Israel and Its Neighbors
Israel

War, Peace, and the Role of the Writer

Aron Hirt-Manheimer

In a 1989 interview for Reform Judaism magazine, I asked Amos Oz, one of Israel’s best-known writers and peace activists, about the role of the writer in society.  

“In the West,” he explained, “especially in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, writers and poets are

Israeli flag waving against a sunset
Israel

Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut: The Juxtaposition of Extremes

Karen White
At a Tel Aviv cafe, I met Shani, 24, an intelligence officer with the IDF. In my quest to understand more about the Israeli observance of Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day), she told me, over coffee, the story of why she’s chosen a career in the army.