Experience Israel - With Famed Archaeologist Eli Shukron

21 | DAY TOUR

Recommended books about Israel and the Israelis

The better you prepare for your trip, the more you’ll enjoy it. One of the best ways to get to know Israel is by reading Israeli literature. Good Israeli novelists are able to show the full spectrum of Israeli society in an in-depth and sensitive way. The list below includes a wide variety of books. I have tried to include books that have been translated into many languages.

The Bible I doubt that many would attempt to read the entire Bible before coming to Israel and yet it’s impossible to compile a list of literature about Israel without starting with the Bible. The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and it made the Jewish people what it is today. I don’t recommend wandering around with a heavy Bible, but you can always download the Bible as an app or e-book and read from it at the relevant sites.

Beginnings: Relections on the Bible’s Intriguing Firsts – Meir Shalev Non-religious people may balk at the idea of reading the Bible because of the occasionally unclear language, because of memories of boring Bible class in high school, and because the Bible ‘belongs’ to believers. But the Bible doesn’t belong to any religious man.

In recent years many writers have approached the Bible from a different, non-religious perspective. Meir Shalev was a pioneer in this field. In his book, ‘Beginnings’, he writes about biblical firsts: the first laugh in the Bible, the first kiss, the first instance of love, etc.

Books about the Jewish Orthodox world – Yochi Brandes and Naomi Ragen The Arab-Israeli conflict can be discussed in Jerusalem or in Golan Heights, Christianity can be talked about in any church, but Orthodox Jewish society, a topic that interests many, is altogether more difficult to approach. As travelers you might speak to secular Jews, Arabs, and settlers, but do not expect Orthodox Jews to start a conversation with you. They don’t like people wandering through their neighborhoods in order to take photos of them (and with good reason: they aren’t an exotic species). It’s more likely