Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Get started
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Seventh Million summary
Tom Segev
The Israelis and the Holocaust
18 mins
Brief summary
The Seventh Million by Tom Segev is a historical book that provides an intimate portrayal of Holocaust survivors in Israel by exploring the impact of their experiences on the country's identity.
Topics
Table of Contents
The Seventh Million
Summary of 8 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 8
With the rise of the Nazis, German Jews were “transferred” to Palestine – yet their arrival was fraught with tension.
Nineteen thirty-three was a turning point in history: the year the Nazis came to power in Germany. The rise of the Nazi state quickly signaled to Zionists, the community of Jews desiring to create a Jewish state in Palestine, that the Jews of Germany were in danger.
Back then, however, the interests of the Nazis and the Zionists complemented one another. That’s because the Nazis wanted the Jews to leave Germany and the Zionists wanted them to live in Palestine.
As a result, “transfer” agreements, also known as Haavara, were made between the Nazis and the Zionist Jewish Agency in Palestine. Here’s what happened:
In the 1930s, the Jewish Agency acted as a government for the future Jewish state, with Zionist officials traveling to Berlin to negotiate the emigration of German Jews and the transfer of their property to Palestine.
As a result of these negotiations, a transfer agreement was reached: any Jews who emigrated to Palestine would be permitted to take $4,000 of their money and to ship goods worth $5,000 to Palestine, a sizable amount of money in the 1930s. In this sense, the agreement was just.
However, the arrival of the German Jews in Palestine was a source of great tumult. The German immigrants were traumatized by the terror of Nazi Germany and from having been uprooted from their home country. Many had also come against their will, in other words, not as Zionists but as refugees. The latter did not have the same beliefs as the Zionist colonists, who sought to establish a Hebrew culture and language in Palestine.
And the Jews who already lived there?
They were not happy about the immigrants. In fact, they lamented the flow of poor people and businessmen with their families arriving from Germany. They would have preferred single men and women to come, as they were considered ideal for building a new country.
Quote/Fact: Eliahu Dobkin, a member of the Jewish Agency in the 1930s, considered German Jews who were arriving as refugees as “undesirable human material.”
Want to see all full key ideas from The Seventh Million?
Key ideas in The Seventh Million
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is The Seventh Million about?
The Seventh Million (1991) is all about the way in which the Holocaust has shaped the Israeli identity. These blinks detail everything from the Zionist response to Nazism and the arrival of the first European Jewish refugees in Palestine to the Six-Day War and Holocaust Memorial Day.
The Seventh Million Review
The Seventh Million (1994) by Tom Segev is a fascinating exploration of the history and memory of the Holocaust in Israel. Here's what makes this book worth reading:
- Its detailed research and thorough examination of primary sources offer a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between Jews and the memory of the Holocaust in Israel.
- Segev's critical analysis of official Holocaust narratives challenges conventional beliefs, providing a fresh perspective on the construction of national identity.
- The book's nuanced portrayal of the diverse responses of Israeli society to the Holocaust ensures a thought-provoking read that captures the complexities of memory and remembrance.
Best quote from The Seventh Million
From the second half of 1943 onward, the Holocaust was, again, no big news.
—Tom Segev
Who should read The Seventh Million?
- Jews, Israelis, Germans and Americans
- Historians and students of the Holocaust
Categories with The Seventh Million
Book summaries like The Seventh Million
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
37 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
The Seventh Million FAQs
What is the main message of The Seventh Million?
The main message of The Seventh Million highlights the complex history of Israel's narrative on the Holocaust and its impact on Israeli society.
How long does it take to read The Seventh Million?
The reading time for The Seventh Million varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Seventh Million a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Seventh Million is worth reading as it offers a thought-provoking exploration of the Holocaust's significance in Israeli memory and its relationship with the state-building process.
Who is the author of The Seventh Million?
The author of The Seventh Million is Tom Segev.
What to read after The Seventh Million?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Seventh Million, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Jerusalem by Simon Sebag Montefiore
- A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin
- Palestine by Nur Masalha
- Written in History by Simon Sebag Montefiore
- Israel by Daniel Gordis
- Why Taiwan Matters by Kerry Brown
- Love for Imperfect Things by Haemin Sunim
- Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford
- Supremacy by Parmy Olson
- The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides