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Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation

Yossi Klein Halevi

4.43 · Rating details · 1,139 ratings · 141 reviews

Interweaving the stories of a group of 1967 paratroopers who liberated Jerusalem, the acclaimed international journalist traces the history of Israel from the Six Day War to the present

In June 1967, Israel won a swift and decisive victory in the Six Day War. Many of the soldiers responsible for that triumph would become the nation's future leaders, including the young para ...more

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Hardcover, 608 pages

Published October 1st 2013 by Harper (first published 2013)

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May 19, 2016 Steve rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, military

An exceptional piece of non-fiction, history, political science, and sociology, ... this may be the best -most balanced, nuanced, thought-provoking - book I've read about the modern State of Israel.

OK, OK, it's a hefty book, it's not light reading, it's not necessarily entertaining - indeed, much of the book's content is maddening, frustrating, profoundly depressing, sad, and, at times, heart-breaking - and it's not going to please or placate anyone with regard to who is right, who is wrong, or An exceptional piece of non-fiction, history, political science, and sociology, ... this may be the best -most balanced, nuanced, thought-provoking - book I've read about the modern State of Israel.

OK, OK, it's a hefty book, it's not light reading, it's not necessarily entertaining - indeed, much of the book's content is maddening, frustrating, profoundly depressing, sad, and, at times, heart-breaking - and it's not going to please or placate anyone with regard to who is right, who is wrong, or what the solutions there might be for lasting peace in the Middle East. But nor is that the book's aim.

Rather, and I have no doubt others will describe it differently, my sense is this is a painstakingly researched personal history of a very small group of very young, incredibly diverse, soldiers thrust together at a remarkable moment in time, the Six-Day War (in which, for the younger set, Israel fought Egypt - to the West - and Jordan and Syria - to the East and North, resulting in Israel capturing/seizing the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights, and the West Bank, including Jerusalem). The book then tracks the lives of these - again, diverse - individuals whose paths intersect (for better or worse) as the State of Israel evolves into the New Millennium. It's a story of lives lived, endured, and adorned with the messy reality of one of the most troubled spots on the planet.

But what a story! And kudos to the author, not only for exhaustive research and a mind-boggling number of interviews, but for his ability to make each of the various perspectives come alive, appear not only reasonable, but compelling, and to avoid any attempt to take sides or align himself with the multitudinous factions or beliefs.

And the range of topics - yikes - a literal cornucopia: military history, religion and biblical history, settlement, politics, immigration, music, geography, business and privatization, poetry, farming, art, criminal justice and rehabilitation, terrorism, community, journalism and correspondence, relationships, family, belief, hope, disappointment .... and, well, you get the idea.

If you're interested in a meticulously researched and brilliantly crafted serious examination of an incredibly complex issue, I can't recommend this enough. ...more

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Dec 23, 2014 Jef Sneider rated it it was amazing

Shelves: israel-middle-east

Like everything I have read about the history of modern Israel, it has been a difficult book to read. This book tells the story of Israel’s history by following the lives of soldiers in the 55th Paratroopers Brigade, the soldiers who liberated Jerusalem in the 6 day war. As the subtitle suggests, they “reunited Jerusalem and divided a nation.” Members of the paratroopers started as typical and diverse Israeli young men. Some were kibbutzniks, some just secular Jews, some sabras, some the childre Like everything I have read about the history of modern Israel, it has been a difficult book to read. This book tells the story of Israel’s history by following the lives of soldiers in the 55th Paratroopers Brigade, the soldiers who liberated Jerusalem in the 6 day war. As the subtitle suggests, they “reunited Jerusalem and divided a nation.” Members of the paratroopers started as typical and diverse Israeli young men. Some were kibbutzniks, some just secular Jews, some sabras, some the children of immigrants, and others religious to one degree or another. They all worked together and fought together in 1967, and some again in 1973 and then the war in Lebanon, but over time they each went their separate ways.

Avital Geva, a conceptual artist and kibbutznik, and his friends go on to found “Peace Now” an Israeli political movement willing to recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and to give up land for peace. Yisrael Harel and Yoel Bin-Nun became ardent religious Zionists and settlers, whose willingness to ignore the rights of Palestinians allow them to take land and create Jewish settlements in the captured territories. Udi Adiv, considering himself a disciple of Che Guevera, believed so strongly in Marxism, from his socialist kibbutznik background, that he ultimately questions the legitimacy of the entire Zionist enterprise and is arrested and sent to jail for treason after he meets with Syrian agents in Damascus. From the opposite side of the spectrum, one of Yoel Bin-Nun’s students is arrested for a plot to blow up the Dome of the Rock, the mosque which sits on top of the ancient temple mount in Jerusalem!

Mer Ariel, a singers of songs, Avital Geva, an artist, and Israel Harel, a journalist, all influence and reflect Israel public opinion for the next 2 generations. Arik Achamon, the units Intelligence Officer, a kibbutznik, seemed to be everywhere and know everyone. He saw the difficulties that would come from the settlements right away but was powerless to stop them. He questions what it was they liberated in 1967.

Religious or secular, kibbutznik or immigrant, capitalist or socialist, the forces they aligned with challenged their faith and the country they loved. Throughout my reading of the book, the question hung out there: will there ever be a way to reconcile all these diverse and strongly held beliefs and opinions? The divisions between these men, these citizen soldiers who lived a common experience and then separated to live in a confused and challenged common country, were as great as the divisions between themselves and the Palestinians and Arabs who fought against them.

I despaired for Israel as I read. Then it occurred to me that the personal stories were just that, personal. When you look closely at the deeply held beliefs of people in a democracy, where their opinions can be expressed and nurtured, it may seem to be chaotic with irreconcilable differences. It is no different in the United States, where we have our equivalent of the religious settlers and the idealistic kibbutzniks and socialists. The challenge of democracy is to find a way for millions of people with diverse interests to come together to govern themselves. The United States has been doing it for over 200 years. Israel is the same. The one giant difference is that Israel is small, surrounded by enemies and shunned by other nations. For such a small country, the diversity of its people is amazing .

For the Jewish people, history is the work of God. The history of Israel has much more to come. I feel much better able to understand the country now that I have had the opportunity to learn about it’s citizens, those named above, and many more, from this well written and engaging book, and I can now put that history in much better perspective.

For general readers, the book might just be interesting and engaging. For anyone trying to figure out the way forward for Israel, the Palestinians and the Jewish people, it is indeed a difficult book, but worth the struggle. ...more

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May 31, 2017 Barry Sierer rated it it was amazing

I originally started this book with the impression that this would be an account of the battle for Jerusalem during the six day war. It was of course so much more. Halevi follows of the journeys of several members of the 55th Parachute Brigade (Reserve) over several decades.

The men come from different backgrounds and each faces ideological and emotional transformations that pit their sense of what Israel should be versus what must actually be done to keep their country united. This dilemma some ...more

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Dec 27, 2013 K rated it it was amazing

Shelves: thought-provoking, readablenonfiction, israel

Absolutely fabulous. Ten stars.

I've read several books on Israel at this point, and this is the one I've enjoyed most. Hands down. I wish I could write a review that would do it justice.

Yossi Klein Halevi traces the lives of several paratroopers from the Six Day War, and through introducing us to their stories, offers a great deal of insight into the development of right-wing and left-wing Israeli politics. The characters are interesting not only for their distinct personalities, achievements, a Absolutely fabulous. Ten stars.

I've read several books on Israel at this point, and this is the one I've enjoyed most. Hands down. I wish I could write a review that would do it justice.

Yossi Klein Halevi traces the lives of several paratroopers from the Six Day War, and through introducing us to their stories, offers a great deal of insight into the development of right-wing and left-wing Israeli politics. The characters are interesting not only for their distinct personalities, achievements, and life trajectories, but for their impact on Israel, Israel's impact on them, and as a microcosm of the various divisions in Israeli society -- right-left, hawk-dove, religious-secular, communist-capitalist, etc.

The paratroopers meet in 1967 in the 55th Brigade. Arik Achmon is an astoundingly capable individual, kibbutz-born but coming to embrace capitalism and to foster its growth in Israeli society. Udi Adiv, also kibbutz-born, is disenchanted with the Six Day War and takes up the Palestinian cause, eventually imprisoned for his role in creating an anti-Zionist terrorist underground. Meir Ariel becomes a poet-singer, critically acclaimed but never commercially successful, going through a variety of bohemian phases including a quasi-religious one. Avital Geva, a devoted kibbutznik and leftist, becomes an artist and peace activist. Yoel Bin-Nun, a religious soldier, helps found a strong settlement movement but comes to reject their staunch messianism and extreme, intransigent views. Yisrael Harel and Hanan Porat, in contrast, are religious soldiers who also embrace the settlement movement and criticize Yoel bitterly for his more moderate stance.

This book reminded me of זכרונות אחרי מותי, using the readable and fascinating story of an important individual as a lens through which to begin to understand Israeli history. But Like Dreamers: The Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, and the Divided Israel They Created was even better. We watch seven individuals, not just one, diverge and converge to offer a multidimensional and nuanced view of Israeli society and the political scene. I cried when I read about Rabin's death, because I had a new understanding of the man himself and of what his life and death meant. The disengagement from Gaza, which happened a few months after I moved to Israel when I was bleary-eyed and trying to get my children adjusted to a new language and culture, suddenly took on a whole new meaning for me.

I don't know whether you'll feel as passionately about this book as I did if you don't feel as passionately as I do about the topic, or the land itself. But if you do, this book is highly recommended.

...more

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Sep 30, 2013 Pearl Mattenson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jewish-communal-concerns

Run to buy this book! If you lived through this time period-- you will not only re-live it with new insghts and context (not to mention fascination) but you will truly re-live the emotional turbulence of the times, If you have not lived through this period, I think this is one of the best explorations of Israel from 67-2000 I have read that will engage you and involve you. I dare you to walk away from this book indifferent.

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Oct 26, 2013 Steve rated it it was amazing

Probably the best book I've read in years. No matter how much you read or know about what makes Israel 'tick', this book gives you that inside out perspective. The format forces you to pay attention though, and it's probably best to read in a few days if you can. Highly recommend. ...more

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Jul 06, 2019 Margaret Carmel rated it it was amazing

If you want to learn about modern Israel from an Israeli perspective, this is your book. I've never read a modern history of a nation this comprehensive, yet so personal in my entire life.

Like Dreamers is a stunning work of journalism that begins with the brigade of Israeli paratroopers that captured Jerusalem from Arab forces during the Six Day War in 1967 and follows them through the tumultuous course of Israeli history. The book begins as a gripping account of the war and the battle for the If you want to learn about modern Israel from an Israeli perspective, this is your book. I've never read a modern history of a nation this comprehensive, yet so personal in my entire life.

Like Dreamers is a stunning work of journalism that begins with the brigade of Israeli paratroopers that captured Jerusalem from Arab forces during the Six Day War in 1967 and follows them through the tumultuous course of Israeli history. The book begins as a gripping account of the war and the battle for the most holy city in all the world, but that is only the beginning. From the battle fields, Yossi Klein Halevi traces the lives of several of the paratroopers as they take their place in the fledgling nation and try to navigate the moral complexities of founding a new country where an entirely different people has been living for centuries.

Some of the men become ardent Zionists and are instrumental in forming the controversial Israeli settlements that the world is still grappling with today, while others supported giving land to the Palestinians in exchange for peace. Some came from the cities, others came from the kibbutz. One paratrooper even became so concerned about Palestinians that he served a significant jail sentence for giving Israeli intelligence to the Syrians. What started as a group of men on a military mission ended up becoming a mosaic that reflected the deep divisions in Israeli society, but in religious observance and political ideas.

Lots of books that focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are deeply one sided and are trying to make an argument for what is right or wrong in the ever growing quagmire, but Like Dreamers took a totally different approach. Halevi examined Israel from all angles and presented the arguments and history unfolded as this diverse group of men saw it without attempting to make an argument for one side or the other. This resulted in an incredibly nuanced look at a problem that leaves the reader educated, but not brainwashed. I think anything about Israel that leaves the reader deeply confused about what the solution is, instead of absolutely sure of the right path, is the mark of a job well done.

My only complaint about this book is although he did look at the violence committed by the Jews and the Palestinians, I felt his coverage of the second intifada was not as in-depth as I would have liked. This book seemed to downplay how Palestinians felt in occupied areas and actions by the IDF that would have driven them to start the war. I understand that the Oslo process fell apart and that's what triggered the violence, but I think this book glossed over actions by the IDF in those occupied territories and the economic strain that put on Palestinians.

Despite that criticism of the last section of the book, this is phenomenal. And the way he ended the book could not have been more perfect. Like Dreamers is a fantastic achievement. ...more

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Feb 10, 2020 Judy rated it it was amazing

This was one of the best books I have ever read, a masterful job at explaining the genesis of the rift that grew in Israeli society between those who supported settlements in areas that were not "Israel proper" and those who were against it. Halevi does this in the best style of reporting: through the eyes and voices of some of the paratroopers who were in the division that unexpectedly liberated the Old City of Jerusalem in the Six Day War in 1967.

Following several of these paratroopers in thei ...more

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Jan 17, 2014 ManOfLaBook.com rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2013

Read Review at: http://manoflabook.com/wp/?p=10399

Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi is a non-fiction book which follows the footsteps of seven Israeli paratroopers who fought together and the different paths their lives took. Mr Halevi, son of a Holocaust survivor and a recovering extremist right ideologue.

The immediate thought I had when seeing Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroo Read Review at: http://manoflabook.com/wp/?p=10399

Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi is a non-fiction book which follows the footsteps of seven Israeli paratroopers who fought together and the different paths their lives took. Mr Halevi, son of a Holocaust survivor and a recovering extremist right ideologue.

The immediate thought I had when seeing Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation by Yossi Klein Halevi was my dad. He was an Israeli paratrooper and fought in the 1967 Six Days War. I would have loved for him to read this book and get his take, but he passed away three years ago.

Mr. Halevi goes back to a time where the Jews, barley two decades after the holocaust, are facing annihilation again, and again the world is not interested in helping. Then, in six days, the state of Israel tripled its size, won a war in a way which seemed miraculous, liberated (depends who you ask) Jerusalem and divided itself for decades to come.

Whatever happened before or after, the Battle of Jerusalem was pivotal point in Israeli and Middle Eastern history. Mr. Halevi tells the story of the battle and its aftermath in both cultural and historical context through the view point of seven paratroopers which make the events more personal and understandable.

The author does an excellent job keeping the story balanced, he presents the views of the kibbutzniks who want a socialist paradise, the religious settlers and their views on the importance of keeping the land, the capitalist and artist.

The lives of the seven paratroopers keep interlacing throughout their lives, whether in war or peace, while they seven maintained different views on what’s good for the state of Israel and society, they mostly managed to keep a friendly and supportive relationship despite their differences. What the author manages to convey, is not only Israel’s reality and its problems, but also the lifelong connections of those who served in the Israeli army.

The book shows Israeli history and ideology through the eyes of élite Ashkenazi soldiers, women are sidekicks, Palestine merely an idea and Sephardic Jews are barely mentioned. Yet, the narrative is fascinating, the stories are personal and the history is rich. ...more

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Sep 05, 2013 Ellis Shuman rated it it was amazing

There are many ways to write the history of a nation. It is possible to describe the military campaigns and the political maneuvering in a very dry, detail-filled fashion, the way most history books record the passing of time. Or, alternatively, one can make history come alive by bringing the stories of the individuals involved to the forefront, highlighting their actions, thoughts, and fears in such a way that we feel we are living their experiences with them.

In Like Dreamers, author and journa There are many ways to write the history of a nation. It is possible to describe the military campaigns and the political maneuvering in a very dry, detail-filled fashion, the way most history books record the passing of time. Or, alternatively, one can make history come alive by bringing the stories of the individuals involved to the forefront, highlighting their actions, thoughts, and fears in such a way that we feel we are living their experiences with them.

In Like Dreamers, author and journalist Yossi Klein Halevi relates the stories of seven Israeli paratroopers, members of the IDF reservists' Brigade 55. This unit was involved in the operation that liberated the city of Jerusalem; its soldiers were among the first to recapture the Temple Mount and fall entranced when viewing the stones of the Western Wall. Six years later, the very same unit took part in the successful, but costly Israeli counterattack against the Egyptian army, securing a beachhead on the western side of the Suez Canal.

The seven paratroopers depicted in this very readable account are real people, emerging from parallel idealistic tracks of agrarian kibbutz life and religious Zionism to converge in the same army unit and witness comrades falling in Israel's defense. Following military service, evolving beliefs and changing realities take these seven paratroopers in different directions that reflect the changes and chasms forming in Israeli society.

Like Dreamers tells the story of modern Israel in a narrative form that could easily be grasped as suspenseful fiction, except for the fact that everything is true. The book is both compelling and exhaustive, and is based on the author's ten years of extensive research and interviews with veterans of the 55th Reservist Paratrooper Brigade, settlers, religious Zionists, kibbutzniks, and peace activists. The author successfully and objectively deals with the most difficult issues facing Israel today, relating parallel stories on a wide canvas and explaining the development of opposing viewpoints without overbearing political ideology.

As a result of the author's attention to both detail and story-telling, Like Dreamers emerges as an epic masterpiece that will undoubtedly take its place among the most highly regarded Israeli history texts.
...more

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Jan 02, 2014 Rachelle Urist rated it really liked it

Brilliant. Yossi Klein Halevi nails it again, in this book that profiles the paratroopers who liberated the Western Wall and unified Jerusalem in 1967. Their triumph, hailed at the time as something akin to a miracle, also laid the grounds for the divisions that have grown since. The book's subtitle is: "the story of the Israeli paratroopers who reunited Jerusalem and divided a nation."

These paratroopers came from all walks of life: religious, secular, artistic, academic, military, leftist. All ...more

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May 17, 2014 Ben Pashkoff rated it it was amazing

Shelves: zionism, history

RARELY have I read a book that so pulled me into the narrative that I wanted to put all others aside and be absorbed. RARELY have I read one that touched me on so many levels. The writing is at once personal and majestic, weaving at one time the personal stories of some truly remarkable people but bringing these stories into a close touch and weaving them into the breadth of history of Israel from 1967 until 1995. I do not know if I will ever have the stregth to go and re-read this again, but pa ...more

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Jun 18, 2017 Shawn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, history, jewish-related

Like Dreamers is not a definitive history of the Six Day War, of Israel, or the Arab-Israeli conflicts, but instead is a deeply personal exploration of the lives of individuals connected by this history. It is a wonderful book, worth reading by anyone interested in Israel and connected topics.

This is one of the several things I liked about how Halevi tells this story. While the major, famous names: Ben-Gurion, Rabin, Sharon, Begin, etc., are part of it, they are never the focus, never the mover Like Dreamers is not a definitive history of the Six Day War, of Israel, or the Arab-Israeli conflicts, but instead is a deeply personal exploration of the lives of individuals connected by this history. It is a wonderful book, worth reading by anyone interested in Israel and connected topics.

This is one of the several things I liked about how Halevi tells this story. While the major, famous names: Ben-Gurion, Rabin, Sharon, Begin, etc., are part of it, they are never the focus, never the movers of the story. The focus is always on the lives of the paratroopers. This gives it the feel of bottom-up history, rather than a history of ‘great men.’ And that provides a more authentic and personal connection to the events and lives of those affected by the events.

The narrative is at once exhilarating, aspirational, sad, poignant, funny, and thought-provoking. The first half tracks the lives of several of the individuals of the paratrooper brigade that helped to capture Jerusalem during the Six Day War. From their childhood to the 67 war, the narrative builds towards the capture and reunification of Jerusalem. This is presented as the apex of Israeli unity. The jubilation, the exhilaration, the joy of the moment: the overnight shift from facing annihilation to redeeming the 2,000-year-old dream of Jewish history.

The second half of the book, though, walks through how this vision of unity quickly fades—both between these individuals and within the nation. In this way, the author captures the diverse and divergent visions of the Israeli left and right, the Peace Now-ers and Greater Israel-ers, the kibbtuzniks and the settlers, the secular and the religious. And by focusing on particular individuals, Halevi shows how these divisions and categories break down and intertwine. Individuals—and their nations—are far more complex and complicated then a set of abstract ideological views. By showing us, through the lives of individuals, how their ideas and views developed, changed, and morphed in the face of a changing world, it gives a depth and humanity to the competing narratives of Israel (within Israel). It shows an abounding respect for these different ways to be Israeli, to be Zionist, to be Jewish.
...more

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Dec 19, 2020 Xavier Alexandre rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history

Certainly one of the best books I have read about this period of Israel history. In a small country, divisions inevitably get more personal and Israel is no exception. It's striking to see members of the famed 55th paratrooper brigade evolve to polar opposites in Israeli society, with some becoming leaders among settlers, or among Kibbutznikim, or even one being caught passing, unknowingly, information to Syrians.

The book goes a long way in presenting the current divisions in Israel and underst ...more

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Sep 18, 2017 Joel rated it it was ok

Shelves: history

This book tells the stories of seven paratroopers liberated of the Old City of Jerusalem from Jordanian forces during the Six Day War of 1967. The book really does a good job immersing the into the mindset of the various Israeli sub-communities of the Seventies and Eighties by following the intimate details of their diverse experiences over that period.

However, I thought that the author didn’t do that very efficiently. It is well over 500 pages, and the author will sometimes go several pages sa ...more

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Jul 25, 2017 Lorelei rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Lorelei by: Eliyahu

Shelves: history

Wonderful story and mostly balanced narrative of our changing state.

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Jun 09, 2019 Kate Callen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: book-club

I learnt a LOT more detail about modern Israeli history and how it ties together, as well as being reminded just how much perspective matters all the way through. Lots to think about here.

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Feb 10, 2021 Masha Shollar rated it really liked it

An important book to read if one wishes to understand the current political situation in Israel. At times, particularly toward the end of the book, it did feel like it dragged a bit, but the depth of research and the incredible writing were both astounding. One leaves with a clearer understanding of just how difficult and complex the situation in Israel is.

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Jun 10, 2019 Howard Tobochnik rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, israel-and-jewish

Memorable Quotes from Like Dreamers:

As Arab armies massed along Israel’s borders, demonstrators in the streets of Cairo and Damascus chanted “Death to Israel.” Yet the international community seemed indifferent. Even the United States, caught in an increasingly hopeless war in Vietnam, offered little more than sympathy. My father and I shared the same unspoken thought: again. Barely two decades after the Holocaust, the Jews were facing destruction again. Once again, we were alone. (xxi)

The kibbu ...more

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Dec 08, 2013 Larry rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-east-islam

This is not so much a review of this book, but a reaction to it, albeit, from someone I don't think the author intended to read it. I'm neither an Israeli nor even a Jew. While I was once engaged to marry a self-described "Jewish princess" and I once studied Judaism in college, it would be best to discard the first fact -- it turns out it was a big misunderstanding...she didn't really like me -- and the college professor was emphatically biased toward Christianity and against every other religio This is not so much a review of this book, but a reaction to it, albeit, from someone I don't think the author intended to read it. I'm neither an Israeli nor even a Jew. While I was once engaged to marry a self-described "Jewish princess" and I once studied Judaism in college, it would be best to discard the first fact -- it turns out it was a big misunderstanding...she didn't really like me -- and the college professor was emphatically biased toward Christianity and against every other religion. In short, I'm not well versed in the day-to-day nuances of modern Israeli history, and this book basically covers Israel for nearly 40 years, starting with 1967. Like the entire book, the author gives extra importance to a particular event, in this case the Six-Day War, and then embellishes that particular event to mean much more than it really does. He does this by choosing a handful of the paratroopers in that war, and then makes them represent all of Israeli society for the next few decades. In essence, he interlaces multiple biographies together, but with little of the obvious synchronization that might follow a more conventional history, such as all the cadets at West Point in, say 1846, that ended up fighting with or against each other a few years later in the American Civil War. Moreover, the book took a great many historical dates and religious customs for granted for the reader, going far beyond the handful of Jewish holidays that many Americans are familiar with. At times, it seems that nearly everyday and every location in Israel has some deep significance. And everyone seems to take offense that someone else isn't giving that significance due weight. If there is one aspect of this narrative that caught me most off guard, it was how much Israelis apparently dislike each other. There was only one subject of the mini biographies that struck me as more logical than emotional, and even he was chastised by his wife for not caring enough for others reactions to his actions. I'll offer two quotes from the book that get at the heart of the narrative. Almost inevitably the book draws out this conclusion, "How were Israelis to argue with restraint when both right and left were convinced that their opponents prevailed, the state would be not merely diminished but destroyed?" It's at this point the author tries to make this just two sides of an Israeli issue, when throughout the narrative, he repeatedly points out multiple shades of gray. In short, even if a person was supposedly on one side or other of the left/right line, each person also had multiple reasons for disagreeing with others on their "side" why and how they should be "left" or "right". Somewhat later in the book, the author points out, "...the left had been correct about the dangers of occupation, but the right had been correct about the chances of peace." I found this just a little bit funny that he was giving the "sides" so much credit, since neither "side" would have been willing to do so. And that's not even including the Palestinians or other Arabs into the discussion. In the end, I thought this was unnecessarily difficult to absorb, but, nevertheless, extremely enlightening and worthwhile for me to read. Frankly, I'm a bit disturbed that American news media has not done a better job of pointing out the issues raised in this book. ...more

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Feb 10, 2015 Peter rated it it was amazing

With Israel much in the news this past year, many people find themselves in discussions about Israel’s founding and the evolution of Israeli politics since independence in 1948. One way to approach that history and to acquire a deeper understanding of today’s Israel is to read Yossi Klein Halevi’s Like Dreamers.

Like Dreamers is an example of what is called social history. Instead of reporting on the main players in the main events, Like Dreamers tells the personal stories over forty plus years o With Israel much in the news this past year, many people find themselves in discussions about Israel’s founding and the evolution of Israeli politics since independence in 1948. One way to approach that history and to acquire a deeper understanding of today’s Israel is to read Yossi Klein Halevi’s Like Dreamers.

Like Dreamers is an example of what is called social history. Instead of reporting on the main players in the main events, Like Dreamers tells the personal stories over forty plus years of seven men who were part of the liberation and unification of Jerusalem in 1967, and in so doing exposes the reader to the divisions that emerged in Israeli society between secular versus religious Zionists, between settlers in Judea and Samaria (the so-called West Bank) versus the residents of pre-1967 Israel, between Kibbutzniks versus metropolitans.

The March 2015 election results testify to the fact that Israel is a divided society. While the subtitle “The story of the Israeli paratroopers who reunited Jerusalem and divided a nation” suggests the paratroopers are to blame for the subsequent divisions, most of the seven men Halevi writes about did everything in their power to bridge the divide. The problem is that complex and deep-seated problems are not easily resolved despite the good-faith efforts of the best of men.

If nothing else, readers of Like Dreamers will come away with a greater appreciation of how great the divide is for example between those who see the world through the lens of Torah versus those who no longer believe in a god nor practice the Jewish religion. Each has a claim to how Israel should be governed and how problems such as Arab terrorism should be addressed.

Halevi brings his seven men to life by following their personal lives, their careers, their wishes and their fears. Occasionally one might wish he’d have left out some small personal item, but on the whole he gives very complete pictures of each man’s life treating even the most extreme with empathy. His smooth writing style is ideal for a book of this length and it doesn’t require any specialized knowledge or background.
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Nov 09, 2019 Scott Gilman rated it really liked it

Can a small group of people, say, at first a few dozen, and then just a handful, represent the story of an entire country? And the dreams and hopes and failures and tribulations that are forever associated with that country and its citizens?

Like Dreamers is an epic, decade-spanning examination of members of the Israeli army paratrooper brigade that fought in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967. That war resulted in the Old City being turned over from Jordanian control into I Can a small group of people, say, at first a few dozen, and then just a handful, represent the story of an entire country? And the dreams and hopes and failures and tribulations that are forever associated with that country and its citizens?

Like Dreamers is an epic, decade-spanning examination of members of the Israeli army paratrooper brigade that fought in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War of 1967. That war resulted in the Old City being turned over from Jordanian control into Israeli hands, bringing the holy site of the Western Wall into Jewish sovereignty for the first time in 2,000 years.

Israeli journalist and author Yossi Klein Halevi begins the book by recounting the battle that took place in June 1967. He relays the story of how the paratroopers at first weren’t even posted in Jerusalem, and then recounts the battle against the Jordanians amidst the dark, tight, winding streets of the ancient city — and the many casualties suffered by the Israelis. There was at first reluctance by the Israeli government to take control of the Old City, but the decision was made to take advantage of the opportunity. In the early chapters we are introduced to the teenagers who the book follows through adulthood.

Contained within their individual stories is the collective story of Israel post-1967. Of how the glow and confidence and exaltation of that summer eventually turned into the reality of occupation, opposing visions of and for the state, and the many battles, physical, religious, spiritual, and political, that continue to burden the Jewish state.

It is of course not surprising to find from within a group the size of a paratrooper brigade individuals with different philosophies, belief systems and religious leanings. Still, Halevi finds from within this group incredibly disparate stories that represent polarities of Israeli thought. There are left-leaning, socialist graduates of the kibbutz, and there are the right-leaning, ultra-religious progenitors of the settler movement. There is the man convicted of treason for acts against the state, and there is the poet and songwriter who never quite makes it as an artist, inches closer to religion over the course of his life, wandering philosophically to understand the meaning of being Jewish and Israeli.

While the stories of these individuals are compelling, the question is to what extent do they work in portraying the larger Israeli story. I found the narratives of the individuals highlighted by the author to be constricting and limiting in some ways, but still, they work as stand-ins for the major issues Israeli society has faced and continues to struggle with.

There is the story of the kibbutz movement, and how it began as a model for the collectivist spirit of settling the land and working together to build a home and life out of the desert. We see how the settler movement of the religious communities comes to define itself, and how it interjected its religious and spiritual understandings of their definition of the Jewish state into the broader Israeli political landscape. We see the difficulties of endless war, from the 1973 Yom Kippur War to the evolution of Palestinian terrorism and into the first and second intifadas. We see how political life in Israel changed over time, culminating in the failed peace process and assassination of Prime Minister Rabin. There is the evolution of Israeli art, music and literature; there are the beginnings of Israeli industry and commerce, which today sees Israel as a leader in technology and innovation.

Israel has grown and matured. It has gone through being an international pariah, which in many ways it still is, to a state that can take care of, and defend, itself. It grapples with many of the same issues from its founding in 1948. The role of Judaism within society and government. The definition of boundaries and the relationship with its often hostile Arab neighbors. The role of settling the land, even in disputed areas. The need for the government to settle Jewish immigrants from across the globe, from Russia to Ethiopia to western Europe. There is the divide between Jews of Ashkenazic and Sephardic descent. It’s all here in this book, represented by true stories of actual Israelis whose very lives mirrored, in so many ways, the life and history of Israel.

This is not a book about the future, nor is it much one about the present. Yet in this innovative and selective exploration of Israeli history, we see so much of what Israel has endured and confronted — and still does. We see the foundation of the endless struggles of the Jewish state, internally and externally.

We also experience birth and death, love and loss, dreams accomplished and missed, some of the very ranges of human experiences that are both universal but also specific to what it means to be Israeli, to lead an Israeli life.

Those looking to understand Israel by exploring its past will get a lot out of this book, even if the narrative is itself narrow in terms of the number of people fully examined here. The story lines constrict as the book reaches its conclusion. There are many stories not seen or told, but that limitation doesn’t detract from those we see so intimately.

The dream of living peaceably in a Jewish homeland still exists for so many. But the task of defining what (and where) that means is still unresolved. Like Dreamers is a bit of a kaleidoscopic vision at the attempt of making that dream into a reality. While this book, like all others, comes to end, the main takeaway is that the story is ongoing. Reading this book will help you better understand that story, and who is telling it.
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Jan 17, 2014 Michale rated it liked it

Shelves: if-i-forget-thee, wasn-t-that-a-time

This book brought up many painful memories from the years I was affiliated with religious Zionism. I learned to avoid idealogues of all stripes, be they Marxists or Stalinists, religious kibbutniks or religious settlers, who knew the "truth" and, therefore, what everyone else should believe and how they should behave. ""It's interesting," replied Yehudit in her slow and thoughtful way, "that when the left turns extreme we produce traitors like Udi Aviv, and when the right turns extreme they prod ...more

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Aug 28, 2015 Rachel rated it it was amazing

This book is simply stunning. I've heard from some people that they don't like the way it jumps around among the different characters, but I actually really appreciate that style--it demonstrates how the characters all lived parallel and intersecting lives over the same period of time. There was so much history about Israel and Jerusalem that I didn't know before reading this book, and somehow the author managed to give me a thorough history lesson while also telling a story that flowed like a n ...more

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Apr 27, 2014 Jonathan rated it liked it

Filled with beautiful, personal, and insightful vignettes about the lives and times of some of the paratroopers who liberated the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967, I still found this book unsatisfying. The journalist devotion of the author to not pass judgement leaves him more sympathetic to the perspectives that led to the Jewish extremism in the 1970's and eventually led to the Baruch Goldstein massacre and the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin. We cannot be careless with our ideologies. ...more

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Dec 28, 2014 Drew rated it it was amazing

Powerful, engrossing read. I have a much clearer picture of the forces at work in Israel today that make achieving peace with the Palestinians so daunting. The author does a brilliant job of illuminating the complexity of Israeli politics by tracing the individual lives of certain of the paratroopers who captured the Temple Mount and united Jerusalem.

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Feb 05, 2017 Erika Dreifus rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jewish-lit

I was given a copy of this book when it was published; I admit that I was intimidated initially by the array of "characters" presented at the outset. I picked the book up again this year for a few reasons, and I am so, so glad that I did. ...more

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Dec 31, 2013 Eli rated it liked it

Shelves: history

Presents a range of different Israeli views of Israel, but tries so hard not to judge anyone that you don't really learn much from it. Interesting stories. ...more

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Jan 07, 2014 Linda Abraham rated it it was amazing

Fascinating portrayal of Israel in the last 50 years.

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Aug 20, 2019 Mitchell Gronowitz rated it really liked it

I picked up Like Dreamers hoping to get a detailed account of the six day war, but what I got instead was much more rewarding. Like Dreamers follows six paratroopers of the 55th brigade (they liberated/captured Jerusalem from the Jordanians) over four decades of Israeli history. Three paratroopers from a religious zionist background, and three from a secular kibutznik background.
All six lead different political and social lives, becoming leaders in different pivotal Israeli movements.

Israel's s ...more

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