Jacob's gift

by Jonathan Freedland

"It is the summer of 2001 and Jonathan Freedland is holding his eight-day-old son. In an ancient ceremony, he is about to enter him 'into the covenant of Abraham', making him part of the Jewish people. He cannot help but wonder: what exactly am I giving my child? What is this identity we will both share?" "Three months later, on 11 September 2001, he realizes this is more than a personal journey: questions of identity are pressing in on the world. What does it mean to belong? Why do people cling so tightly to their nation or religion or culture?" "So begins a search for answers in the roots and branches of his own family tree. We meet Nat, the Edwardian immigrant torn between his ambition to be the model Englishman - serving the British empire in Palestine - and his desperate desire to build a homeland for the Jews. We get to know great-uncle Mick, the 1930s firebrand who preaches revolution on the streets of London's East End - forever caught between the universal cause of workers' li