Synopses & Reviews
a·li·ya, n., also
aliyah. pl.
aliyas or
aliyot. The immigration of Jews into Israel.
Why would American Jews---not just materially successful in this country but perhaps for the first time in the two-thousand-year Jewish Diaspora truly socially accepted and at home---choose to leave the material comforts, safety, and peace of the United States for the uncertainty and violence of Israel?
Still, aliya is a phenomenon that affects all American Jews. Understanding this phenomenon means understanding what is arguably the fundamental question of American Jewry; it is that question that Liel Leibovitz sets out to answer in Aliya.
Leibovitz focuses on the stories of three generations of immigrants. Marlin and Betty Levin, searching for excitement and ideology, traveled to Palestine before Israel was even created. There, with Marlin working as a reporter and Betty volunteering with the Jewish underground movement, the two witnessed the bloody birth of the Jewish state. Two decades later, Mike Ginsberg, overcome with awe at the heroic Jews who fought for their country in the l967 war, immigrated as well and was involved in much of Israel's tumultuous history, including the Yom Kippur War. He was a member of Kibbutz Misgav Am during the famous terrorist attach on the infants' nursery there, and he helped repel numerous waves of terrorists attacks on his kibbutz. Finally, Danny and Sharon Kalker and their children left their home in Queens, New York, to move to a West Bank settlement in 2001, during one of the most unsettled phases in Israel's existence.
With a keen writer's eye and unfeigned passion for his subject, Leibovitz explores the fears, hopes, and dreams of the American-Jewish immigrants to Israel and the journey they undertook, a journey that lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Jew.
Review
"[Leibovitz] is an outstanding writer whose prose poignantly portrays his subjects."
---The Atlanta Jewish Times "With a flair for storytelling, Leibovitz richly illustrates these [immigrants'] lives, deftly detailing their emotional journey from carefree Americans to proud Israelis . . . the book is a powerful reminder of the unique yearning that has defined and united Jews through a 2000-year exile." ---Publishers Weekly
". . . stirring . . . moving . . . Leibovitz is a fine writer and able to leap easily into the consciousness of another . . . his presence and passion are felt throughout the book."
---The Jerusalem Post
"With his portrait of three generations of olim, Liel Leibovitz has made this history affecting, informative, and indelible. To read this book is to read about a love affair---not perfect, easy love, but love tested by gritty reality, which is to say the only love that counts or that lasts." ---Samuel G. Freedman, author of Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry
Synopsis
"The vital bond between American Jews and Israel comes from more than religious obligation or checkbook philanthropy. It is a deeply human story, lived out by those Americans who left the Golden Land to build and sustain and defend the Jewish state. With his portrait of three generations of
olim, Liel Leibovitz has made this history affecting, informative, and indelible. To read this book is to read about a love affair---not perfect, easy love, but love tested by gritty reality, which is to say the only love that counts or that lasts."
---Samuel G. Freedman, author of Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry
Those American Jews who made aliya, while still few, are a prism into the largest, most influential Jewish community in modern times, the first Jewish state in two thousand years, and the tumultuous relationship between the two. Their experiences and decisions portray the evolution of both American Jews and Israel, a history rich with violence and healing, crisis and comfort, demise and rebirth.
---from Aliya
Synopsis
"The vital bond between American Jews and Israel comes from more than religious obligation or checkbook philanthropy. It is a deeply human story, lived out by those Americans who left the Golden Land to build and sustain and defend the Jewish state. With his portrait of three generations of
olim, Liel Leibovitz has made this history affecting, informative, and indelible. To read this book is to read about a love affair---not perfect, easy love, but love tested by gritty reality, which is to say the only love that counts or that lasts."
---Samuel G. Freedman, author of Jew vs. Jew: The Struggle for the Soul of American Jewry
Those American Jews who made aliya, while still few, are a prism into the largest, most influential Jewish community in modern times, the first Jewish state in two thousand years, and the tumultuous relationship between the two. Their experiences and decisions portray the evolution of both American Jews and Israel, a history rich with violence and healing, crisis and comfort, demise and rebirth.
---from Aliya
Synopsis
Why would American Jews---not just materially successful in this country but, perhaps for the first time in the entire 2000-year Jewish Diaspora, truly socially accepted and at home---choose to leave the material comforts, safety, and peace of the United States for the uncertainty and violence of Israel?
In his search to understand the phenomenon of aliya, Leibovitz focuses on the stories of three sets of immigrants: Marlin and Betty Levin, who came to Palestine before Israel was even created, and were present through its violent birth; Mike Ginsberg, who was overcome with awe at the heroic Jews who fought for their country and was involved in much of Israel's tumultuous history, including the Yom Kippur War; and Danny and Sharon Kalker who actually made aliya in 2001, during the most recent unsettled phase of Israel's existence.
With a keen writer's eye and unfeigned passion for his subject, Leibovitz explores the fears, hopes, and dreams of the Israeli immigrants, and the journey they undertook, a journey that lies at the very heart of what it means to be a Jew.
About the Author
Liel Leibovitz has made aliya in reverse: a ninth-generation Israeli, he emigrated to the United States. He became interested in the phenomenon as a child when, much to his astonishment, his American cousins (of whom he was intensely envious for their superior television and delectable treats) made aliya. A graduate of Columbia Journalism School and a veteran of the Israeli army, he is currently the culture editor of The Jewish Week, as well as a contributor to other publications. This is his first book. He lives in New York City with his wife, the author Lisa Ann Sandell, and their dog, Molly.