American Interests in the Holy Land Revealed in Early Photographs: From 1840 to 1940

Jewish life in the holy land reawakened during the 19th century, but photographs from the period are scarce. Collecting images from the archives of the Library of Congress, the Ottoman Imperial Archives, the NY Public Library, university and church libraries worldwide, and family albums, Lenny Ben-David provides a unique visual history of the American fascination and dedication to a Jewish national home in the Holy Land. Short photo essays include details such as why Lincoln wanted to visit Jerusalem, how the U.S. Navy saved the Jews of Palestine in 1915, why the Chief Rabbi of Palestine visited the White House in 1924, where Mark Twain stayed in Jerusalem, and much more.

Lenny Ben-David has been involved in the study and enhancement of U.S.-Israel relations for more than 40 years. He served as director of AIPAC’s Israel office for 15 years, and is the author of Myths and Facts published in 1985 and 1989. Ben-David served as the Deputy Chief of Mission in Israel’s Embassy in Washington, D.C for three years, and consulted for foreign governments and other corporations. He has published scores of articles in National Review, Cutting Edge, Weekly Standard, Ha’aretz, The Jerusalem Post, JCPA publications, Near East Report, New York Jewish Week, and more on topics including Israeli defense, American Jewish politics, and terrorism. Ben-David is the Director of Publications at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and publisher of israeldailypicture.com, a site dedicated to photo essays on the Holy Land.