About this ebook
In 2003, Susan Nathan moved from her comfortable home in Tel Aviv to Tamra, an Arab town in the northern part of Israel. Nathan had arrived in Israel four years earlier and had taught English and worked with various progressive social organizations. Her desire to help build a just and humane society in Israel took an unexpected turn, however, when she became aware of Israel’s neglected and often oppressed indigenous Arab population. Despite warnings from friends about the dangers she would encounter, Nathan settled in an apartment in Tamra, the only Jew among 25,000 Muslims. There she discovered a division between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs as tangible as the concrete wall and razor-wire fences that surround the Palestinian towns of the West Bank and Gaza.
From her unique vantage point, Nathan examines the history and the present-day political and cultural currents that have created a situation little recognized in the ongoing debates about the future of Israel and the Middle East. With warmth, humor, and compassion, she portrays the daily life of her neighbors, the challenges they encounter, and the hopes they harbor. She introduces Arab leaders fighting against entrenched segregation and discrimination; uncovers the hidden biases that undermine even the most well-intentioned Arab-Jewish peace organizations; and describes the efforts of dedicated individuals who insist that Israeli Arabs must be granted the same rights and privileges as Jewish citizens.
Through her own courageous example, Nathan proves that it is possible for Jews and Arabs to live and work peacefully together. The Other Side of Israel is more than the story of one woman’s journey; it is a road map for crossing a divide created by prejudices and misunderstandings.
From her unique vantage point, Nathan examines the history and the present-day political and cultural currents that have created a situation little recognized in the ongoing debates about the future of Israel and the Middle East. With warmth, humor, and compassion, she portrays the daily life of her neighbors, the challenges they encounter, and the hopes they harbor. She introduces Arab leaders fighting against entrenched segregation and discrimination; uncovers the hidden biases that undermine even the most well-intentioned Arab-Jewish peace organizations; and describes the efforts of dedicated individuals who insist that Israeli Arabs must be granted the same rights and privileges as Jewish citizens.
Through her own courageous example, Nathan proves that it is possible for Jews and Arabs to live and work peacefully together. The Other Side of Israel is more than the story of one woman’s journey; it is a road map for crossing a divide created by prejudices and misunderstandings.
Ratings and reviews
4.0
2 reviews
A Google user
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April 9, 2009
I have relatives living in Tamra, Israel and can honestly say that Ms. Nathan's accounts of Tamra are so similar to my first experiences traveling to visit the town that I was shocked. This is a great book if you want an inside look into the lifestyles, traditions, and struggles of Palestinian [Arab]-Israeli families living in Israel.
When I first met my Palestinian [Arab]-Israeli husband I was a young American with little prior knowledge to the situation inside Israel's borders (or even that there were Palestinian [Arab]-Israeli citizens). I think that this book illustrates a community full of life, love, culture, and pain that is important to know about when trying to understand the complete story - beyond Gaza and West Bank.
I loved hearing her own personal story throughout the book because it gave me a sense of where she was coming from. It isn't full of statements, but rather real experiences. Ms. Nathan probably doesn't remember meeting me at my father-in-law's home in Tamra, but visiting this town, meeting her, and reading her book have impacted my view and life since.
A great read for anyone interested in hearing a unique and powerful perspective not often shared in our mainstream media.
A Google user
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December 6, 2009
ok book
About the author
SUSAN NATHAN was born in England and when young visited family and friends in apartheid-era South Africa, the country of her father’s birth. It was there that she had several deep encounters with the social and political situation of that country. She became an AIDS counselor in London, and after she was divorced and her children were grown, she followed the Jewish Law of Return and moved to Israel.
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