Product Description

Jerusalem Diaries - in tense times is a compelling and moving account of life in Israel today. In a series of vignettes written during the tumultuous period of November 1998 to May 2001, author and Jerusalem resident Judy Lash Balint travels to the very heart of Israel. From embattled Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, to the home of the grieving family of a victim of the Ramallah lynching incident. From the barricades in Gilo under Arab fire, to the gas mask stations where Israeli citizens queue to collect their lifesaving equipment. These vivid descriptions piece together a stirring portrait of a people struggling to maintain normal lives in the most abnormal of settings.
Balint succeeds where the evening news and the most sophisticated media technologies fail. She chronicles the everyday existence of ordinary citizens, whose lives have been irrevocably altered by extraordinary events. The result is an absorbing and enriching account of a nation and a country weathering a rough and relentless storm.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2138895 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Edward Alexander, Jerusalem Post
People who rely on the NYTimes for their sense of what's happening in Israel will discover that they have been walking about blindfolded

Sybil Kaplan, The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle
If you want an insider's view of what day-to-day life is like, here is an example of good writing

Eileen Goss, Jewish Community News, San Jose, California
provides a fascinating glimpse of life in Israel and has many lessons Americans can take to heart

Customer Reviews

Very moving personal accounts of suffering.
Judy Balint provides through 55 essays what is an essential read for anyone who wishes to truly understand the situation in Israel at this present time.

This is a moving presention of the stories of the innocent Jewish/Israeli victims of recent terrorism.

The reader is treated to a compelling portrayal of an Israeli civilian population under siege of terrorism, with examples of where people have been attacked whilst just visiting a public area such as a café, restaurant, cinema, disco, shopping mall or travelling on a bus.

This extremely well written analysis reveals the underlying fear and frustration of those who must live under these conditions.

Highly recommended.

Compelling Reading for Contemporary Times
The author does a phenomenal job of recording events and her feelings about these events during a seige of Palestinian terrorist attacks in Israel from Nov. 1998 - Dec. 2001. The author fills each page with details of her life and how it transpired, her assessment of the media news, Israeli government positions (some of which she often disagreed with), political changes, the world outlook and news media coverage. She provides descriptions of how the deaths of individuals affected their family, friends, and the community where they lived. Written as diaries, the reader is given a personal viewpoint and feels the helplessness and fear associated with the thought that at any time, from any direction, a bomb could unexpectedly explode forever changing one's life for the worse. At any time, one could be in the midst of a horrible scene where everyday people, carrying out their everyday lives could in a split second be forever maimed or killed because of outside forces, by people who made decisions due to their political positions. One senses and feels the terrible loss of innocent lives and their impact. This is not often well conveyed in the small information bytes of film footage and brief interviews provided on the six o'clock evening news. This book is difficult to read because it is very uncomfortable reading about death, violence and destruction. However, since Sept. 11, 2001 more Americans need to understand there are destructive forces in the world that want to change our way of life. They want to curtail our freedom and revert it into a controlled despotism. They do not care about our Judeo-Christian values and whatever good has occured in the world due to Western values. The problem with creating a separate Palestinian country is unfortunately mixed in with the global problem of Islamic terrorism ... so in that sense what happens in Israel affects us all.

The author states in the beginning of the book she is a committed Zionist and chose to live in Israel during these difficult and historic times. She feels Israel subordinated its sovereignty to the Oslo agreements and she objects to the Wye Memorandam where the exchange of "land for peace" was to be the outcome. The author does not claim to be a neutral observer. She takes a definite stand that since Israel won the war in the 1967, whatever land it obtained due to this victory now belongs to Israel. She cites areas where the PLO violated Oslo agreements and the world does not hold them accountable. She mentions that Palestinians deliberately destroyed Jewish sites such as temples and are uncooperative or make it difficult for Jews to visit tombs of importance. Whether or not one sympathizes with any aspect of the Palestinian's position or problems, there is no doubt that the global issues of terrorism can no longer be separated from their midst. It will take greater minds than mine to analyze the main issues and sort out areas of cooperation and interest on which to build a lasting peace ... However, anyone interested in knowing what it is like to live under a siege of terror will appreciate the descriptions provided by this author. Sorting through some of the Hebrew terms used in the book and reading the Hebrew names of places in Israel was difficult but the author thoughtfully provided a glossary for those unfamiliar with the language. The intent of the author to convey her experiences of living "in tense times" comes through loud and clear. Anyone wanting to understand the realities of living in modern day Israel will want to read this book. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]

Based on a false assumption
This book is based on a false assumption. The Zionist state is occupying Jerusalem in defiance of international law and natural justice. Of course the inhabitants of Jerusalem resent and resist this.

The book 'forgets' that the majority of people who have been killed in the occupation are not Jewish settlers, which it focuses on, but Palestinian civilians.