Yossi Klein Halevi
Senior Fellow, Shalom Hartman Institute, author of 'Like Dreamers' and 'Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor'
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Yossi Klein Halevi
“...a delightful, moving, original, and yes, charming account of an extraordinary man who happens to have been a child survivor of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. With irreverent humor and deep insight, The True Adventures of Gidon Lev presents an improbable love story--of a man who had every reason to be bitter but instead fell in love with life.” (from Amazon)
Gidon Lev arrived at the Nazi concentration camp of Theresienstadt in the Czech Republic as prisoner number 885. He was six years old. Selected as one of the Best Books of 2020 by the Kirkus Review, The True Adventures of Gidon Lev is the quirky, hopeful, and thoroughly inspirational story of the unusual life of a Holocaust survivor and the writer who loved him. The book offers a warm, sometimes difficult, and always deeply reflective story of a Holocaust survivor as he reconciles his horrifying past with the present. The book examines the nature of traumatic memory and contextualizes the historical moments that Gidon continues to live through. One part memoir, one part travelogue, and one part history that you thought you knew, The True Adventures is a love letter to life that IndieReader called "Inventively structured and impeccably written." (5 star review)
Recommended by Yossi Klein Halevi
“Gordis has written a luminous history that tells the story of Israel not only through its statesmen and warriors but its artists and writers and poets. Gordis gives us the soul of Israel, and helps explain why the most hated country on the planet is also among the most beloved.” (from Amazon)
by Daniel Gordis·You?
by Daniel Gordis·You?
Winner of the Jewish Book of the Year Award The first comprehensive yet accessible history of the state of Israel from its inception to present day, from Daniel Gordis, "one of the most respected Israel analysts" (The Forward) living and writing in Jerusalem. Israel is a tiny state, and yet it has captured the world’s attention, aroused its imagination, and lately, been the object of its opprobrium. Why does such a small country speak to so many global concerns? More pressingly: Why does Israel make the decisions it does? And what lies in its future? We cannot answer these questions until we understand Israel’s people and the questions and conflicts, the hopes and desires, that have animated their conversations and actions. Though Israel’s history is rife with conflict, these conflicts do not fully communicate the spirit of Israel and its people: they give short shrift to the dream that gave birth to the state, and to the vision for the Jewish people that was at its core. Guiding us through the milestones of Israeli history, Gordis relays the drama of the Jewish people’s story and the creation of the state. Clear-eyed and erudite, he illustrates how Israel became a cultural, economic and military powerhouse—but also explains where Israel made grave mistakes and traces the long history of Israel’s deepening isolation. With Israel, public intellectual Daniel Gordis offers us a brief but thorough account of the cultural, economic, and political history of this complex nation, from its beginnings to the present. Accessible, levelheaded, and rigorous, Israel sheds light on the Israel’s past so we can understand its future. The result is a vivid portrait of a people, and a nation, reborn.
Recommended by Yossi Klein Halevi
“With passion, humor and deep intimacy, Noa Tishby reveals the real Israel that continually eludes even many so-called experts. Refreshingly straightforward, Tishby manages to be “simple” but not simplistic. She knows that real love requires honesty, and so she confronts Israel in its sometimes maddening complexity.” (from Amazon)
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A “fascinating and very moving” (Aaron Sorkin, award-winning screenwriter of The West Wing and The Social Network) chronological timeline spanning from Biblical times to today that explores one of the most interesting countries in the world—Israel. Israel. The small strip of arid land is 5,700 miles away but remains a hot-button issue and a thorny topic of debate. But while everyone seems to have a strong opinion about Israel, how many people actually know the facts? Here to fill in the information gap is Israeli American Noa Tishby. But “this is not your Bubbie’s history book” (Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher). Instead, offering a fresh, 360-degree view, Tishby brings her “passion, humor, and deep intimacy” (Yossi Klein Halevi, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor) to the subject, creating an accessible and dynamic portrait of a tiny country of outsized relevance. Through bite-sized chunks of history and deeply personal stories, Tishby chronicles her homeland’s evolution, beginning in Biblical times and moving forward to cover everything from WWI to Israel’s creation to the disputes dividing the country today. Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance of facts, Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear, intimate account of the richly cultured country of Israel.