Holy Wars, Gary L. Rashba
Holy Wars, Gary L. Rashba
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Holy Wars
3000 Years of Battles in the Holy Land

Author: Gary L. Rashba

Narrator: Jim Denison

Unabridged: 9 hr 10 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/26/2023


Synopsis

Holy Wars describes three thousand years of war in the Holy Land with the unique approach of focusing on pivotal battles or campaigns, beginning with the Israelites' capture of Jericho and ending with Israel's last full-fledged assault against Lebanon. Its chapters stop along the way to examine key battles fought by the Philistines, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, and Mamluks—the latter clash, at Ayn Jalut, comprising the first time the Mongols suffered a decisive defeat.

The modern era saw the rise of the Ottomans and an incursion by Napoleon, who only found bloody stalemate outside the walls of Akko. The Holy Land became a battlefield again in World War I when the British fought the Turks. The nation of Israel was forged in conflict during its 1948 War of Independence, and subsequently found itself in desperate combat, often against great odds, in 1956 and 1967, and again in 1973, when it was surprised by a massive two-pronged assault.

By focusing on the climax of each conflict, while carefully setting each stage, Holy Wars examines an extraordinary breadth of military history—spanning in one volume the evolution of warfare over the centuries, as well as the enduring status of the Holy Land as a battleground.

About Gary L. Rashba

Gary L. Rashba is the author of more than thirty-five articles on defense, aerospace, and international topics. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1990 with a degree focusing on the Middle East, Gary began what became a long-term relationship with Israel's defense industries. Three years later, he moved to Israel, where he continues to reside with his wife, three children, and black Lab. Gary began writing in earnest following his induction into the Israel Defense Forces, where he had the unique experience of being the only native-born American in a unit comprised nearly exclusively of Russian immigrants. The resulting article about his army service set his writing hobby in motion.

Gary's work has appeared in publications ranging from military and aviation history enthusiast magazines to the more widely read VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) and the International Herald Tribune (New York Times international edition) newspaper. A number of his articles appear on the internet, reaching a much wider audience than the print editions, including one that is referenced on Wikipedia and About.com. One online blogger doubted that Gary Rashba really exists, suggesting instead that he is an agent provocateur sent by the Mossad! (He does, and he is not!)


Reviews

Goodreads review by Zheng on November 16, 2016

It was a very good read, I picked it up when I was in UK, with an intention to understand better the history and conflict in the region. I will say the beginning part answered most of my curiosity. The later part, it was more like introducing about warfare and weapons, I wish there were more details......more

Goodreads review by Jason on December 22, 2012

Loved it until the end. The later battles (20th century) were too detail heavy on the specific ridges that were in play and so forth. In contrast, the space between the conquests and modern day left me wanting more.......more

Goodreads review by Tara on February 11, 2013

This was very eye opening. It presented well taking a difficult time span and explaining it well with plenty of references. The author discussed only certain aspects of the currect conflicts. I suggest it to anyone who wants to understand the area better.......more

Goodreads review by Maegan on March 29, 2013

Interesting enough until it dissolved into technical stuff about armaments and weapons. But it was a good overview.......more

Goodreads review by Ron on May 10, 2012

Decent book whose main failing is that it provides only short snippets of conflicts with little context provided.......more