Synopses & Reviews
A vivid dispatch from the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflictWhen American-born Haim Watzman immigrated to Israel, he was drafted into the army and, after eighteen months of compulsory service, assigned to Company C, the reserve infantry unit that would define the next twenty years of his life. From 1984 until 2002, for at least a month a year, Watzman, who had never aspired to military adventure, was a soldier.
Watzman was a soldier as he adjusted to a new country, married, raised his children, and pursued a career as a writer and translator. At times he defended his adopted country's borders; at other times he patrolled beyond them, or in that gray area, the occupied territories. A religiously observant Jew who opposed Israel's presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he served in uniform in conflicts that he demonstrated against in civilian clothes. Throughout, he developed a deep and abiding bond with the diverse men of Company C--a fellowship that cemented his commitment to reserve service even as he questioned the occupation he was enforcing.
In this engrossing account of the first Intifada, the period of the Oslo Accords, and Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank as lived by citizen-soldiers in the field, Watzman examines our obligations to country, friends, family, and God-and our duty to protect our institutions even as we fight to reform them.
Haim Watzman is a translator and journalist who lives in Jerusalem with wife and four children. This is his first book. When American-born Haim Watzman immigrated to Israel, he was drafted into the army and, after eighteen months of compulsory service, assigned to Company C, the reserve infantry unit that would define the next twenty years of his life. From 1984 until 2002, for at least a month a year, Watzman, who had never aspired to military adventure, was a soldier.
As he adjusted to a new country, married, raised his children, and pursued a career as a writer and translator, at times he defended his adopted country's borders, and at other times he patrolled beyond them, or in that gray area, the occupied territories. A religiously observant Jew who opposed Israel's presence in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, he served in uniform in conflicts that he had demonstrated against in civilian clothes. Throughout, he developed a deep and abiding bond with the diverse men of Company Ca fellowship that cemented his commitment to reserve service even as he questioned the occupation he was enforcing.
In this engrossing account of the first Intifada, the period of the Oslo Accords, and Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank as lived by citizen-soldiers in the field, Watzman examines our obligations to country, friends, family, and Godand our duty to protect our institutions even as we fight to reform them. "A window into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as into the moral dilemmas and passionate attachments of the individual citizen-soldier."Middle East Journal "An honest and evocative story . . . An excellent book for those who enjoy reading first-hand accounts of military service in the Israeli army."Jewish Book World "A window into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as into the moral dilemmas and passionate attachments of the individual citizen-soldier."Middle East Journal "For those who have never served in uniform, this account will explain vividly the pressuresphysical, mental and moralon the soldier, and should serve as a reproach to those who judge him too easily and glibly. Company C allows us a close look at the military life as most soldiers live it. Ultimately, their actions are shaped more by their surroundings and what happens to them there than by the stars they use to steer their lives when out of uniform. Their choices are narrowed to unattractive options, between shades of dingy gray. But as the author knows, doing nothing and avoiding the unattractive choices is the most unattractive option of all."Ralph Amelan, The Jerusalem Post "This compelling account of one soldier in Israel's army of occupation offers beautifully written insights into the Israel experience. Haim Watzman's fears, doubts, and moral dilemmasbut above all his passionate love for the country of his choiceplace Company C among the most important books on Israel today."Tom Segev, author of Elvis in Jerusalem and One Palestine, Complete "A nuanced view of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by a former foot soldier in the long war . . . [This book is] hard-nosed and thoughtfuland most illuminating."Kirkus Reviews
"On one level this thoughtful and absorbing book is a frank (and often funny) barracks-room memoir, capturing the tedium, terror, and grinding discomfort of military life, with a sharp eye (and gifted memory) for details of character and place. The periodic nature of Watzman's service gives the book a serial viewpoint into the tumultuous events of the years from before the rise of the first intifada to the re-occupation of the West Bank, always from a unique front-line perspective. We also come to know the other men in Watzman's unit, representative of Israeli society only in their disparateness. As an observant Jew and patriot who is also vocally opposed to the West Bank and Gaza settlements, Watzman himself defies easy stereotyping, and his depiction of the motivations and opinions of his comrades and countrymen, especially as they shift over time, is likewise unclichéd, affectionate but critical."Publishers Weekly
Review
"This compelling account of one soldier in Israel's army of occupation, offers beautifully written insights into the Israel experience. Haim Watzman's fears, doubts and moral dilemmas, but above all his passionate love for the country of his choice, place
Company C among the most important books on Israel today." --Tom Segev, author of
Elvis in Jerusalem and
One Palestine, Complete
Synopsis
A vivid dispatch from the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflictWhen American-born Haim Watzman immigrated to Israel, he was drafted into the army and, after eighteen months of compulsory service, assigned to Company C, the reserve infantry unit that would define the next twenty years of his life. From 1984 until 2002, for at least a month a year, Watzman, who had never aspired to military adventure, was a soldier.
Watzman was a soldier as he adjusted to a new country, married, raised his children, and pursued a career as a writer and translator. At times he defended his adopted country's borders; at other times he patrolled beyond them, or in that gray area, the occupied territories. A religiously observant Jew who opposed Israel's presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he served in uniform in conflicts that he demonstrated against in civilian clothes. Throughout, he developed a deep and abiding bond with the diverse men of Company C--a fellowship that cemented his commitment to reserve service even as he questioned the occupation he was enforcing.
In this engrossing account of the first Intifada, the period of the Oslo Accords, and Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank as lived by citizen-soldiers in the field, Watzman examines our obligations to country, friends, family, and God-and our duty to protect our institutions even as we fight to reform them.
About the Author
Haim Watzman is a translator and journalist who lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children. This is his first book.