“The issue of birthrate and its numerous ramifications has hardly been discussed. Lilach RosenbergFriedman not only raises an issue which has so far been ignored, but also, and most importantly, shows the way in which birth rate reflects many aspects of the small yet exceedingly complex Israeli society” —Deborah Bernstein, author of Pioneers and Homemakers: Jewish Women in Pre-State Israel
Birthrate Politics in Zion Judaism, Nationalism, and Modernity under the British Mandate BY LILACH ROSENBERG - FRIEDMAN Despite both national and traditional imperatives to have many children, the birthrate of the Jewish community in British Mandate Palestine declined steadily from 1920-1948. During these years Jews were caught in contradictions between political and social objectives, religion, culture, and individual needs. Lilach Rosenberg-Friedman takes a deep and detailed look at these diverse and decisive issues, including births and abortions during this period, the discourse about birthrate, and practical attempts to implement policies to counter the low birthrate. Themes that emerge include the effect of the Holocaust, economics, ethnicity, efforts by public figures to increase birthrate, and the understanding that women in the society were viewed as entirely responsible for procreation. Providing a deep examination of the day-to-day lives of Jewish families in British Mandate Palestine, this book shows how political objectives are not only achieved by political agreements, public debates, and battlefields, but also by the activities of ordinary men, women, and families. LILACH ROSENBERG-FRIEDMAN is a historian and Associate Professor of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. PERSPECTIVES ON ISRAEL STUDIES S. ILAN TROEN, EDITOR October 2017 History, Middle East World 256 pages, 6 x 9 Cloth 978-0-253-02889-1 $80.00 £69.00 Paper 978-0-253-02898-3 $28.00 £23.99 eBook 978-0-253-02911-9 $27.99 £23.99
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| INDIANA UNIVERSITY PRESS
Jewish Studies