Awakening to Radical Islamist Evil - by Monty Noam Penkower

Book Synopsis

This volume offers the first daily account of the war forced upon the State of Israel by Hamas's brutal attack on its southern communities near the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023. Focusing on the initial six months of that war, Professor Monty Penkower examines in detail its local, regional, and international significance. Joining extensive research and a limpid prose, as in his many other books on modern Jewish history, this prize-winning historian again displays a definitive mastery of his craft.

Review Quotes

For those who want to truly understand the origins of the October 7 catastrophe, Penkower is one who genuinely gets it, as one can read in this excellent book.

--Ben Rothke, Times of Israel

"This study provides a granular description of the first six months of the present (2023-2025) conflict in Gaza. Well written and deeply researched by a distinguished historian of Zionism and the State of Israel, it is certain to become the definitive history of this world-historical event. Highly recommended as a must-read."

-- Steven T. Katz, Slater Professor of Jewish Holocaust Studies, Boston University

"In Awakening to Radical Islamist Evil, Monty Penkower has produced a 'rough first draft of history' full of erudition, humanity and written with passion. Few of the protagonists in this conflict escape his razor-sharp pen as he disentangles the complex story of the Gaza war. His sympathy is directed to its innocent victims, both Jews and non-Jews. By any measure, this is a masterful and authoritative account of the first 177 days of the Hamas war against Israel and the Jews and essential reading for anyone wishing to understand Israel's right to defend itself."

-- Anthony McElligott, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Limerick, Ireland

"A compelling and heart wrenching account of the darkest moment in Israel's history. A must read for anyone seeking to understand the origins of this catastrophe, the sources of Israel's extraordinary recovery, and the regional and global implications of this momentous event."

-- Efraim Karsh, Professor Emeritus of Middle East Mediterranean Studies, King's College London; Former Director, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies

"This richly detailed and scrupulously documented chronicle of October 7, 2023, and the first six months of Hamas' war against Israel and the Jews makes for necessary if sobering reading. Monty Penkower cuts through the inevitable fog of war and provides invaluable narrative and primary source material for all future students of the subject."

-- Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

"The murderous attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, was one of the most horrific events that Israel has known since its independence. In response, Israel launched the Swords of Iron war with the aim of "destroying Hamas's military capabilities and its ability to control the Gaza Strip." The history of the brutal assault on Israel and of the Jewish State's quick recovery in the face of the existential threat posed to its survival is an inspiring story of heroism, unity, and strength. This is a chronicle that must be recorded in all its complexity, and Monty Noam Penkower masterfully undertakes the task in a fascinating narrative that relates the fate of individuals, of communities, and of nations at this crucial moment in time. For anyone interested in Israel, the Middle East, and international affairs, Awakening to Radical Islamist Evil is a must read."

-- Prof. Eyal Zisser, Vice Rector of Tel Aviv University

"As Israel faces an unprecedented crisis, the eminent historian Monty Penkower has risen to the challenge of the moment - documenting in lucid prose the evil Israelis endured on October 7th, as well as the extraordinary courage, grit, and hope Israelis have demonstrated every day since. This illuminating, welcome, book --offering a thorough, detailed, first draft of history in the making--helps us understand how Israel has coped--and why Israel must win--for the sake of Western Civilization."

-- Professor Gil Troy, Distinguished Scholar in North American History at McGill University

For those who want to truly understand the origins of the October 7 catastrophe, Penkower is one who genuinely gets it, as one can read in this excellent book.

-Ben Rothke, Times of Israel

"This study provides a granular description of the first six months of the present (2023-2025) conflict in Gaza. Well written and deeply researched by a distinguished historian of Zionism and the State of Israel, it is certain to become the definitive history of this world-historical event. Highly recommended as a must-read."

-- Steven T. Katz, Slater Professor of Jewish Holocaust Studies, Boston University

"In Awakening to Radical Islamist Evil, Monty Penkower has produced a 'rough first draft of history' full of erudition, humanity and written with passion. Few of the protagonists in this conflict escape his razor-sharp pen as he disentangles the complex story of the Gaza war. His sympathy is directed to its innocent victims, both Jews and non-Jews. By any measure, this is a masterful and authoritative account of the first 177 days of the Hamas war against Israel and the Jews and essential reading for anyone wishing to understand Israel's right to defend itself."

-- Anthony McElligott, Emeritus Professor of History, University of Limerick, Ireland

"A compelling and heart wrenching account of the darkest moment in Israel's history. A must read for anyone seeking to understand the origins of this catastrophe, the sources of Israel's extraordinary recovery, and the regional and global implications of this momentous event."

-- Efraim Karsh, Professor Emeritus of Middle East Mediterranean Studies, King's College London; Former Director, Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies

"This richly detailed and scrupulously documented chronicle of October 7, 2023, and the first six months of Hamas' war against Israel and the Jews makes for necessary if sobering reading. Monty Penkower cuts through the inevitable fog of war and provides invaluable narrative and primary source material for all future students of the subject."

-- Jonathan D. Sarna, University Professor and Joseph H. Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History, Brandeis University

"The murderous attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, was one of the most horrific events that Israel has known since its independence. In response, Israel launched the Swords of Iron war with the aim of "destroying Hamas's military capabilities and its ability to control the Gaza Strip." The history of the brutal assault on Israel and of the Jewish State's quick recovery in the face of the existential threat posed to its survival is an inspiring story of heroism, unity, and strength. This is a chronicle that must be recorded in all its complexity, and Monty Noam Penkower masterfully undertakes the task in a fascinating narrative that relates the fate of individuals, of communities, and of nations at this crucial moment in time. For anyone interested in Israel, the Middle East, and international affairs, Awakening to Radical Islamist Evil is a must read."

-- Prof. Eyal Zisser, Vice Rector of Tel Aviv University

"As Israel faces an unprecedented crisis, the eminent historian Monty Penkower has risen to the challenge of the moment - documenting in lucid prose the evil Israelis endured on October 7th, as well as the extraordinary courage, grit, and hope Israelis have demonstrated every day since. This illuminating, welcome, book --offering a thorough, detailed, first draft of history in the making--helps us understand how Israel has coped--and why Israel must win--for the sake of Western Civilization."

-- Professor Gil Troy, Distinguished Scholar in North American History at McGill University

About the Author

Monty Noam Penkower is Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish History, Machon Lander Graduate School of Jewish Studies (Jerusalem). He is the prize-winning author of many books on the Holocaust, on American Jewish history, and on the rise of the State of Israel in the years 1933-1948.