Desert in the Promised Land

“A complex and fascinating portrait of Israel . . . .an engaging book that combines anthropology, culture, and history.” —Anita Shapira, author of  Ben-Gurion: Father of Modern Israel   At once an ecological phenomenon and a cultural construction, the desert has varied associations within Zionist and Israeli culture. In the Judaic textual tradition, it evokes exile and punishment, yet is also a site for origin myths, the divine presence, and sanctity. Secular Zionis