertoff worked in the investment industry as an analyst, as financial communications counsel, as a venture capitalist, and as a senior executive in a large Israeli high tech company. He was an advisor to the World Jewish Congress and, before discovering his father’s letters, was happily writing his doctoral dissertation in English literature at the Hebrew University. Daniel is an Associate Editor of Partial Answers, an academic journal devoted to English literature and the history of ideas. He and his wife, Arlene, have lived in Israel for over 30 years and currently reside in Jerusalem.

Title: Palestine Posts: An Eyewitness Account of the Birth of Israel Author: Daniel S. Chertoff
Publisher: Toby Press ISBN: 978-1-59264-512-1 Pages: 499 Format: Paperback Price: $19.95
Publication date: October 5, 2019

Event

We invite you to a book talk with Daniel S. Chertoff, author of Palestine Posts, an Eyewitness Account of the Birth of Israel, based on the letters of his father Mordecai S. Chertoff. 
Join us via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85252203108

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