The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land, Updated in 2008 for the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of Israel

It's a far-ranging book, with too many interesting foci to list completely: The decline of the collective ethic on Israel's kibbutzes. The insular nature of the ultra-Orthodox communities, and the painfully high human cost of leaving. The presence of ordinary vice and corruption, and how terrorists use the drug trade as a weapon of war. A potted history of Zionism, with many personal reminiscences of the 1948 war. Tours through the minority communities such as the Druze, the Bedouin, the Jews from Arab lands, and subcultures such as Russian prostitutes and gay Israelis.

Welcome inclusions are factual takedowns of widespread lies such as the Jenin "massacre". But polemics are not the meat of the book, the people are. It is very good to finally have some voices to put with the faces of this remarkable people. Let one of the interviewees have the last word:

"We're always in the headlines. _The New York Times_. CNN.
The BBC. We get more coverage than India. Than China. Than the entire continent of Africa. There's so much news about us, you'd think we're also a billion people, not six million. We're all the time on TV and front pages, so people think they know us. Unsmiling soldiers. Screaming settlers. Crying mourners. Bearded guys in black hats. Well, Israelis are much more than those photos. We complain about our teachers. Worry about exams. Flirt at parties. Wonder if we look good in our bathing suits. We curse at traffic jams and cut in line at the movies. We've got normal fears and dreams. Like young people everywhere, we want to find love and be loved. We're just normal people trying to live in this abnormal, tiny, beautiful country."


A new literay resource for the Israeli society   October 30, 2003
40 out of 41 found this review helpful

I teach a course on the middle east at the University. After reading this book, I realized that very few of us so called "experts" actually know abiut the State of Israel in depth. Many of my colleagues including myself really have no advanced knowledge about Israel even though we claim to be "knowledgeable" about the issues. This book opened up eyes and my head to an Israel that you don't hear about in the media. the book goes in depth to describe Israelis of every religon, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and class. It also describes the lives of the average Israeli, which is absent in all media outlets. I have decided to assign this book as required reading for the class I will be teaching about the Middle East in the coming spring semester.


University Professors and Students Rave About This Book!   August 23, 2005
Ivy League Professor (Boston, MA)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful

As a professor of History, Political Science and Comparative Cultures for the past 25 years, I strongly recommend that ALL instructors incorporate this book in their courses on the Middle East. ALL of my students for the past 6 semesters wrote in their course evaluations that this was the BEST BOOK they have ever read at the university! In fact, more than half said it was the best book they've read in years! This book is extremely well written, factual, funny, and a fast read. FYI - The Department Heads of our Political Science and History Departments are recommending that their colleagues incorporate this book in their classrooms!


The Israelis   September 6, 2005
Fippy
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

To be honest, I picked up this book and started to read it simply out of boredom, but it turned out to greatly exceed my expectations. As an Israeli myself, I can truthfully say this book very accurately describes what life in Israel is like today - definitely not what we all see on television.

There are so many different cultures, beliefs, and ideas within Israel itself, and Donna Rosenthal did an excellent job portraying many of those lifestyles: the secular, the religious, the Christian, the Druze, etc. Her book does give the reader a pretty clear and truthful picture of the situation in the country.

Each of the stories she chose to write about were also quite interesting. The book was pretty much a page-turner for me. Even though I probably knew most of these things, as I've lived them myself, it was still a great read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wishes to get the true image of Israel, not what we see on the news every day.

All the stories were very clear and straight to the point. The ending chapter is dedicated to how it is possible to live together, after all, which I believe is very important.

Even though this book is quite a light read, I trust you'll still get a lot out of it!


Brilliant writing on an intricate subject   October 15, 2003
24 out of 26 found this review helpful

As an expert on Middle Eastern Studies, I found this text to be informative, interesting, and insightful into very complex issues. I enjoyed reading each page, as it held my interest and curiosity. Thank you for a most enjoyable read!