> Israeli American that has had to defend Israel my whole life
Here are some books that should help your cause.
Six Days of War by Michael Oren <---- Nothing happens in a vacuum. The first half of the book describes the events leading up to the war, from 1956 to 1967. The author is a former Israeli ambassador to the USA.
The Revolt by Menachem Begin <---- Excellent discussion of the the events prior to the War of Independence, and how Israeli politics evolved once the State coalesced. The author led Etz"L during the War for Independence, and served as the first non-Labor-party Prime Minister from 1977 to 1983.
The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal<----- snapshot of Israel's diverse population. This book is from 2005, so the description of certain events and especially their outcomes is a bit dated.
Catch the Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom<----- All the different ways that international organizations meddle in Israeli affairs, looking for ways to blame Israel for malfeasance, as well as all the different ways that the Arabs can't keep their story straight.
Israel is a country that already embraces some liberal causes (e.g. the gay pride parade) to a point that it's considered more "normal" in Israel than in the US, while being literally and figuratively bombarded by other liberal causes (PLO and Hamas, BDS, et al), where nearly all debate boils down to antisemitism at worst, or agreeing to disagree at best. There are a rare few occasions where someone is persuaded one way or the other, but you generally won't see Israelis who believe in advocating for the destruction of their own homes and way of life.
Instead, we discuss actual Israeli domestic issues, like were mentioned elsewhere in this thread.
> (much like the rest of reddit)
/R/politics? /R/worldnews? lol. You need to lurk more.
> to actually exchange ideas
In the two points above, and in your OP, you're asking why we don't succumb to groupthink. Maybe you're the one who needs more exposure to different ideas. Here's a reading list to help you:
Six Days of War by Michael Oren <---- Nothing happens in a vacuum. The first half of the book describes the events leading up to the war, from 1956 to 1967. The author is a former Israeli ambassador to the USA.
The Revolt by Menachem Begin <---- Excellent discussion of the events leading to the War of Independence, and how Israeli politics evolved once the State coalesced. The author led Etz"L during the War for Independence, and served as the first non-Labor-party Prime Minister from 1977 to 1983.
The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal<----- snapshot of Israel's diverse population. This book is from 2005, so the description of certain events and especially their outcomes is a bit dated.
Catch the Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom<----- All the different ways that international organizations meddle in Israeli affairs, looking for ways to blame Israel for malfeasance, as well as all the different ways that the Arabs can't keep their story straight.
Go read some books, and come back later with your findings. Keep a map of Israel next to you, and mark each location as it is mentioned. You should also grab a Bible, and mark those places, too. The whole point of having Israel as a Jewish country is for Jews to connect to their heritage. Otherwise, we might as well forget the whole thing and move to Uganda.
Six Days of War by Michael Oren <---- Nothing happens in a vacuum. The first half of the book describes the events leading up to the war, from 1956 to 1967. The author is a former Israeli ambassador to the USA.
The Revolt by Menachem Begin <---- Excellent discussion of the War of Independence, the events before and after it, and how Israeli politics evolved once the State coalesced. The author led Etz"L during the War for Independence, and served as the first non-Labor-party Prime Minister from 1977 to 1983.
The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal<----- snapshot of Israel's diverse population. This book is from 2005, so the description of certain events and especially their outcomes is a bit dated.
Catch the Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom<----- All the different ways that international organizations meddle in Israeli affairs, looking for ways to blame Israel for malfeasance, as well as all the different ways that the Arabs can't keep their story straight.
> Israeli American that has had to defend Israel my whole life
Here are some books that should help your cause.
Six Days of War by Michael Oren <---- Nothing happens in a vacuum. The first half of the book describes the events leading up to the war, from 1956 to 1967. The author is a former Israeli ambassador to the USA.
The Revolt by Menachem Begin <---- Excellent discussion of the the events prior to the War of Independence, and how Israeli politics evolved once the State coalesced. The author led Etz"L during the War for Independence, and served as the first non-Labor-party Prime Minister from 1977 to 1983.
The Arab-Israeli Wars by Chaim Herzog <------- Excellent summary of all of Israel's military actions. The author is a former Israeli president.
Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein HaLevi <---- The different ways that everyone all over the Israeli spectrum believe in Zionism.
The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal <----- snapshot of Israel's diverse population. This book is from 2005, so the description of certain events and especially their outcomes is a bit dated.
Catch the Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom <----- All the different ways that international organizations meddle in Israeli affairs, looking for ways to blame Israel for malfeasance, as well as all the different ways that the Arabs can't keep their story straight.
Voice of Israel by Abba Eban <------ The author was Israel's ambassador to the UN.
Letters from Tel Mond Prison by Era Rapaport <---- The schizophrenia of post-1967 Israeli policy in Yehuda/Shomron, and how Israeli citizens dealt with it.
The Daat Mikra Bible Atlas: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical Geography and History by Yehuda Elitzur and Yehuda Keel <--- Maps of the Middle East, Africa and Europe, showing the location of events as they unfold in TaNaKh.
> A more liberal space
Israel is a country that already embraces some liberal causes (e.g. the gay pride parade) to a point that it's considered more "normal" in Israel than in the US, while being literally and figuratively bombarded by other liberal causes (PLO and Hamas, BDS, et al), where nearly all debate boils down to antisemitism at worst, or agreeing to disagree at best. There are a rare few occasions where someone is persuaded one way or the other, but you generally won't see Israelis who believe in advocating for the destruction of their own homes and way of life.
Instead, we discuss actual Israeli domestic issues, like were mentioned elsewhere in this thread.
> (much like the rest of reddit)
/R/politics? /R/worldnews? lol. You need to lurk more.
> to actually exchange ideas
In the two points above, and in your OP, you're asking why we don't succumb to groupthink. Maybe you're the one who needs more exposure to different ideas. Here's a reading list to help you:
Six Days of War by Michael Oren <---- Nothing happens in a vacuum. The first half of the book describes the events leading up to the war, from 1956 to 1967. The author is a former Israeli ambassador to the USA.
The Revolt by Menachem Begin <---- Excellent discussion of the events leading to the War of Independence, and how Israeli politics evolved once the State coalesced. The author led Etz"L during the War for Independence, and served as the first non-Labor-party Prime Minister from 1977 to 1983.
The Arab-Israeli Wars by Chaim Herzog <------- Excellent summary of all of Israel's military actions. The author is a former Israeli president.
Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein HaLevi <---- The different ways that everyone all over the Israeli spectrum believe in Zionism.
The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal <----- snapshot of Israel's diverse population. This book is from 2005, so the description of certain events and especially their outcomes is a bit dated.
Catch the Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom <----- All the different ways that international organizations meddle in Israeli affairs, looking for ways to blame Israel for malfeasance, as well as all the different ways that the Arabs can't keep their story straight.
Voice of Israel by Abba Eban <------ The author was Israel's ambassador to the UN.
Letters from Tel Mond Prison by Era Rapaport <---- The schizophrenia of post-1967 Israeli policy in Yehuda/Shomron, and how Israeli citizens dealt with it.
The Daat Mikra Bible Atlas: A Comprehensive Guide to Biblical Geography and History by Yehuda Elitzur and Yehuda Keel <--- Maps of the Middle East, Africa and Europe, showing the location of events as they unfold in TaNaKh.
Go read some books, and come back later with your findings. Keep a map of Israel next to you, and mark each location as it is mentioned. You should also grab a Bible, and mark those places, too. The whole point of having Israel as a Jewish country is for Jews to connect to their heritage. Otherwise, we might as well forget the whole thing and move to Uganda.
Six Days of War by Michael Oren <---- Nothing happens in a vacuum. The first half of the book describes the events leading up to the war, from 1956 to 1967. The author is a former Israeli ambassador to the USA.
The Revolt by Menachem Begin <---- Excellent discussion of the War of Independence, the events before and after it, and how Israeli politics evolved once the State coalesced. The author led Etz"L during the War for Independence, and served as the first non-Labor-party Prime Minister from 1977 to 1983.
The Arab-Israeli Wars by Chaim Herzog <------- Excellent summary of all of Israel's military actions. The author is a former Israeli president.
Like Dreamers by Yossi Klein HaLevi <---- The different ways that everyone all over the Israeli spectrum believe in Zionism.
The Israelis by Donna Rosenthal <----- snapshot of Israel's diverse population. This book is from 2005, so the description of certain events and especially their outcomes is a bit dated.
Catch the Jew by Tuvia Tenenbom <----- All the different ways that international organizations meddle in Israeli affairs, looking for ways to blame Israel for malfeasance, as well as all the different ways that the Arabs can't keep their story straight.
Voice of Israel by Abba Eban <------ The author was Israel's ambassador to the UN.
Letters from Tel Mond Prison by Era Rapaport <---- The schizophrenia of post-1967 Israeli policy in Yehuda/Shomron, and how Israeli citizens dealt with it.