The Seventh Million is the first book to show the decisive impact of the Holocaust on the identity ideology and politics of Israel. Drawing on diaries interviews and thousands of declassified documents Segev reconsiders the major struggles and personalities of Israel s past including Ben-Gurion Begin and Nahum Goldmann and argues that the nation s legacy has at critical moments--the Exodus affair the Eichmann trial the case of John Demjanjuk--have been molded and manipulated in accordance with the ideological requirements of the state. The Seventh Million uncovers a vast and complex story and reveals how the bitter events of decades past continue to shape the experiences not just of individuals but of a nation. Translated by Haim Watzman.