Rating: 
Summary: In The Land Of Israel
Review: A light, breezy entertaining bit of pop-ethnology, fit to put on the shelf with such classics as Hedrick Smith's _The Russians_, Dusko Doder's _The Yugoslavs_, and Luigi Barzini's _The Italians_. Rosenthal interviewed an impressive cross-section of Israeli society, from all backgrounds and viewpoints. It's especially affecting to read the interviews with the young people, whether Jewish, Muslim, or Christian, with their too-soon exposure to war's ugliness and their simultaneous brave hopes for the future. Caution: many if not most of the interviewees are pseudonymous.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."
Rating:
Summary: In The Land Of Israel
Review: A light, breezy entertaining bit of pop-ethnology, fit to put on the shelf with such classics as Hedrick Smith's _The Russians_, Dusko Doder's _The Yugoslavs_, and Luigi Barzini's _The Italians_. Rosenthal interviewed an impressive cross-section of Israeli society, from all backgrounds and viewpoints. It's especially affecting to read the interviews with the young people, whether Jewish, Muslim, or Christian, with their too-soon exposure to war's ugliness and their simultaneous brave hopes for the future. Caution: many if not most of the interviewees are pseudonymous. 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."
Rating: 
Summary: A MUST read for anyone interested in the Holy Land!
Review: As a pastor who frequently leads trips to the Holy Land, I must say that this book is a MUST for anyone interested in the people of Israel. It's so well written, that you feel you are talking to the people being interviewed. I strongly recommend that people read this book before traveling to the Holy Land; You will get so much more out of your trip.
Rating:
Summary: A MUST read for anyone interested in the Holy Land!
Review: As a pastor who frequently leads trips to the Holy Land, I must say that this book is a MUST for anyone interested in the people of Israel. It's so well written, that you feel you are talking to the people being interviewed. I strongly recommend that people read this book before traveling to the Holy Land; You will get so much more out of your trip.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant writing on an intricate subject
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Buried Treasure -- wonderful snapshots of Israeli Life
Review: Donna Rosenthal hooks the reader from page one. She takes you straight into the lives of Israelis, a nation existing on the edge of life and death yet choosing life valiantly and brilliantly. The Israelis is emotional, informative, funny. The writing flows smoothly and seamlessly. Read this book. You won't be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Fair, balanced, and interesting - but not fair to Charedim
Review: For all practical purposes, this book is fantastic. It is generally fair, diverse, and interesting. However, I wish to use this space for what many will call a rant: a defense for the "ultra-Orthodox", or the Charedim. Being somewhat in between a Modern and Ultra-Orthodox Jew, I tend to disagree with their portrayal in this book. The main problems are as follows: 1. The chapter on them in the book, instead of asserting identity, is about all the Charedim that "betray" their way of life, in a sympathetic light. Donna has this theme of Charedi incompetence running occasionally through the book.
2. Using the word "lewd" instead of "immoral" or an equivalent is just ASKING for the implication that the Torah is "archaic", another unfair term she uses, when she could say "ancient" instead.
3. To ignore that the Charedim are on the front line of the war on Arab demographics, mantain thwe lowest crime and affir problems, and hold to high ethic standards is nearly as bad as not at least trying to sympathize with an idea of Divene intervention in wars.
4. The Rabbinate control marriage and divorce in Israel so that we could avoid huge problems associated with moral decay, like intermarriage, affaris, and children who are eternally seperated from their people by law. To mock this with sympathetic portrayals of men who illegally stick M16s in rabbis' faces isn't fair. In short, I think this is just not balanced, in some degree, but is a fantastic book.
Rating:
Summary: A Helpful, Interesting, Well-Written Book!
Review: I am American and have visited Israel 15 times in the last 20 years. I read as much as I can about the country, and Rosenthal's book __The Israelis__ is the best source I've come across for the information I care about: the people. Rosenthal writes in an engaging and personal way. There are plenty of facts and figures in __The Israelis__, but the writing is never dry. She introduces us to real and very interesting people to emphasize her observations, and she conveys a deep and accurate familiarity with various segments of Israeli society. This book is a good antidote to the stereotyping of Israelis that we usually read in the media. Highly highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: A new literay resource for the Israeli society
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: A great book about Israelis
Review: My Israeli tour guide was reading this book -- said he couldn't put it down. It's fascinating, balanced, with amazing insights on all kinds of modern Israelis. He was right. I laughed, I cried and learned an enormous amount. lt's great for tourists, students, professors, Christians, Jews and Muslims, tour guides -- anyone who really wants to understand Israelis though their own words, not superficial news reports.Religious and athiest, left-wing, right-wing, Jew and Arab -- every Israel I met who has read this book says it is really accurate. It should be in newsrooms, classrooms and libraries.
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