Who Are The Israelis

One of the first trips I took that had my friends and family ask why, was Israel. It was a period when busses were getting bombed and explosions an almost daily occurrence. The trip was fantastic and Israel stunning, especially the magic city of Jerusalem. With the current situation and unrest I found that not many news people ever really well explained just what being an Israeli is, the country is made up of so many different types of people. I fortunately recently read a great book called The Israelis… Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land that well answers the questions. It is a country not just of Jews but several different Jewish beliefs such as ultra-Orthodox, Ethiopian as well as non secular. Israel is also home to Muslims and Christians. Immigrants from Russia and other countries round out the 6.8 million that call Israel home. My first visit to an IDF base brought that point clearly into view as young soldiers each kept their beliefs evident, Ultra- Orthodox serving side by side with Druze Christian. The complex situation in Israel is better understood after reading this great book by Donna Rosenthal.