The Pledge

I cannot possibly put into words how much I think anyone with even a passing interest in Israel should read this book. I would suspect that even the average politically active Zionist, even Israelis or Americans, has never heard of Rudolph Sonnenborn, the operation that this book describes, or most of the people in it. And frankly, that's pathetic. Not only is this a great and well-written story, real-life smuggling and covert operations at their very best, but it illuminates a lot of the dry facts that are found in basic histories of the War of Independence. Afterwards I was reading Howard Sachar's massive and bone-dry A History of Israel, and it was great to see mention of smuggled planes or illicit factories now that I actually knew the story behind them. This is quite seriously a must-read; quick, tense, well-written, and fascinating both as a story and as history.

There are only a few people who can qualify for nomination as "the person most responsible for the State of Israel being". One of those people is Rudolph G.Sonneborn. The only place you will ever read about him and his unique group, "the Sonneborn Institute", is in The Pledge. Leonard Slater "found" him and tells us of his importance in the creation of The State of Israel in this most important, most unbelievable, but absolutely true story. Everyone interested in Israel should read this book and know not only the facinating story, but learn about Rudolf G.Sonnnborn, one of the most important, yet most private of men, in Jewish history.

Fascinating account of an unpublicized story about weapons purchases in the US and the origin of the State of Israel. Although non-fiction, The Pledge reads like a spy thriller. The book provides an interesting backdrop to today's far more challenging questions, and reminds us that Israel was once the underdog.

"The story of an incredible aand dramatic race against time -- to providea state not yet born with an army that was still illegal -- is told in one of the most suspenseful works of historey ever published. It was an Force was supplied with Nazi fighter planes, bought from Communst Czechoslovakia with dolllars solicited from an American real-estate magnate on the urging of a Socialist farmer, who ran this amateur undeerground operating out of the Hotel 14, a Manhattan hotel known for its high-kicking chorus girls, packed appearances by Frank Sinatra and its little old ladies.