"[] Rovners well-conceived and beautifully written book gives us a much wider lens through which to navigate these questions. A forgotten history resurrected. Not quite the return of the repressed but a significant contribution to our evolving understanding of Jews and Judaism in modernity."
"Rovner, an English and Jewish literature academician from the Universityof Denver, has pieced together from extensive archival research and personal travels the history and prominent personages of the early Zionists and, more importantly, the many geographic programs and projects in three continents that were proposed for Jewish habitation.This is a great addition to a large synagogue collection, a Jewish studies program at any level, and for the reader interested in a broad reflection on the development of the Zionist idea."
"[T]hese largely forgotten stories, in Rovner's telling, are compelling ones. [...] I applaud Rovner's act of restoring such endeavors to memory."
"Rovner follows in the footsteps (quite literally, with a lot of zest and a friend who took plenty of pictures) of Steinberg and the other Freelanders as they roamed large parts of Africa, Latin America, and Australia in search of a territory that would serve their purposes in the years prior to World War II, during the war, and even after the war."
"In the Shadow of Zionis enriched by Rovners colorful turns of phrase and attention to the quirky personalities of well-known Zionist figures."
"From an island in the Niagara River to the depths of Africa, In the Shadow of Zion shows that the contemporary state of Israel was just one of many modern attempts to solve the 'Jewish problem' through land. This compelling and beautifully written book reveals a history of alternative Zions rendered invisible today by national and imperial ambitions that conspired against them. A masterpiece about the true origins of Zionism and the 'paths not taken,' this volume is a must read for anyone interested in global Jewish history or in the history of Israel."
"In this path breaking study Adam Rovner takes us on a riveting journey through a boundless fantasy. Masterfully written, this little known chapter in modern Jewish history is also painfully thought provoking, for had there been a viable Jewish homeland anywhere on earth prior to the Second World War, the Holocaust may not have happened."
"In the Shadow of Zionis an excellent discussion of a chapter of Jewish history that is often overlooked or ignored. Rovner notes that the stories he tells include & utopian fervor, diplomacy, geographic exploration, catastrophe and perseverance, as well as love and tragic death. Modern Jewish history particularly Zionist history will never look the same again."
"Rovner makes a valuable contribution to the almost forgotten history of the Jewish territorialist movement.In well-crafted chapters, Rovner tells the story of the efforts of the territorialists to find a Jewish home in such places of Angola, Madagascar, Tasmania, and Suriname."
"Equipped with verve and an eye for the absurd detail, Adam Rovner set out across continents and into archives to recover the story of a time when desperation, imagination, and a sheer unwillingness to surrender to reality led some Jews to consider alternate Zions in unlikely corners of the globe. The result is a colorful and offbeat contribution to our understanding of modern Jewish history and of the fevered milieu out of which the state of Israel was born." -Matti Friedman,author of The Aleppo Codex
"[T]hese largely forgotten stories, in Rovner's telling, are compelling ones. [...] I applaud Rovner's act of restoring such endeavors to memory."-JWeekly.com
"In this path breaking study Adam Rovner takes us on a riveting journey through a boundless fantasy. Masterfully written, this little known chapter in modern Jewish history is also painfully thought provoking, for had there been a viable Jewish homeland anywhere on earth prior to the Second World War, the Holocaust may not have happened."-Tom Segev,author of One Palestine, Complete
2014-09-23
Travel down some of the lesser-known roads to Jerusalem with an expert guide.Few books that claim the power to radically change the reader's worldview deliver on that promise. This informed investigation of several unexplored avenues of Jewish history actually does it. By examining six seldom-discussed attempts to settle a Jewish state outside of Israel, Rovner (English and Jewish Literature/Univ. of Denver) shows how the world might have looked had any of these plans come to fruition. Had the Jewish homeland developed in Angola, Suriname or Grand Island, New York—all considered candidates at one time—how might Jewish history, and world history, have turned out differently? The author meticulously follows in the footsteps of the visionary authors, rabbis and politicians who led hopeful expeditions to far-flung corners of the globe on just such a quest. Rovner writes clearly and precisely, providing a solid historical and geographical context, which he intersperses with personal narratives from his own travels that offer more intimate looks at the landscape and cultures of these countries. Scholars familiar with Jewish history will appreciate the author's impressive scholarship, while mainstream readers could easily become overwhelmed by a text that is supported by nearly 100 pages of notes and bibliographical references. Similarly, a newcomer to the topic might not make the leap from religious Zionism to geographic territorialism as quickly as Rovner does. Unremarkable landscape photographs sprinkled throughout the book are perhaps an attempt to draw in more casual readers, but their generic vistas seem at odds with the detailed academic character of the writing. Nonetheless, for those interested in Jewish history, Rovner provides ample evidence for his thought-provoking argument that one success among these varied visions might have changed global geography forever. A conceptually challenging intellectual history of the global search for a Jewish homeland.
