Nonfiction

Israel

Israel

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-18 06:51:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Noa Tishby
  • ISBN：1982172347
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Summary

“This is not your Bubbie’s history book。” —Bill Maher， host of Real Time with Bill Maher

​“A fascinating—and very moving—book that should be read by anyone for whom Israel is a mystery。” —Aaron Sorkin， award-winning screenwriter of The West Wing and The Social Network

A personal， spirited， and concise chronological timeline spanning from Biblical times to today that explores one of the most fascinating 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。 Offering a fresh， 360-degree view， Tishby brings her straight-shooting， engaging， and slightly irreverent voice 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 real disputes dividing the country today。 Tackling popular misconceptions with an abundance facts， Tishby provides critical context around headline-generating controversies and offers a clear， intimate account of the richly cultured country of Israel。

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Reviews

Bonnie G。 ，

I almost did not listen to this because the cover blurbs come from Bill Maher and Ben Shapiro - short of including Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity I cannot think of two media people whose opinion I less want to be in accord with。 But I picked it up anyway， and started listening a couple days before fighting recommenced in the West Bank， and I can already see that this book immediately altered the way I perceive the news coming out of Israel。This is spectacularly informative and very entertaining。 I almost did not listen to this because the cover blurbs come from Bill Maher and Ben Shapiro - short of including Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity I cannot think of two media people whose opinion I less want to be in accord with。 But I picked it up anyway， and started listening a couple days before fighting recommenced in the West Bank， and I can already see that this book immediately altered the way I perceive the news coming out of Israel。This is spectacularly informative and very entertaining。 This is truly necessary reading for anyone （read NOT JUST JEWS） who wants to understand Israel's history and present。 Tishby is incredibly good at boiling 5000 years of history down to their essence （because the history is essential to understanding the present） and in focusing on the settlement of Israel and the establishment of the Jewish state。 I felt like I had an inadequate but halfway decent understanding of all of this from reading， visits to Israel， and talking to Israeli friends， students， and colleagues （the program I run is associated with an Israeli university， and I work with a number of Israeli academics， though they are a collection of physicists， computer scientists and entrepreneurs rather than historians）。 I was wrong。 There is so much super relevant information I was unaware of and my enlightenment helps me understand things I previously simply did not get。 It also helps guide me in doing more reading。 This book is a great gateway， its not the end of the inquiry。I took away a half star （so this is a 4 1/2 rounded to a Goodreads 4） because although Tishby is somewhat even-handed in her consideration of the many moving parts here this is not unbiased。 She gives the current Israeli government， Hamas， the Haredi and BDS the drubbing they all deserve。 That said， she glosses over some very legitimate concerns with respect to Arabs within Israel and the West Bank who are not Israeli citizens。 She also sticks to the line that being anti-Zionist is intrinsically anti-semetic， and there are some good arguments on the other side of that coin she ignores。 That said， this is Tishby's book， and it is her lens。 This book is unabashedly Zionist， but not hidebound -- she sees and acknowledges a good deal of the injustice and spreads the blame among many players。 That is fine and good。 This is also not a simple screed， supporting a position， its a proper history lesson and logical analysis， and that is something the world， and especially the US， get too little of when hearing and reading about Israel。 。。。more

Ibraheem ，

This came as highly recommended and it did not disappoint。As the recent events sadly indicate the world is becoming less and less peaceful。 The reality of Israel and the Arab world is complicated as AF and there is no way to get even semblence of a complete picture （even from one side） from reading one book。 But as books go， this is one of the better one。 This is an essential read for anyone trying to understand the contemporary Israeli perspective。I do not like singing praises because I really This came as highly recommended and it did not disappoint。As the recent events sadly indicate the world is becoming less and less peaceful。 The reality of Israel and the Arab world is complicated as AF and there is no way to get even semblence of a complete picture （even from one side） from reading one book。 But as books go， this is one of the better one。 This is an essential read for anyone trying to understand the contemporary Israeli perspective。I do not like singing praises because I really cannot do it well。 So I will tell you where this book lacks。 Noa Tishby comes from a politically influenital family connected intimately to the establishment of the State of Israel。 So this is not a book from the perspective of Mizrahi， Israeli Arab， Haredi， Settlers or Druze。 All these people are significant part of Israeli society and without reading their perspective， I do not think the story can be complete。 However this probably gives a general idea and I learned a lot。Here is to reading more books。PS: I realized this is probably the most contemporary book I read。PPS: So it's not just the Brits who call their kids monkey！PPPS: After a good night's sleep， I figured out what has really been bothering me。 How is it that the Arab world became so against the Zionists that in 1948 after the State of Israel was created they all decided to attack her？ The Zionist pioneers didn't start by forcibly taking people's home or land。 They came to Israel， found an underdeveloped country abandoned by it's landowners， bought abandoned lands and by their hard work made something of it。 So there was no reason for animosity at the begining。 What happend in fifty years？ 。。。more

Olivia Haas ，

A good start to understanding some of Israel’s history， especially for people who feel strongly about Israel but are uninformed of basic facts。 Tishby covers a lot of ground about Jewish indigeneity， the history of war， exile， and genocide against Jewish people， and the history of Israel from thousands of years ago until now。 Part of me wished the book was more in depth， but it is advertised as an introduction and lends itself to further reading and research。

Brian ，

Read it in one sitting…so thorough and powerfulNoa gives a detailed， well-written narrative about what Americans should know when talking about Israel。 It has history， personal anecdotes， statistics， and praise and criticism of pretty much everyone involved in the peace process

Susan ，

Noa Tishby thoroughly discusses and explains in a clear manner many facets of the subject at hand。 She is willing to ask herself hard questions--not just to those with whom she may disagree。 She never shies away from intellectual honesty; something sorely needed these days。 I don't ever expect malicious bigots to be honest enough to read this book but I am hoping others will read this as their factual springboard。 Noa Tishby thoroughly discusses and explains in a clear manner many facets of the subject at hand。 She is willing to ask herself hard questions--not just to those with whom she may disagree。 She never shies away from intellectual honesty; something sorely needed these days。 I don't ever expect malicious bigots to be honest enough to read this book but I am hoping others will read this as their factual springboard。 。。。more

Deane Gross ，

This book is excellent！ Serious history written in a light style that makes dry facts not only digestible but delicious。 I knew a lot about the history of Israel， but I learned so much from this book。 It gave a balanced view of the situation between Israel and the West Bank Arabs， so much so that my opinion has changed。 Tishby's style is conversational and intimate。 She includes details of her family's involvement in building the Jewish state that personalize the book and make a controversial su This book is excellent！ Serious history written in a light style that makes dry facts not only digestible but delicious。 I knew a lot about the history of Israel， but I learned so much from this book。 It gave a balanced view of the situation between Israel and the West Bank Arabs， so much so that my opinion has changed。 Tishby's style is conversational and intimate。 She includes details of her family's involvement in building the Jewish state that personalize the book and make a controversial subject warm and relatable。It should be required reading for everyone， literally。 At the very least， college students， diplomats of every country， and those who children Israel's right to exist。 。。。more

obs20 ，

A Basic Handbook。During the Israeli operation in Gaza a comment was directed towards me asking me to explain the disproportionate casualty rate between Israelis and Palestinians。 Note that I can only guess that my opinion was asked for。 Yet my response was"It would make you feel better if more Jews got killed？" A Basic Handbook。During the Israeli operation in Gaza a comment was directed towards me asking me to explain the disproportionate casualty rate between Israelis and Palestinians。 Note that I can only guess that my opinion was asked for。 Yet my response was"It would make you feel better if more Jews got killed？" 。。。more

Adrienne Scanlan ，

An excellent book for anyone confused about Israel and the Middle East。 https://www。nyjournalofbooks。com/book。。。 An excellent book for anyone confused about Israel and the Middle East。 https://www。nyjournalofbooks。com/book。。。 。。。more

Lukas Lehmann ，

Noa Tishby wrote a very well researched， entertaining and also informative book on Israel， highlighting Israel’s history， society and current challenges inside and outside of Israel。 Her personal family story made this journey even more vivid and emotional。 Noa did not just wrote a simple book on Israel for people new to the country but - as I find - a main source for Hasbara work in and outside of Israel。 Highly recommend reading this book or listening to the fantastic audible audio book。

Erika Dreifus ，

I wish that everyone would read this book。

James ，

The first time I went to Israel as part of a Christian tour group， I came home with three regrets。 I regretted first that I had not spent more time brushing up on my Old Testament history。 I knew we were going to be walking where Jesus walked， but I didn’t think about walking where Abraham， and Joshua， and Saul， and David walked。 Second， I regretted not knowing more about the Inter-testamental times— the 400 years of history between the Old and New Testament。 I vaguely knew about the Maccabees， The first time I went to Israel as part of a Christian tour group， I came home with three regrets。 I regretted first that I had not spent more time brushing up on my Old Testament history。 I knew we were going to be walking where Jesus walked， but I didn’t think about walking where Abraham， and Joshua， and Saul， and David walked。 Second， I regretted not knowing more about the Inter-testamental times— the 400 years of history between the Old and New Testament。 I vaguely knew about the Maccabees， and the Hasmoneans， but it was all very fuzzy。 Hence， Masada was awesome， but confusing。 The third regret was not knowing squat about the non-religious history of Israel， both pre-1948 and， more importantly， the political realities that shape it today。 I’m going back to Israel in 2022， so I’ve been working at rectifying these three regrets。 I’ve read through the OT a couple of times。 I’ve read about the Crusades， the Templars， and a wonderful book called Jerusalem， Jerusalem。 I’m still looking for a digestible history of the Hasmoneans and the Maccabean revolt。 And thanks to Noa Tishby’s amazing book， I can mark the third regret “resolved。” She writes in a witty， engaging way that is thoroughly accessible to a Western pop-culture junkie like me， but her Israeli bonafides are legit （served her two years in the IDF， spent her summers at a kibbutz in the Galilee， etc）。 What is most surprising to me as a conservative evangelical is that I’m supposed to really dislike her。 She is unapologetically liberal。 She is Hollywood west coast elite （an actress and executive producer for some well known HBO projects。 For crying out loud， Bill Maher has a blurb on the front cover！！But for all of her wokeness， there is also a surprising amount of liberal soul searching。 For example， on writing about the West Bank wall:“。。。 in short， no one is happy。 But suicide bombings in the cities stopped。 And this is what is so frustrating about being a liberal in that neighborhood。 We hate that this is happening to Palestinian families， but what are our options？ What are we supposed to do？ The violence had to stop （187）。Or take this gem， from a thoroughly secular Israeli considering the role of religion in the peace process:“The answer may have been right in front of our eyes all along。 Religion is a part of the problem in the region， but there may be a divine point of view that could be used to unlock the stalemate。 I didn’t make this up， of course— as a secular Jew， how could I？”（164）“。。。Next time we have a peace talk， let’s consider bringing a rabbi and an imam to the table to help us find a way out， and not as the beginning of a joke” （166）She is even cautiously optimistic about the Trump peace plan， and she passes on the opportunity to throw shade on the former President in any way:“Jared Kushner designed the plan with strong economic incentives for the Palestinians。 It’s not a bad idea。 But the fact that the Palestinians have not been involved in that plan is a terrible one。 The Trump administration did invite the Palestinians to come to the table over and over again， but they declined repeatedly。。。” （135）。 Did I mention BILL MAHER has a pull quote on the cover？？？ In short， while there will undoubtedly be a few things that could be offensive to Christians in this book （her praise of Israel being a secular state， her casual dropping of a f-bomb here and there）; there are a surprising number of things even the most red-hat wearing， MAGA loving， anti-liberal elite will agree with。 And for anyone who wants more of a history of Israel than what they get from Sunday School， this book should be high on your list。 。。。more

Stacey ，

Noa Tishby is unapologetically pro-Israeli。 Her book reads like she is sitting in a bar explaining her love of all things Israel。

Jeffrey Yuhasz ，

Where is the Noa Tishby fan club？ I need to join immediately。 Like being told the history of a nation by your best friend， Noa Tishby brings the epic story of a land， it's people， it's politics， and it's problems to life with both a matured sense of humor and a millennial's voice。 I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about the country of Israel， a must read for anyone on a university campus， and， it's a book EVERY Jew must read！ Where is the Noa Tishby fan club？ I need to join immediately。 Like being told the history of a nation by your best friend， Noa Tishby brings the epic story of a land， it's people， it's politics， and it's problems to life with both a matured sense of humor and a millennial's voice。 I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn more about the country of Israel， a must read for anyone on a university campus， and， it's a book EVERY Jew must read！ 。。。more

Zeb Kantrowitz ，

What is Israel？ What is an Israeli？ Why does the world feel the way it does about Israel？ How do Israelis differ from Jews （Hebrews）？ In many ways this is the same question。 Noa Tishby is a native born Israeli （Sabra） and takes a totally different sociological view of these questions。 Many people will say that Israel is a European colony planted in the Middle East but this isn't true。 Only 31% of Israelis are of European descent， the majority （41%） are MENA （Middle East and North Africa） and 21% What is Israel？ What is an Israeli？ Why does the world feel the way it does about Israel？ How do Israelis differ from Jews （Hebrews）？ In many ways this is the same question。 Noa Tishby is a native born Israeli （Sabra） and takes a totally different sociological view of these questions。 Many people will say that Israel is a European colony planted in the Middle East but this isn't true。 Only 31% of Israelis are of European descent， the majority （41%） are MENA （Middle East and North Africa） and 21% are Israeli Arabs （who are full citizens）。 Israel is the only democracy in MENA and has a thriving LGBT community who can marry。 Israel is a Refugee state created by the United Nations in 1948， and was supposed to be two countries created from the Mandatory State of Palestine。 This is what the territory was called after it was separated from the Ottoman Empire after World War I。 The actual Vilayet was made up of most of today's Middle East and technically was the area from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River。 It was split up by the French and British into the countries of Syria， Lebanon， Iraq， and Jordan。 Transjordan （on the East Bank of the River Jordan） was later separated as payment to the Hashemites for fighting with them in WWI （think Lawrence of Arabia）。After WW2 the United Nations created two parcels of land， one for the Jews and one for the Arabs。 But the Arabs never became a nation because they and the other Arab nations immediately attacked what was declared Israel， and lost most of the territory that is now Israel。 The remainder became Jordanian， until the west bank was captured by the Israelis in 1948。 So technically this means that they are Jordanian refugees from three wars （1948， 1967 and 1973）。Just like Donald Dump the Arabs don't like to admit they lost to Israel three times so they have refused citizenship to the Jordanian refuges in whatever country they now live。 Because they have oil the Arab nations have been able to create this farce of a "Palestinian Nation"。 Nobody talks about the Greeks， Turks， Muslims， Hindus who were dispossessed after their countries were partitioned as refugees。 So the answer to your question is that it is a nation of refugees from Europe and the MENA （over one million who were exiled from their homes after WW2） who created a liberal democracy in the middle of one of the most religious powder kegs in the World。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Israel

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Israel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Israel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0