#8: The Miraculous State Takes Shape, 1948 to 1953

04/26/23 • 35 min

Building the Impossible Dream: The History of Zionism

Even after its against-all-odds victory in the War of Independence, the State of Israel’s future was far from assured. It faced the challenge of absorbing massive waves of largely impoverished immigrants, establishing itself as the national state of the Jewish people, dealing with the difficulties caused by Palestinian Arab refugees who fled Israel during the War of Independence, and creating the institutions and traditions needed for effective democratic governance. Dr. Polisar in this episode describes how Israel—led by David Ben-Gurion—overcame these challenges in its initial half-decade and laid the foundations for a thriving society and state.

Previous Episode

#7: Israel’s War of Independence, 1947-1949

Shortly after the General Assembly voted on November 29, 1947, to establish Jewish and Arab states in Palestine, Chaim Weizmann declared that states are not given to peoples on a silver platter—and that the Jews would have to fight to establish theirs. Indeed, the Yishuv, backed by the Zionist movement, fought a War of Independence beginning the day after the UN decision, when the Arabs of Palestine responded with anger and violence. The war did not end until early 1949.

In this episode, Dr. Polisar breaks down the two phases of the conflict—the “civil war” pitting the Arabs of Palestine against the Yishuv from November 1947 to May 1948; and the war against the five Arab countries that invaded Palestine in May 1948 with the aim of preventing the birth of the Jewish state. In addition to examining the causes and consequences of Israel’s victory, Dr. Polisar also covers the Isrel's Declaration of Independence, read aloud by David Ben-Gurion on May 14, 1948 just hours before the British Mandate formally ended.

Supplemental Materials:

A series of essays by Martin Kramer on Israel's Declaration of Independence.
"Podcast: Neil Rogachevsky and Dov Zigler on the Political Philosophy of Israel's Declaration of Independence."
The full text of Israel's Declaration of Independence in English.

Next Episode

#9: Making the Jewish State Secure, 1948 to 1967

In parallel with its efforts to deal with a host of domestic challenges, Israel was compelled from 1948 through 1967 to act decisively to defend itself against its Arab neighbors and lay the basis for longer-term security. This episode opens with the strategic changes that drove the Arab countries, led by Egypt’s Gamal Abdel Nasser, to escalate their conflict with the Jewish state between 1948 and 1956. Dr. Polisar then examines the Sinai War of October 1956, in which Israel joined with France and Britain in defeating Egypt, and its surprising diplomatic consequences. The final section focuses on the causes and course of Israel’s spectacular victory in the Six-Day War of June 1967, in which it captured the Golan Heights from Syria, the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, and Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem from Jordan.

Supplemental Materials: