In his latest book, Christopher Bollas uses detailed studies of real clinical practice to illuminate a theory of psychoanalysis which privileges the human impulse to question. From earliest childhood to the end of our lives, we are driven by this impulse in its varying forms, and The Infinite Question illustrates how Freud's free associative method provides both patient and analyst with answers and, in turn, with an ongoing interplay of further questions. At the book's core are transcripts of real analytical sessions, accompanied by parallel commentaries which highlight key aspects of the free associative method in practice. These transcripts are contextualised by further discussion of the cases themselves, as well as a wider theoretical framework which places its emphasis on Freud's theory of the logic of sequence: by learning to listen to this free associative logic, Bollas argues, we can discover a richer and more complex unconscious voice than if we rely solely on Freud's theory of repressed ideas. Bollas demonstrates, in an eloquent and persuasive manner, how the Freudian position of evenly suspended attentiveness enables the analyst's unconscious to catch the drift of the patient's own unconscious. He also shows that to stimulate further questioning is often of more benefit to the analytical process than to jump to an interpretation. Yet whatever fascinating course a session may take, neither the patient nor the analyst can halt the progress of the self-propelling interrogative drive.

Mental health professionals are constantly expected to check their professional approach, their relationships with their patients and their personal experiences from their ethical perspectives, in order to ensure responsible treatment that take into consideration the patients’ needs, their rights and benevolence, while avoiding as much as possible any harm to their patients or any others involved. In spite of the existence of many detailed ethical codes that are meant to assist and navigate professionals in their professional behaviors in a complicated therapeutic realm, it is very often difficult to choose the right pathway. Through our understanding the complexity of ethical dilemmas in therapy, evaluation, supervision and research we relate with a strong emphasis on the standardization of the process of identification of ethical dilemmas and their resolving, as auxiliary tools in coping with them. The Seven Steps Model for the solution of ethical dilemmas we hand in this book, we developed while taking into serious account both the potentials and the weaknesses of existing similar models, and on the basis of the professional expertise, we gained while our long services as members and chairpersons of the Israel Psychologists Association Ethics committee. After a presentation of the model and its professional roots, we present fifteen examples for ethical misconducts in various fields in clinical psychology, implementing the Seven Steps Model.

In this myth-shattering study Isaiah Friedman provides a new perspective on events in the Middle East during World War I and its aftermath. He shows that British officials in Cairo mistakenly assumed that the Arabs would rebel against Turkey and welcome the British as deliverers. Sharif (later king) Hussein did rebel, but not for nationalistic motives as is generally presented in historiography. Early in the war he simultaneously negotiated with the British and the Turks but, after discovering that the Turks intended to assassinate him, finally sided with the British. There was no Arab Revolt in the Fertile Crescent. It was mainly the soldiers of Britain, the Commonwealth, and India that overthrew the Ottoman rule, not the Arabs. Both T.E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia") and Sir Mark Sykes hoped to revive the Arab nation and build a new Middle East. They courted disappointment: the Arabs resented the encroachment of European Powers and longed for the return of the Turks. Emir Feisal too became an exponent of Pan-Arabism and a proponent of the "United Syria" scheme. It was supported by the British Military Administration who wished thereby to eliminate the French from Syria. British officers were antagonistic to Zionism as well and were responsible for the anti-Jewish riots in Jerusalem in April 1920. During the twenties, unlike the Hussein family and their allies, the peasants (fellaheen), who constituted the majority of the Arab population in Palestine, were not inimical towards the Zionists. They maintained that "progress and prosperity lie in the path of brotherhood" between Arabs and Jews and regarded Jewish immigration and settlement to be beneficial to the country. Friedman argues that, if properly handled, the Arab-Zionist conflict was not inevitable. The responsibility lay in the hands of the British administration of Palestine. Isaiah Friedman is professor emeritus of history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He was elected Senior Fellow at St. Antony's College, Oxford and was a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics. He is the author of Palestine 1914-1918: British- Jewish-Arab Relations; Germany, Turkey and Zionism, 1897-1918; Palestine: a Twice Promised Land? Vol. 1: The British, the Arabs, and Zionism, 1915-1920, the editor of twelve volumes in the series Documents on the Rise of Israel; and co-editor of the new edition of Encyclopaedia Judaica, 22 vols. (2007).

Two Together , by Moshe Meir, embodies a breakthrough in Judaic philosophy in the new era. Its roots are anchored in the sources of the Jewish religion’s twentieth century philosophy, particularly that of Hermann Cohen and Rabbi Soloveichik, and Chassidic philosophy and heritage; its background is the barren dispute between religiosity and secularism in the era defined as post-modern. Moshe Meir’s painful acknowledgment, drawn from personal experience, is that the independent identity of ‘the religious’ and ‘the secular’ participate in each other’s worlds, and the dispute not only divides them but causes splitting among themselves. In his book, the author develops a new religious-philosophical language which enables stepping out from behind the armor that prevents each party from seeing the other’s humanity, and creating not only humane Jewish rapprochement but also a personal identity that bridges and unifies the secular believer on one hand, and the believing secularist on the other. As a researcher of Judaic philosophy in the new era who has consolidated his own views on these issues, I was deeply impressed by the innovative impetus, clarity and intellectual integrity characteristic of Moshe Meir’s book, from the beauty of its structure, and its elegant style. It is an attractive book which, despite its depth, is eminently readable and enjoyable. This book will enrich and enhance the spiritual world of all readers interested in such topics, and may give rise to serious, in-depth debate among its enthused supporters and equally enthused opponents, whether they are religious or secular. (Prof. Eliezer Schweid, Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University, Jerusalem). The search for a refreshing religious philosophy is one of the most vital and fascinating of all. Moshe Meir presents a path which is both model and content for establishing one of the most unique modes of belief in our generation. Precisely because I do not agree with all his views, I consider it of supreme importance that his principles are read by, and echo within, every believing individual – either by their adoption, or critical review – as they convey a tone of orientation that is direct, and deep, in seeking God. (Rabbi Yuval Cherlow). In this beautiful, important, and innovative book, Moshe Meir creates the religious-secular individual from his image, similar only externally to the religious-orthodox individual. This intriguing creation caused me to reconsider my own likeness, and discover that after all is said and done, I am none other than a secular-orthodox person whose similarity to a secular-secularist is only external. (Ari Elon, author of עלמה די and בא אל הקדש (

The Iliad of Homer is a powerful poem of force and heroism. It is the earliest of epics in Western Civilization and, since its appearance in the 8th century BCE, has inspired subsequent literary works. It tells of the final year of the Trojan War, one of the central stories in Greek mythology, and of the wrath of Achilles and its horrendous consequences. This is the first Hebrew prose translation of this great work. It has been done with meticulous care both to accuracy and style, aiming to preserve as far as possible the literary richness and charm of the original. As the Iliad belongs originally to the oral tradition, it is meant rather to be listened to than read; hence the translation aims at a greater musicality of Hebrew and simplicity of expression – both important characteristics of the Greek original. The translator has added a concise introduction and comprehensive notes to enhance readers’ understanding of this timeless poem. An index was added in the second edition.

This is the story of a nearly forgotten chapter of the Holocaust—of over 16,000 Jewish women, girls and children, their origins, itineraries and fates, who suffered in the horrendous Nazi concentration camp for women, Ravensbrück. As a historian, Judith Buber Agassi was struck by the changing conditions, countries of origin, and fates of these women during 5 distinct periods during the 6 years of the camp's existence. As a sociologist, she studied the social relations of the Jewish prisoners among themselves as well as with the non-Jewish majority. After the mass murder of Jewish prisoners early in 1942, a larger group organization became impossible, but the Jewish women developed a special and effective form of small-group organization, the so-called camp-families. As a sociologist of gender, she surveyed the educational background and patterns of behavior specific to Jewish women, and has produced an impressive study.

For one hundred years, the kibbutz was an undisputed model of an agricultural and industrial collective that implemented sharing, equality and direct democracy. Since the mid-1980s, however, the majority of the kibbutzim have undergone far-reaching changes (FRC). Differential salaries, privatization of property rights on apartments, or absorbing non-members as residents or “partial” members penetrate numerous settlements. This book tackles the question whether all this means that the kibbutz is gone. To answer this question, it investigates the dynamics of the new kibbutz reality, in this post-FRC era when some kibbutzim go as far as adopting all or nearly all FRCs possible while others still assert their loyalty to the “old regime. What comes out from this investigation definitely sets kibbutzim in the category of what Beck calls a “risk society”. The risk concerns the fact that for kibbutzniks, to remain a kibbutz or to step out from what a kibbutz still represents is a matter of choice that can be decided at any moment. The primary cost of this freedom is that kibbutzniks undergo a change of position vis-à-vis the society. While in the past, kibbutzim felt they represent a segment of the society that is appreciated for its contribution to national and societal challenges, today, they come to realize that in the eyes of the public, they are just “like anyone else” who pursues its own well-being. On the other hand, the pluralism that reigns today in many a kibbutz was studied, under the light of the Harvardian model with a research carried out from 2008 to 2010. This research focused on fourteen kibbutzim - some more “collective” and others more innovative. The investigation reveals many new actors and a reality that is far from reaching a point of “tranquility”. The depiction obtained of kibbutz reality is anything but homogeneous and unified or clearly dichotomous and divided. Though, the singularity of the kibbutz, even when it adopts the most extreme FRCs, consists in its retaining attachment to two basic codes - mutual responsibility (‘arevut hadadit’) and decision by consensus. What kibbutzim still have in common is that they depend on the wishes and hopes of kibbutzniks themselves. The general picture that comes out is not that of an “exemplary non-failure” as Martin Buber described it more than two generations ago. The kibbutz now appears as a non-failure that has apparently lost something of its “exemplarity”. Its main achievement is that it is still with us. Only the future will say for how long.

This collection of articles is the fruit of over sixty years of teaching and research by Professor Avraham Goldberg, one of the most prominent Talmud scholars of our generation. Professor Goldberg taught for decades in the Talmud department at the Hebrew University and was awarded the Israel Prize in Talmudic studies in 2000. In earlier years he was a student of Professors Louis Ginzburg and Saul Lieberman during his studies in New York , and later a student of Professors Y. N. Epstein and Hanoch Albeck in Israel .

In crucial decision-making moments during the struggle of the Zionist Movement for obtaining sovereignty, the Jewish members of the Communist Movement in Israel presented an opposition. They made an attempt to undermine the Zionist narrative and Zionism itself as a value. In the public eye, its activists were tied to treason and turning their back to the national struggle. The conduct of the Jewish communists in Eretz Yisrael is a case study for the ability of ideological commitment to keep its seniority when facing opposite its members' national loyalty. The book A Red Star in the Israeli Flag presents a complex relationship between the Zionist Movement and the approach to it by members of the Communist Movement. The latter brought together various ideological streams and perceptions regarding Zionism, and its leadership did not always express the ideological variety that was common amongst its members. The Labor Movement was initially a home to members of the Communist Movement and they took part in acts of settlement and protection, but following their split and the establishment of a separate movement, its members' positions became more radical and this climaxed with their renouncement of the Zionist ethos. The attempts to recreate a dialogue with the Zionist Movement were led by the Jewish section of the Communist Movement. Its Jewish members recruiting to serve in the Second World War alongside Yishuv people, despite the objection of its Arab leaders, accelerated the splitting. The War highlighted the connection with the Yishuv and a Zionist stream was forming in the Movement. The events of the Second World War and the establishment of the State of Israel faced the leaders of the Communist Movement with the need to define their relations with the newly-formed state, its socialist-like actions and the value of Zionism. Jewish communist leadership continued denying Zionism as a value and attempted to replace it with values such as patriotism and nationalism. The Communist Movement tested the willingness of Israeli society and political system to accept an ideological group that takes part in Zionist causes and yet refrains from siding the value of Zionism.

The articles in this volume: BETWEEN MAN AND HIS FELLOW, BETWEEN MAN AND GOD: PSYCHOANALYSIS AND SPIRITUAL PATHWAYS By Cobi Avshalom ANOTHER FACE IN THE MIRROR: LOOKING AT OTHERNESS IN TREATMENT FROM A RELATIONAL PERSPECTIVE By Chana Ullman THE SPLIT BETWEEN THE VOICE AND MEANING: THE DUAL FUNCTION OF PSYCHOTIC SYNTAX By Dana Amir (UN)TOUCHED BY WORDS: PSYCHOANALYTIC WRITINGS ON MUSIC; MUSICAL ASPECTS OF PSYCHOANALYSIS By Odelia Hitron ON THE EXPERIENCE OF SELF AS OBJECT AND SUBJECT WITH NOTES ON THE CONCEPT OF THE THIRD By Ditza Hananel “BUT WHY?” FREUD’S “MOURNING AND MELANCHOLIA” FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE By Rina Lazar A BRIEF NOTE REGARDING THE PROPER HEBREW TRANSLATION FOR BION’S TERM “REVERIE” By Moshe Halevi Spero

Scientific investigation is a cognitive activity, aimed at revealing the truth of nature. Politics is an activity of intent, aimed at realizing specific values derive from subjective judgment. Political activity by scientists is a necessity arising out of the bitter competition over resources. Uncontrolled competition may endanger the ability of science to realize its aims, and will consequently undermine the trust of the society on which its very existence is based. The synthesis between science and politics depends on the interrelationship between daring and humility. Daring is the basis of the drive towards vigorous effort to expose the truth of nature. Humility is the origin of self-discipline and cooperation between individuals. The premise of this book is that recognition of the narrative behind scientific achievements is vital for understanding the scientific enterprise. Besides theoretical discussion the book depicts and interprets case histories relating to the conflict between politics and science: among them, the notebooks of Pasteur, the land of Darwin, the double helix, the understanding of aspirin, lithium and bipolar disorder, and the association between autism and immunization.