Dear Friends,

Days after October 7, my publisher at Ben Yehuda Press called to tell me that he wanted to reissue my 2019 book “Why Israel and its Future Matters” with a new cover and tag line “Letters of a Liberal Rabbi to the Next Generation” plus a Foreword that I would write about the Hamas massacre of 1200 babies, children, men, women, and the elderly in southern Israel, Hamas’ kidnapping of 240 hostages, and the Israel-Hamas War.

I agreed and on November 10, the book was reissued. Here is a brief description of the volume:

“Presented in the form of letters from a rabbi to his adult sons, this volume argues that Jews of all ages need Israel as a source of pride, connection, and Jewish renewal, and Israel needs them for the liberal values that they can bring to the Zionist enterprise. Exploring the roots and antisemitic branches of the campaign against Israel, Rabbi Rosove demonstrates why it’s wrong to characterize Israel as an oppressor state and damn it with blanket condemnation. A 15-page appendix features a timeline/mini-history of Zionism and Israel from the 19th century through October, 2023. After each letter/chapter are a series of discussion questions for families, book groups, and courses on Israel and Zionism.”

The Foreword discusses how Israel and the Jewish world are different after October 7 and how the Hamas attack shines a light on Hamas’ mission to destroy Israel, murder all the Jews of the Jewish State, and establish an extremist Muslim Caliphate on all the land between the river and the sea. Rosove explains that Hamas is an existential threat to the Jewish people and to anyone interested in Israeli-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian peace, that Israel has no choice except to prosecute its war fully to eliminate Hamas’ military capacity and its brutal sovereignty over Palestinians in Gaza while striving to retrieve the hostages, avoid killing innocent Palestinian civilians, and avoid opening up wars against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Palestinians living under Occupation in the West Bank.”

The new edition is now available at Ben Yehuda Press (https://www.benyehudapress.com/WIM-2023) or online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Consider purchasing copies as gifts for Hanukah for your yourselves, your children, and grandchildren.

“A must read!” – Isaac Herzog, President of Israel

“This thoughtful and passionate book reminds us that commitment to Israel and to social justice are essential components of a healthy Jewish identity.” – Yossi Klein Halevi, author, Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor

“Rabbi Rosove grapples with modern Israel, Jewish identity, relations between Israelis and Diaspora Jews, and perhaps most significantly whether ‘you can maintain your ethical and moral values while at the same time being supporters of the Jewish state despite its flaws and imperfections.’ It is a book that many of us wish we had written for our children.” – Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer, Former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt (1997-2001) and to Israel (2001-2006), Professor of Middle East policy studies at Princeton University

“In its call for ‘aspirational Zionism,’ the book is honest and tough about Israel’s flaws, but optimistic about the country’s direction and filled with practical strategies for promoting change. This is a no-nonsense, straight-talking work, intellectually rigorous but deeply personal.” – Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President Emeritus, Union for Reform Judaism

“Rabbi Rosove’s optimism, and his boundless faith in Jewish peoplehood and Jewish values, makes this book an invaluable blueprint for Jews, both in Israel and around the world, to help the Jewish State live up to its founding values of acceptance, pluralism, and democracy and become a true light unto the nations.” Anat Hoffman, Chair of Women of the Wall, former Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center

“A moving love letter to Israel from a rabbinic leader who refuses to give into despair, but instead recommits to building a democratic Israel that lives up to the visit of its founders.” – Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Executive Director, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights

“In a beautifully written, passionate, emotional and heartfelt book, Rabbi Rosove describes his love for Israel. Always honest, authentic and sincere, John does not attempt to hide Israel’s imperfections. His forty years in the rabbinate taught him that anything human is imperfect, and that true love requires engagement in the work of improvement and repair. The form of Rabbi Rosove’s book is a series of touching letters to his adult children. In this way, John writes to all our children. Read and Reread Rabbi Rosove’s book. Turn the pages over and over again. You will glean his spirit, and the spirit of our people that has created and sustained the State of Israel – one of the great miracles of the world.” – Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, Senior Rabbi, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, New York City, and host of “In These Times Podcast”