The principal focus of Zeev Sternhell's screed is Labor Zionism, although like otherIsraeli so-called new historians, he touches on relations with the country's Arabs, tensionsbetween the Ashkenazi elite and Sephardi under-class, the Yishuv and the Holocaust, andattitudes toward and perceptions of Diaspora Jewry. The author, whose professional field hasbeen European history, mainly France and Italy, was motivated to undertake this study by“serious doubts” (p. ix) about the generally accepted ideas sanctioned by Israelihistoriography and social science. Using his skills as a professional historian, he probed Zionistand Israeli government archives and reread original texts to compare what he perceived as socialand political realities with the ideology guiding policies. Sternhell is critical of traditional Israelihistoriography because of the damage it has caused by separating Jewish history from generalhistory. The consequences, he asserts, are “truly appalling” (p. x), resulting inparalysis of any real critical sense and perpetuation of “myths flattering to Israel'scollective identity” (p. x). This has led many historians of Zionism “to lockthemselves up in an intellectual ghetto” (p. x), leading to ignorance and emotionalblindness.