Since 1948, the State of Israel has transformed itself from distant long-shot to an amazing success story. In this year-long seminar, we will discover the near-impossible yet extraordinary ideas and leaders behind the earliest triumphs of the Jewish state. This fall, we will look at several challenges the Jewish state faced and overcame during its formative period, the country’s early decades. These challenges were virtually without precedent in the history of nations and in each case Israel turned a daunting task into an opportunity to establish itself as a regional power and the driving force in leading the Jewish people worldwide. This course will include sessions on the 1948 War of Independence, the immigration of Jews from Arab lands, Israel’s development of nuclear weapons and the kidnapping and trial of the top-ranking Nazi Adolf Eichmann.

This is Part I of a full-year course, spanning all three Tikvah Online Academy semesters. Full-year courses are an exciting opportunity for students to dig deeper into a critical topic in Jewish thought and history. Students may enroll in Part I as a standalone course without enrolling in future semesters but are encouraged to reenroll in subsequent terms to gain mastery over the subject.