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Rating: 
Summary: Arab vs. Jew: Drama Without Ending?
Review: "For hundreds of years large numbers of Arabs have lived in Palestine. Their fathers and fathers' fathers were born here. Palestine is their country where they want to live. We must acknowledge that fact with love."
The surprising author of these lines was David Ben-Gurion, the legendary Zionist leader who became the first prime minister of the State of Israel.
Ben-Gurion's compassionate words underscore one side of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis that has threatened for decades
to engulf not only the Middle East but the world. On the other
hand there is the claim of the much-tormented Jewish people,whose historic ties to the very same land are even
older.Surely they should be allowed to return to their homeland
and live at lastin peace?
Both claims are just. How can we judge justly between them? And
how soon can we judge, if ever?
Wendy Orange's memoir, "Coming Home To Jerusalem." is one
woman's attempt to answer these questions, at least to her own
satisfaction.Orange grew up in an ardently Zionist American Jewish family,
but she did not share their enthusiasm for the idea of a Jewish
state. Instead, she studied the Holocaust with great intensity.
She became a professional therapist and, later, a journalist. In the early 1990s she was persuaded to attend a conference in
Jerusalem. As a result of hearing a talk by famed novelist
A.M.Yehoshua she decided to make aliya, or immigrate to Israel.
Yehoshua's impact was all the more extraordinary in that his
talk was delivered in Hebrew, a language whe did not yet
understand.
Working as a journalist in her adopted country, Orange made
contact with her Palestinian counterparts and began to do
stories from the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. She
was distressed by evidence of brutality on the part of Israel
Defense Force soldiers. Such conduct does happen, as the writer
of this review saw on a bus in Jerusalem once; but it is
important to keep in mind the historical circumstances that have
bred this kind of behavior.
Orange kept her intellectual balance well--gazing at the
looming Golan Heights, formerly Syrian-occupied, she understood
what fear and physical suffering Syrian artillery once inflicted
on Jewish farmers and fishermen from those same heights. And she
felt a wave of sympathy for these victims, too, her own
people.In a soul-trying situation she is revealed as not a
hater of anyone.
As suggested earlier, Orange's work may be seen as a search for what Slovakian Holocaust heroine Gisi Fleischmann described
as "a better humanity." The search is pursued through a
landscape deeply scarred by history, and punctuated by depths
and heights almost impossible to imagine. An example of a height--a rare one--is the cautious euphoria generated by news of the
Oslo Accords, with their elusive hope of peace at last between
Israelis and Palestinians. The ultimate low may have been the
asassination of Israeli Prime Ninister Itzhak Rabin--by a fellow
Jew, albeit by one whose politics had nothing in common with
those of his famous victim. It is the murder of Rabin which,
even years later, seems to have been the most devastatingly
successful blow against the Middle East peace process.
Whether Wendy Orange's quest for justice and understanding will have a happier outcome than Gisi Fleischmann's remains to be
seen. Perhaps she herself does not believe in the possibility,
for at the end of her memoir she writes, "This drama has
everything but an ending, I think."
"Coming Home To Jerusalem" may be considered depressing by many.It is, on the other hand, an important read for those who wish to understand the human dimension of the Middle East
tragedy. And it is beautifully written.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: As an Israeli living in Maui, I was drawn back to Israel through this book. "Coming Home to Jerusalem actually made me want to go back home, to the city where I was born. (I'm a fourth generation Jerusalemite.) I felt that the author, an American, knew Israel of the 1990's even better than I did. Now, I'm en route "home" after years abroad. And I thank Wendy Orange for getting me in touch with my Zionism, my love for Israel despite all the problems she shows and I know. 5 Stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Lightweight and superficial.
Review: I never heard about this book until last week when Wendy Orange came to speak at CUNY in NYC. She was hilarious. So, I found one copy in a store in Brooklyn and literally read it straight through the night. This is a MUST read for this time especially. Now, and only now, do I feel I understand the causes for Palestinian rage and Israeli fears too. This does impact on the current Terrorism and has the virtues of having charm as well as beautifully relevant writing on a subject that usually Bores me. Dr. Orange is Not boring and this book is hot. Five Stars, my first review. Just bought more copies to send to friends.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful and evocative
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and heartfelt, with unbiased, evocative descriptions of people and places. Made me want to hop on a plane and go there immediately!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Book on Middle East
Review: I teach high school in Brooklyn. The kids are sick of hearing about the Middle East on the news. They groaned when I said we were going to read some books about it. But I just ordered for my class "Coming Home to Jerusalem" because other teachers told me that their students learned so much and enjoyed this book. When my sister gave me her copy to read, I couldn't put it down. The history teacher, 12th grade, who teaches "gifted" students said that it was a big hit in her class. I look forward to seeing how my "kids" respond. A rare book that is for adults and smart kids as well. It's a classic, a keeper. 5 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Naive
Review: I'm all for warm hearts. If you have to read this book to keep your sanity, I understand the impulse, having done it myself. But take some history lessons too. Why, you may ask, when this is a personal journey. Well, without historical or political understanding, serious shortcomings both, Wendy Orange offers only her prayers for peace. Her approach seems sadly fruitless now that Oslo is dead. Israel has worked, hoped and prayed for peace since her founding, many times forced to fight for her survival. I recommend the stories of those prayers and fights over the illusory peace she presents here. You can find them in O Jerusalem, Jerusalem in the Twentieth Century, Howard Sachar's History of Israel and Chaim Herzog's The Arab-Israeli Wars. They won't tell how to achieve a lasting peace, but they help explain how we got to this painful place and why it may be naive to think that any simple plan will work. If it were that that easy, Israel would have signed a permanent peace long ago. Alyssa A. Lappen
Rating:
Summary: Well-written and honest, but naive
Review: This easy-to-read book packs a wallop Especially Now. IF the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has Anything to do with the Terrorism against the USA, this book shows how that peace was almost attained. That is the true importance of "Coming Home to Jerusalem." It's a book without sentimentality but with a lot of true sentiment. People-to-People Dialogue was, for me, the most moving and now the most important part of this book. I believe strongly that this is an honest account, what ideally belongs under "Conflict Resolution" rather than "Judaica" because the core of Orange's work shows warring opponents as less different than is ordinarily percieved. Ms. Orange's work is especially relevant now when the Jingoism in USA is (understandably, if unfortunately) going full tilt. NOT that I believe we can dialogue with Osama Ben L. But there are many around the world worth talking to-- rather than hunting for more murderous rounds of senseless violence. Were there more Dialogue and less guns and bombs, wouldn't the hard core terrorists have far less support? Think about that and read this book in paperback. 5 stars.
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