Israel Is Real By Rich Cohen

On the dust jacket synopsis for Rich Cohen’s new book Israel is Real much is made of the fact that Israel’s mere existence makes the Jews vulnerable to extermination. Prior to Israel the Jewish faith lived in the mind of the faithful whereas now it is a place on the map and one with a huge bullseye painted on it. But whether Israel’s existence is good or bad is never really explored. Rather Cohen gives us a huge panoramic view of Jewish history and the Zionist movement. Needless to say this is a very esoteric topic that is aimed directly at Jews who are looking to dig deep into their past.

However Cohen seems uninterested in simply playing to his base as he cuts the heavy lifting with a barrage of pop culture references and an overtly conversational tone. At times it seems as though everything requires a pop culture reference. David Alroy is Superman, the Jewish ghettos caused Woody Allen to stutter, and the way an Israeli soldier holds his gun while conquering the Temple Mount is reminiscent of the way Bruce Springsteen holds his guitar while playing the harmonica. This grants access for a whole new audience in a way that, say, Paul Johnson’s The History of the Jews does not.

The one theme that seems to intrigue Cohen more than any other involves the inner conflicts that tear at the Jewish community; spirituality vs. material wealth; spirituality vs. war mongering; Spirituality vs. going nuclear; Zionists vs. other less radical factions; The list goes on. Perhaps Joseph, a famous Jewish historian from the first century AD who sold out his people to the Romans for a “pension,” best exemplifies this paradox.

The opening chapter deals almost exclusively with him and is one of the book’s most captivating. Cohen makes a point of stating that he is not a smart man but after reading his work that seems highly unlikely. What he does so well is lay out the entirety of human history before the reader and then begin to connect the dots in ways that are wholly original. He joyfully jumps from Rome to Kant to Star Wars (the movies not Ronald Reagan’s weapons program) and back to Marxism and back again. To Cohen everything is interconnected and watching him spin himself in circles to show you how is where the real joy in this superb book lies.

The absolute best section of the book is his analysis of the post-Holocaust Jew. All the main points are touched upon; the founding of Israel, the Six Days War, the capturing of Jerusalem, and the Yom Kippur War. He refuses to go easy on his people as they transition from eternal victim to military superpower. The book does have its flaws and at times they are distracting. Most glaring is his overuse of footnotes, which are most effective at breaking up the flow of the read. Most likely after a few hundred pages you will throw your hands up in surrender and begin to just plow right past them unless they really peak your interest.

He also gives a history of prophets and false prophets that felt unnecessary. But while all books have flaws not all books can create a history lesson that feels this alive. His main points have been made before but he states his case with flair. He states them using his inexhaustible vocabulary. And he states them with a deep respect and love for the subject manner. Read this book now.

Author: Rich Cohen

Pages: 400

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux