• Explanation of historical context
• Comments and analyses
• New Introduction and Afterword
• Annotations
• Translation updates

Originally published in German in 1862 and then translated in 1912 by philosopher and rabbi Meyer Waxman, PhD, this work is considered to be one of the first, if not the first modern proposal for a Jewish homeland in Judea. Written in the form of 12 informal letters to a bereaved lady, the book summarizes arguments pro and against the proposal using quotes and anecdotes involving prominent European social leaders of the time, accompanied by brilliant insights into human nature.

The breadth of Rome and Jerusalem is astonishing as Hess nimbly addresses questions of Philosophy, Science, Religion (Paganism, Judaism, and Christianity), Politics, and History, including the focal discussion of Jewish Nationalism.

The work was declared "a bold and original masterpiece of social analysis...clear, penetrating, candid, uncompromising," and "exceedingly moving" by noted political philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin in his essay about Hess of 1957, republished in 2013 by the Princeton University Press. The work is important enough to be updated, annotated, and re-issued for Ebook and Audiobook audiences.

This edition includes the unabridged translation with its introduction and notes, as well as a new and original introduction, explanatory notes, and afterword by Adam Cherson, JD-MPA.

Thank you for being an important part of keeping this font of wisdom in circulation.