Zion in the Desert

William F. S. Miles is Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University and the author of many books, including Bridging Mental Boundaries in a Postcolonial Microcosm: Identity and Development in Vanuatu and Imperial Burdens: Countercolonialism in Former French India.

• List of IllustrationsIntroduction: Studying One’s Own Tribe1.  From Long Island to the Negev Desert2.  A Desert for Reform Zionists3.  Why They Came4.  Why They Came to Lotan5.  Coping with Crisis: Economic, Marital, and Midlife6.  Aging, Envy, and Death7.  Why They Stayed8.  Praying—and ­Not—in the Wilderness9.  Sibling Rivalry (The Lotan Difference)10.  Children of the Dream (Kibbutz Kids)11.  Significant Others: ­Nonmembers of the Community12.  Leaving the Reform Kibbutz13.  "Today I Am a Man"NotesBibliographyIndex

"…Zion in the Desert offers us a personal/sociological view of the development of Reform Kibbutzim Yahel and Lotan … Through in-depth interviews and photos, we get a sense of the smell, look, and feel of the kibbutzim—their struggles, triumphs, and challenges—through the eyes of the author and the residents … In many respects it is a love story." — CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly"Miles has written an engaging, readable volume that combines brief backgrounds of Yahel and Lotan with many short vignettes about those who live or have lived in one or the other of these communities." — American Jewish History"This book offers a uniquely beautiful glimpse into kibbutz life, told from the perspective of those who live that life as well as that of an author who wonders—what if he had?" — Jewish Book Wld "…crisply written, clear, and breezy narrative … Permeated with reflective assessment…" — CHOICE"At once loving and objective, Miles is the ideal chronicler of this brave and idiosyncratic group of pioneers. His account offers hope for the renewal of Israeli Judaism and for the enduring power of the dream of social justice, and makes clear that the eulogies for the kibbutz ideal are premature." — Yossi Klein Halevi, author of At the Entrance to the Garden of Eden: A Jew's Search for Hope with Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land"The author provides a good anthropological sense of intellectual curiosity, a sharp eye, and an ability to make sense of that which he observes. He raises some important questions about the nature and substance of Reform Judaism, as well as its connections with Israel." — Chaim I. Waxman, author of Jewish Baby Boomers: A Communal Perspective