The Invention of the Jewish People

The Invention of the Jewish People by Shlomo Sand

Zionists focussed on the return of the "Jewish people". They were viewed as one unchanging homogenous group that traced back to the times of Moses and Abraham. The author attempts to unravel the true history of the Jews. He found little research confirming the events of the Old Testament. He also found that Judaism was a proselytizing religion, with people in many areas converting en masse. Much of the book is spent covering some of these groups. It remains possible that many of the current Jews come from other homelands, while some of the Muslim Palestinians may be descendants of Jews. The takeaway from the author is not to abandon Israel, but instead to treat it as a state for Israelis. He feels that the people should be able to claim Israeli citizenship regardless of their mother's religion. He also finds it ironic that Jews are trying to perform genetic tests to identify "Jewishness". There was been significant movement and intermarriage among all the world's people. The national "myths" associated with countries may not have any genetic ties to the current residents. Does that matter?