Israel Is Real (Book Review)

If you have an inclination to be a rabble-rouser and find yourself bored at a dinner party with American Jews, bring up Israel. You might not get invited back, but in the meantime you'll have fun throwing down a choice apple of discord. Just for kicks, ask people how they feel about Noam Chomsky, the Jewish American linguist who's famously critical of Israel's policies regarding Palestinians, and let the games begin.

There are those American Jews who believe Israel's security and autonomy are the best guarantors Jews have in a world where they are besieged by enemies. Others are offended by the idea of immediate association with a country deemed their "homeland," which they've never visited, and voice deep ambivalence at the assumption of their support of Israel simply because they are Jewish. But most lack enough connection to or knowledge of the modern country to feel empowered to speak, and will simply keep their mouths shut. For them Jerusalem exists as much as an idea as it did for their forefathers who were lost in exile.

For American Jews, Israel looms large in the imagination. Few are truly neutral, and many are perplexed. It's a sticky wicket -- how do you make sense of Israel in the 21st century when the idea of a Jewish state and a Middle Eastern democracy practically seem to be at odds, given shifting populations, religious and cultural affiliations?

To this fracturing question, journalist Rich Cohen, the author of books such as "Sweet and Low," has brought his considerable talents as a writer in his new book "Israel Is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and Its History." By offering a narrative of Israel's history as if it were an extension of the biblical story of the Jews, Cohen attempts to offer a cohesive and compulsively readable account of Jewish history and the Jewish state. If it's not a justification for Israel, it's an explanation.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-rich-cohen16-2009aug16,0,7980538.story