Dear reader,

On May 7^th, the State of Israel celebrates the 55^th year of its independence.  Despite the challenges facing the country, internal and external, there are still many reasons for us to celebrate.  Not least of these is the incredible creative and literary output that Israelis—perhaps spurred on by the poignancy of their day-to-day lives—contribute to Jewish culture around the world.  As English-language readers we are blessed with a wide variety of Israeli authors, representing the diversity of Israeli life, whose work retains its power even in translation. 

How best can Israeli culture enrich the lives of Diaspora Jews, and how can the Jews of the Diaspora best use our cultural heritage—as Americans, or Westerners, or otherwise—to contribute to the continuing development of Israel as the Jewish homeland?  This question is posed in the current issue of JBooks.com by one of the true giants of Israeli literature, A. B. Yehoshua, in his remarks on “Israeli Culture, Jewish Culture, and the Future.”  

Other Israel-themed books under review in the current issue include Haim Sabato’s prize-winning and religiously introspective novel of the Yom Kippur war, which has just recently been translated into English.  For young adults, we have The Enemy Has a Face, a disturbing novel which uses one family’s story to explore the prejudices and challenges of life for Middle Easterners living in America.  For anyone planning a trip to the Holy Land, we’re featuring a group review of the major English-language travel guides to Israel.  

Outside of our focus on Israel, we’re also featuring a review of a new examination of the wave of French anti-Semitism that followed the Dreyfus affair, an excerpt of new best-selling fiction, and more. 

And please be in touch with comments and suggestions.  Enjoy your reading,

Josh Lambert

Editor, JBooks.com