Founding Fathers and One Jewish Mother (The Documents and People Who Established the US and Israel)

The founding of nations, told through the documents that made them possible.

In this visually stunning coffee table book, Alan Dershowitz opens his remarkable private collection of original letters, rare books, and foundational documents that gave rise to two of the world’s most influential democracies: the United States and Israel.

Featuring vivid color images paired with insightful commentary, the book brings to life the words of Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin alongside Herzl, Ben-Gurion, Golda Meir, and other architects of modern Israel. These are the documents that did more than record history—they helped create it.

Dershowitz shows how both nations were “founded by the pen—then defended by the sword,” revealing striking parallels in their struggles, debates, and enduring aspirations toward liberty and justice. From Thomas Paine’s revolutionary call to Herzl’s vision of a Jewish state, these writings illuminate the ideas that shaped nations and continue to influence them.

At once personal and historical, Founding Fathers and One Jewish Mother is a reflection on the power of ideas—and the documents that preserve them.