Heroes of Israel: Profiles of Jewish Courage

Jews, both men and women, who have fought or led their people in military or paramilitary actions are eloquently recalled here by Israel's president, starting with biblical figures. The author points out the special physical and moral courage of each, and the conditions and enemies against which they battled: Joshua at Jericho, Deborah, judge and prophetess turned warrior, nation-builder David, intrepid Bar-Kokhba and the zealots of Masada. Massacres of Jews in the modern European era, he stresses, dwarf even those by Muslims and Christians in the Middle Ages. Led by Ben-Gurion, first president of the Zionist State, the 1948 War of Independence and successive victories in wars against Arabs produced more heroes in Herzog's canon and left the stamp of General Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir on modern Israel. The author ends with the Entebbe rescue operation of 1976 and thereby avoids addressing controversial actions of more recent years. Photos. (Oct.)