Book Review: holy war in Judaism: the fall and rise of a controversial idea

Holy war, sanctioned or even commanded by God, is a common and recurring theme in the Hebrew Bible. Rabbinic Judaism, however, largely avoided discussion of holy war in the Talmud and related literatures for the simple reason that it became dangerous and self-destructive. Holy War in Judaism is the first book to consider how the concept of ‘holy war’ disappeared from Jewish thought for almost 2000 years, only to re-emerge with the rise of Zionism. Catherine Hezser finds the book is written in a clear, explanatory style, which effectively clarifies the intra-religious tension over military action within Israel today.