So what created this mess? William Faulkner wrote: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” This class will dive deeply into Palestine’s past and how it has contributed to, and ultimately shaped, the current-day tragedy in the Holy Land.
We will begin with 3000 BCE:
- Who were the Canaanites and where did they come from?
- How did the Israelites end up in Palestine?
- How did the series of conquerors and rulers shape the country? '
- How did the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam influence Palestine?
We will explore the last 150 years:
- Where did the Zionist movement begin and why was it so successful?
- Why did Great Britain support the creation of a Jewish homeland in Palestine?
- Why did the newly formed United Nations advocate a two-nation solution in 1948?
- Why did the Jews win the wars of 1948 and 1967 so decisively?
And finally, what is the situation today?
This is an eight-week course that will include lecture, videos, and a lot of discussion. The class will be offered both in person at OLLI South and on-line. Each class will be limited to 35.
