I met Craig von Buseck at an ice cream party at a writer’s conference and then attended a class he taught. His story telling of history captivated me. Having been in Jerusalem on the 50th anniversary of its reunification I was delighted to hear about his new book, I Am Cyrus: Harry S. Truman and the Rebirth of Israel. Thank you, Craig for sharing this excerpt with us.

Prologue

Birth Pains

I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have faith in it now.” – President Harry S. Truman, May 14, 1948

“Next year in Jerusalem …”

May 1948—Tel Aviv, Eretz Israel

Five Arab armies stood poised on the borders as a wiry, white-haired man rose in the Tel Aviv Museum and proclaimed a new nation for the Jewish people in Eretz Israel after nearly 2,000 years of exile. The date was 5 Iyar 5708, or May 14, 1948. The grizzled leader of the World Zionist Organization, David Ben-Gurion, declared that this nation would be known as the State of Israel.Continue Reading