Yossi Klein Halevi

This is a brilliant, fascinating book about an Israeli, observantly Jewish journalist's spiritual journey. He spends a year observing the holidays and daily rituals with various religious Muslims (primarily Sufi) and Christians. He does all this without ever losing or questioning his Jewish faith - what he is searching for is the interfaith common language and belief structure for all three religions. And he finds it - even if plenty of fundamentalist Muslims, Christians, and Jews would deny show more it is there. show less

Excellent summary of the contemporary mainstream Israeli attitude towards Zionism, the Peace Process, Palestinians, and the Arab and Muslim worlds. It's deeply personal and heartfelt, hence not intended to provide a purely objective and balanced assessment of the conflict, but rather to serve as a starting point for dialogue. Only by recognizing where the other party is coming from will there be any chance for productive discussion and negotiation.

It's certainly legitimate to disagree with show more the author's opinions and conclusions, but not to deny him the basic right to exist, which closes the door before the conversation has even begun. show less

A captivating account of the capture of Jerusalem by Israeli paratroopers during the Six Day War in 1967, following a handful of the soldiers who participated throughout their lives in the decades before and after. Briefly united in battle for a common goal, they differed greatly in upbringing, outlook, and politics, running the gamut from left wing extremists to corporate CEOs to right wing settlers.

The stories underscore and provide context for the uniquely Israeli trait of being able to show more put their differences aside (at least for a little while) to stand shoulder to shoulder in battle, a phenomenon that was repeated this past year with a country as divided as ever responding without hesitation to emergency reserve call-ups.

Along the way we get a glimpse into the various forces and demographics of Israeli society and politics, which can at times seem absurd and impossible to follow or explain. The parts from the mid 1990's onwards were generally familiar to me as I lived through them, but it helped to understand the events in a broader historical context, and to flesh out some of the names in the headlines with personalities. I'm therefore probably the best demographic to appreciate the book, knowing enough to know what he's talking about, but still sufficiently ignorant to get a lot out of it. Older readers who lived through the 50's-70's might not learn anything new, and younger readers may struggle to relate to some of the cultural references. As will people not at least partially acquainted with Israeli history and politics. But I think that there's enough that stands on its own to be a useful and interesting read for anyone attempting to understand what's currently going on, and how we got there. show less

I grew up in Central and Western Mass—one of the most Jewish places in Massachusetts. Although I'm not Jewish, I have considered converting various times over the year, and many of my friends are Jewish.

So I've been aware of the Israel-Palestine conflict for many years, and many of my Jewish friends have been activists for a less-aggressive Israel. That said—especially Israel coming to the fore of current events with their violence against Palestinians—I felt it time to dig a little show more deeper into the issues.

I asked some friends that are especially versed in these issues for some recommendations on the history of Israel and of the Jewish people. They came back with two recommendations: "The Zionist Idea," by Arthur Hertzberg, and this book. As the latter is a massive and archaic tome, I ended up getting through this one first.

As the title might suggest, the book is written by a liberal Israeli Jew. There are no unbiased views on the issue, and I'm looking forward to picking up a copy of "Gaza" by Norman Finkelstein for a perspective from one of the other sides.

What I love about the book is it's accessibility. It's composed of ten short letters, grounded in Jewish religion and history. The tone is personal, compassionate, conversational.

I learned a lot of fascinating things about the history of Israel. The country is a modern state, invented by UN decree in 1947. Promptly following that decree, the baby country was invaded by its Muslim neighbors. After a bloody war, Israel was able to hold ground, and members of the Jewish Diaspora from around the world were airlifted in a mass-migration. Today, about half of the world's Jews live in Israel, which has become quite a powerhouse in the region.

Although the Jews as a people share their origins, with this place in the world, they've haven't been able to call Israel home for two millennia. In 700 BC they were kicked out of Babylon, and shortly after Christ, they were kicked out of Rome. Understandably, others have come to call the land we refer to as Israel home in the intervening aeons, the Palestinians amongst them.

Palestine itself was a British territory at the time of the creation of Israel—which I why the Israel project was a possibility. That, along with a two-century old movement called Zionism.

One of the things I find fascinating about Jewish affairs today is that they're both an indigenous people, and a colonial nation. This seeming paradox is at the crux of our larger civilizational existential challenges. Additionally, Israel could be the largest-scale example of land reparations in current times, and there's a lot that the reparations movement could learn from it.

If nothing else, what I'm taking home from this book is the phenomenal depth and complexity of the Israel-Palestine conflict. I'm left with many more questions than when I started.

If you're interested in learned more about these issues (and they really do affect all of us), then I recommend you start with this book! show less