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Israel is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and Its History
by
“It’s a great irony that Israel was more secure as an idea than it’s ever been as a nation with an army.”
In AD 70, when the Second Temple was destroyed, a handful of visionaries saved Judaism by reinventing it—by taking what had been a national religion, identified with a particular place, and turning it into an idea. Jews no longer needed Jerusalem to be Jews. Whenever a ...more
In AD 70, when the Second Temple was destroyed, a handful of visionaries saved Judaism by reinventing it—by taking what had been a national religion, identified with a particular place, and turning it into an idea. Jews no longer needed Jerusalem to be Jews. Whenever a ...more
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Hardcover, 400 pages
Published
July 21st 2009
by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Start your review of Israel is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and Its History
I've spent a lot of time reading about the Middle East. It has haunted me for years. This is, by far, the best book I've read explaining the history and background of the case made by the nation of Israel. It is simple and succinct. It never reads like a textbook. As an ancient history major and as a student of the Old Testament (as far as it is translated correctly, of course), I found Cohen offering new light on oft-discussed ancient incidences. I learned a lot from his descriptions of history
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Its witty, satirical, humorous, scandalous, tragic and euphoric account of an idea called Israel. The author captures the Jewish history from the ancient times of Romans and Pharaohs to the present day world.
The story doesn't culminate into any ending because Israel is still evolving and it is still unstable but the concept of "promised land" leads to some degree of fruition wherein a Jew, in any part of the world, has a country he can call home. This country is his and like all other countries ...more
The story doesn't culminate into any ending because Israel is still evolving and it is still unstable but the concept of "promised land" leads to some degree of fruition wherein a Jew, in any part of the world, has a country he can call home. This country is his and like all other countries ...more
I don’t necessarily agree with all of Cohen’s ideas and theses, but the book is fantastic. Its a great read, and Cohen does an incredible job tying a plethora of history into a relevant and fascinating work. It could have been very boring, but Cohen's adlibs, dry humor, and thought provoking comments throughout the book kept me highly engaged in my reading. I had a tough time putting the book down. An 8.5 on a scale of 10.
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As a person who did not have much retained knowledge in biblical history, Israel, or Jewish history, I found this book to be a great comprehensive overview. I really appreciated the author's perspective and he made it clear when he was expressing his viewpoint which may not necessarily be reflective of other populations. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about Jewish & Israeli history and attempting to understand present day Israel.
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While there are many more complete and precise books on the history of Israel, I doubt any of them is so much fun to read. I would imagine the breezy (and sometimes glib) prose and the metaphors relating people and places to movie characters and sets grates on the purists, but for those who want to know how things got the way they are, it gives a good outline. The general reader should come away understanding of main events in the history of Israel.
The book is written from a Jewish perspective b ...more
The book is written from a Jewish perspective b ...more
This is my second read by author Rich Cohen (after the mezmerizing "The Fish that Ate the Whale") and it did not disappoint. Cohen manages to regail us with the history (story?) of the jewish people and Zionism with clinical insight and brilliant wit. He has a gift for finding the rhyming poetry and the timeless archetypes in political and territorial turmoil that spans many centuries and a wide array of players. "Israel Is Real" is a great primer for those who have a cursory and muddled under
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Feb 10, 2013
Kathy
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really liked it
Recommended to Kathy by:
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This book reads like a chat with the author, albeit a really long involved chat. It begins with the destruction of the second temple and takes us through the history of Israel up to the present. Cohen has a way of putting archaic concepts into terms that I can understand. I particularly appreciated when he compared medieval stories of the Khazars (a colony of warrior Jews) to his boyhood book of Great Jewish Sports Heros.
Israel has a long and often bitter past, but Cohen is a gentle guide on an ...more
Israel has a long and often bitter past, but Cohen is a gentle guide on an ...more
In preparation for a trip to Israel, I realized I needed to learn more about the country and its history. Based on Goodreads reviews, I read "Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn" by Daniel Gordis and based on a personal reference, I also read "Israel is Real" by Rich Cohen. I'm rating these two books the same (4 stars) but they have pretty different styles.
"Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn" is an awesome chronicle of the history of Israel, more factual than "Israel is Real" ...more
"Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn" is an awesome chronicle of the history of Israel, more factual than "Israel is Real" ...more
This is a very weird book. It's not quite history as it is a highlighting of certain interpretations of Jewish history. Zionism, according to Cohen, is rooted in ancient Israel and is best portrayed by the Zealots - a group of religiously fanatic warrior Jews who went the way of the dodo along with the Second Temple. The other type of Jew, the Yavne Jew, is one that survives the Romans through submission and abstracting his religion. Cohen seems to paint Jewish history as a struggle between thes
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Lent to me by a friend, I found this an invaluable read. A secular Jew outlines the mystery, the history and the eternality of the nation. He describes the miracle of the 6 day war where "even atheists felt the press of God". He marches through the centuries, outlining the mission of the Jews, the failed messiahs, the issue of Jewish self-esteem, the political rise of Zionism, and provides the best description of anti-semitism I've ever understood, admitting that Jews themselves are guilty: "som
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This book was so fascinating I didn’t want it to end. Cohen is a writer for Rolling Stone and has a very smooth, conversational style of writing with lots of anecdotes to keep the narrative from getting too dry. The book discusses the nation of Israel in real or imagined forms from
ancient times until now, covering good and bad points. The style makes it easier to retain what is learned about this place that has been so foundational to the development of western civilization.
ancient times until now, covering good and bad points. The style makes it easier to retain what is learned about this place that has been so foundational to the development of western civilization.
This book definitely gives insights about Jewish past and present. Although not in detail but rather succinctly. However, it's really amazing how a nation which came into existence by 1949 fought its forthcoming battles with such splendor furor.
Definitely, it had tremendous financial backing alongside favorable political stance of being the victims of the holocaust. But would jew stop it ?
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Definitely, it had tremendous financial backing alongside favorable political stance of being the victims of the holocaust. But would jew stop it ?
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This book is sad, funny, frustrating, sarcastic, angering and a lot of other things. I felt many emotions reading this book, but came away mostly with a sadness for a situation that utterly illustrates the complexities & contradictions of the human condition. Oh, the pain we love to inflict upon one another...
Impartial. Fast paced. And SUPER witty. Can't remember the last time non fic was THIS enjoyably captivating
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Thought-provoking and memorable overview of the history of Jerusalem. However, the book is not a complete historical description.
One of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.
Mere propaganda. Nothing is interesting nor new in the book.
Fabulous perspective on the making of country, on evolution of an identify and a race/religion dictating politics.
I’m going to be honest with you: I don’t think I really understand Israel, even after reading this book. I did, however, walk away from this thinking about the insanity that is history, religion, and politics. There is no doubt about it: the Hebrews/Jews have a pretty damn depressing history.
What I liked about this book is that it wasn’t a propaganda filled Zionist love-fest. What it accomplishes, is providing a rich story around the key figures and events that brought Israel to where it is now. ...more
What I liked about this book is that it wasn’t a propaganda filled Zionist love-fest. What it accomplishes, is providing a rich story around the key figures and events that brought Israel to where it is now. ...more
Based on a review I'd read, I expected this to be a solid history book, even-handed yet with a highly individual voice. I did find it interesting at first, but after close to 100 pages Cohen still seemed to be focussing on individuals-- not so much on Israel as a whole. Contrary to the title, he continually presented his thesis that Israel is NOT real, but a set of shared illusions. Deeply felt-- but illusory.
As others have noted, the author's style is occasionally self-indulgent, with asides an ...more
As others have noted, the author's style is occasionally self-indulgent, with asides an ...more
This book is a very personal statement, which makes it endearing--even gripping--but ultimately limits its value as either a history of the Jews or a political assessment. I enjoyed his history quite a bit, but I know many better history books exist. I think Cohen is too concerned with finding metaphors and signs, so he has to circle around certain themes over and over, more than I find helpful. But I appreciate that he sees nuance in everything, and is trying less to persuade the reader of a pa
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I loved this book! Rich Cohen is an excellent author, and in fact, the only reason why I searched this book out was because he wrote it. I loved his two previous books, The Avengers and Tough Jews. His style is very funny and smart. I laughed out loud on a few occasions. The book is an interesting history of Israel and its place in Judaism. But I would not recommend this book if you are very right-wing towards Israel because he does have his critiques.
I guess you could call this a history book, since it is a loosely chronological account full of actual history, but it doesn't quite fit that mold. It's hard for me to describe, but I will say it raised a lot of interesting questions and taught me a lot about Jewish history. Cohen manages to take a very unwieldy topic and do about as good a job as one can do condensing it into so few pages. If you're trying to make some sense of Israel, this is a good place to start.
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I like the author's style--he's like a history teacher you wish you had. The modern history left me breathless a few times--the six day war chapter especially. It's hard to believe sometimes that all this history really happened in this tiny country. Here's a quote that sums up the book: "It's the great misfortune of Jerusalem to be both wholly imaginary and wholly real."
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History of the Jews/Israel from the beginning up until Sharon's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Extremely interesting look at the historical narrative of the Jewish people, if you can look past the humanizing of Ariel Sharon and other places in which Cohen forgives the brutal actions of the modern state based on historical suffering.
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Really enjoyed this. It finally answered so many questions I've had about the history of Israel, Judaism, Zionism, etc. And it did so in a relatively light, always readable, very smart, occasionally humorous way.
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Accessible read on the history of Jewish people and the making of the state of Israel. He seems apologetic. It felt like "Don't blame us coz' we've got this preoccupation with past wrongs". But we need to hear both sides of the argument.
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Good concept - I liked the history in the book, but I just couldn't make it through the long meandering philosophical parts.
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Very interesting history of the conflict. Americans should read this.
A really interesting book that tells the history of Israel, how Judaism morphed after the destruction of the second temple and how it changed again after the creation of Israel.
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RICH COHEN is the author of Sweet and Low (FSG, 2006), Tough Jews, The Avengers, The Record Men, and the memoir Lake Effect. His work has appeared in many major publications, and he is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He lives with his family in Connecticut.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Coh... ...more
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Coh... ...more
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