Ari Shavit is a journalist and writes for Haaretz, the Israeli liberal newspaper.

His book garnered rave reviews but also some criticism, some accusing the author of being a “liberal Zionist”.

Anyways, I do not want to enter into a political debate on this blog. As mentioned in our philosophy, we don’t make politics and look at the world with an open-minded attitude.

The reason why I recommend this book is that I found it very interesting to learn about the birth of Zionism, to understand the formation of Israel and the transformation of the Jewish mindset throughout the 20^th century.

It is well written and informative on a historical and sociological point of view. Ari Shavit intertwines historical hard facts with archives from his own family, going back to his great-grandfather times at the end of the 19th century. The book begins with Herbert Bentwhich, a Bristish gentleman, who undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, on a Thomas Cook tour, with the romantic idea that the Jews must settle again in their ancient homeland.

It sheds some light and gives you a better insight on the current position of the various political stakeholders in the Middle East and a grasp of what is at stake now in the region.

Cathy

Business coach and professional flâneur

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