Download The Israelis Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land Donna Rosenthal 9780743270359 Books

Product details Paperback 480 pages Publisher Free Press; Reissue edition (February 24, 2005) Language English ISBN-10 9780743270359 ISBN-13 978-0743270359 ASIN 0743270355

The Israelis Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land Donna Rosenthal 9780743270359 Books Reviews

• Rosenthal writes in the notes for page 188 " ...Christian Arabs have the highest income and education level of all Israelis." I did a search on this and all sources say that Christian Arabs have the highest income among Arabs, but are second to Jews. Two references for this are 1) Decomposing Wage Gaps Between Ethnic Groups The Case of Israel by Raviv, and 2) Wikipedia, Arab citizens of Israel, Christians, "They have also the highest median household income among Arab citizens of Israel and second highest median household income among the Israeli ethno-religious groups."
  
  Good book but a bit loose with the facts.
• This book was recommended to me before I go to Israel this summer and I have to say, I could not be more satisfied. The way it is written makes it very difficult to put down. Moreover, it sheds light on so much of Israeli society and culture that one could never know without going to Israel, knowing people who have gone, or knowing Israelis. I often find it is so difficult with the media to learn anything about Israel aside from the conflict (of course, this is very important and I do not mean to say it is not.) Anyway, I was thoroughly impressed by this book and I have suggested it to others as well!
• I took this book with me on a tour of Israel and found it to be a fascinating companion. The best sections are on the Jewish people themselves, both Sabras and those making Aliyah. The later sections on minority groups such as Druze, etc are less interesting and seem to be simply filling out a survey for form's sake. Having this book with me as I traveled a met the Israelis themselves was one of life's great adventures.
• I just returned from Isreal and wished I had read this prior. While in Isreal I met Jewish secular and orthodox people, Druze, Arab Christians and Muslims, Bedouins, and Baha'i. I have often wondered about the different Jewish practices and this will definitely educate as well as open your heart to the many different peoples who inhabit this amazing and complicated country. Especially interesting was the section on the Ethiopian Jews and their perseverance and isolation for thousands of years and the talents that they have gifted to their new found country. It is an amazing vibrant read even if you are not visiting this wonderful country but will have felt that you were there, meeting it's rich embroidery of people and the sacrifices they have made to settle here.
• From page one I was able to get into "The Israelis". I attribute that to the writer's style. The author gives excellent insight to the various groups of people in Israeli society. She also gives good insight to the problems and atributes in Israel today. It is really a true life story of survival againist the odds.
• I remember this was the first book I read on Israeli society before going to Hebrew University in Jerusalem and I remember it being rather decent. That being said I decided to read it again after attending the university for over 2 years. The book has many good stories and tries to shield itself from political criticism by stating the book is not about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Needless to say she plugs in generic narrative every chance she gets. If this were done in interviews, or had any citations for this kind of stuff I would be talking about it very differently. She seems to have compiled good interviews and research about Israeli society but then just negated researching anything else and just relying on the words of the IDF and Israeli government whenever she hit a wall. This is annoying to go through a second time after being much more involved in the issue. If this is your 1st book on the subject, I would probably recommend it. If it is your not, there are much better books on the subject with much better research.
• Well written book that gives a unique perspective on Israel. The people and their stories are fascinating. If you want to learn about Israeli culture/society, definitely pick this up.
• This is an easy to pick up & read a chapter at a time book although I wanted to know more and more so I read it continuously.
  This book evoked so many emotions -- the people and their stories will linger long after you put this beautifully written book down.
  Highly recommend especially if you plan to visit Israel.