Great Reads to Get More Out Of Your Israel Trip

February 16th 2015

Along with packing and planning a great itinerary, reading about your destination is a great way to get ready for traveling. These great works of non-fiction will help you prepare for your trip to Israel. Even if you can’t travel to Israel this year, reading these books will help make the sites you see that much more meaningful when you are finally able to take the trip of a lifetime.

Hostage

In a raw and unflinching memoir, Eli Sharabi, a survivor of 491 days in Hamas captivity, recounts the harrowing ordeal of his abduction from Kibbutz Be’eri on October 7th, 2023, the loss of his wife and daughters, and his unyielding resolve to survive.

Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth

Israel. The small strip of arid land is 5,700 miles away but remains a hot-button issue and a thorny topic of debate. But while everyone seems to have a strong opinion about Israel, how many people actually know the facts?

Here to fill in the information gap is Israeli American Noa Tishby.

The Genius of Israel

The Surprising Resilience of a Divided Nation in a Turbulent World. The Genius of Israel: How has a small nation of 9 million people, forced to fight for its existence and security since its founding and riven by ethnic, religious, and economic divides, proven resistant to so many of the societal ills plaguing other wealthy democracies?

To Build a Nation

Historian and professor emeritus at Cornell University, Benzion Netanyahu (father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), in his most respected book, The Founding Fathers of Zionism, profiles five early Jewish nationalist leaders: Max Nordau, Leo Pinsker, Theodor Herzl, Israel Zangwill, and Ze’ev Jabotinsky.

Profiling the Holy City

Jerusalem is extremely important to three major world religions and has been governed by many nations over the course of its millennia of existence. Jerusalem: The Biography by Simon Sebag Montefiore tells the story of this ancient city and its wars, rulers and people.

Israel’s Most Beloved Politician

Menachem Begin was a remarkable political leader and arguably Israel’s most beloved Prime Minister, serving from 1977 until 1983. He is, perhaps, best known for signing a peace treaty with Egyptian president Anwar Sadat on the White House lawn in 1979.