ALIYAH

Aliyah is a modern Hebrew word signifying a wave of immigration, referring specifically to the sequential influx of modern times of Dispersion Jews into Israel. Certainly all other Jews who have contributed financial and moral support to the establishment of the Jewish homeland will be heartened by this account of Israeli life and its achievements. Ostensibly the chapters revolve around the biographies of exceptional Israelis like Rachel, the indomitable wife of Israeli President Yitzhak Ben-Zvi, or the famous painter Moshe Castel. But other accomplishments are recorded- the reception given Jaffa oranges in Scandinavia, the rise of Tel Aviv's first supermarket chain, the hardships of life in a military outpast. Non-Jews, even some Arabs, and non-Israelis whose activities have been associated with the state's history assume their proper places in the narrative. The deep-rooted reasons behind the much publicized religious, political and economic ferment in the young nation are described conscientiously. The author's pro-Zionist bias is apparent throughout, but this treatment of facts is not propagandistic. Several of the vignettes have a direct or indirect bearing upon facets of the Eichmann trial. The book cannot fail to receive attention from Jewish intellectuals, and it should be well received by Zionists of every political persuasion because it captures so many of the elements essential to the Zionist movement.