Not knowing what I was getting myself into, Israela is one of those novels that will stay with me forever!
Through thirty years of one family, the author Batya Casper, tells the on going, heartbreaking conflict between the Israelis and Arabs, Jews and Muslims. The ability of this amazing author to describe the pain and suffering on both sides is nothing short of brilliance. I have felt, as if on my skin, the pain and heartache of Ratiba (Ruti) and her sister Orit, of Zalman and Ibrahim, of Kasim and Elishevah, but above all it pains me to realize that Israela is still in her worst state ever, with her land spilled with more blood as I write these words.
I truly am in awe from Casper’s talent and courage to touch a subject as complex and heartbreaking as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and still leave the reader sighing in the end.
I will admit that Israela is one of the most important and sad stories I have read, one that I will never forget, one that I wish everyone read.
When peace is just another word, perhaps listening to Israela, reading between the lines and learning to love again instead of hate, would be our salvation.
This is one book you do not want to miss.

I carried this book with me for weeks. I so didn’t want to rush through to the end. Like taking a long slow walk, this book was a journey taken with a wise voice as a companion. Thank you Batya Casper for sharing your sensitivity, beauty, compassion, balanced perspective and wisdom on one of the most difficult of seemingly endless conflicts that is Israel’s.

Israela is an intriguing, “can’t put down,” read. I was totally drawn into the story: experiencing the lives of the characters, sensing the surroundings, and relating to the hurt and suffering in a conflict-ridden area of the world. Casper is an extremely gifted writer. I highly recommend her book.

Amazing story that makes you rethink and relook at what you’ve thought about the middle east.

Great book, really enjoyed the characters and of course the setting of Israel through the years

beautifully written

Batya Casper’s greatest merit in Israela is to have found a unique way to tell the story of the troubled history of the state of Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Written in the first-person and relying on flashbacks and multiple time jumps, the narrative as a whole is exquisitely knit together by three distinct storytellers, Ruti/Ratiba, Orit, and Alison/Elisheva. The novel excels in realistically reflecting the terrible impact of a permanent state of war on the daily lives of ordinary people.

Mainly because it is narrated by women, the story manages to stir the deepest emotions and feelings. From this perspective, I have become much more aware of women’s status in a predominantly patriarchal society where men’s ego and a constant retribution policy have disastrous results. Ruti, an Israeli journalist, becomes Ratiba, the submissive wife of Ibrahim, an Israeli Arab. To hide her Jewish ancestry, she renegades her sister Orit, a decision that will torment her for years to come. Both sisters make mistakes and try to find the best way to live in a land of ambivalence and ceaseless fighting. If for Ruti/Ratiba, her love for her husband and children turns into her refuge, Orit experiences catharsis through her theatrical performances. Their cousin, Elisheva, is not only a nurse and first-hand witness of the atrocities of war, but also a “living archive” of the patients’ stories.

The history of the Maimon family is the author’s pretext to skillfully retrace the major political and military stages in Israel’s history. Despite the disparate ideologies, conflict, and war, the characters in the novel learn that love and tolerance should actually govern the world. This is, in fact, the most important lesson Joseph teaches Orit: “We can’t stop loving when our hearts are sore, Ority. Our hearts betray us when we stop loving.” The overall message targets the futility of artificial religious, cultural, and political divisions.

Apart from learning a lot about the history of Israel, readers of this novel will be pleasantly surprised by its originality in terms of storytelling. The three women take turns in deconstructing the official narrative. In a postmodernist fashion, this incredible story of mixed identities undermines any rigid claims to historical truth and empowers the voiceless. I loved it because it was well written, exceptionally edited, and revelatory in many ways.

A beautifully written story that captures the conflict between Jews and Arabs living in Israel through the lives of two sisters. I was impressed with the author’s skill to create such realistic characters who think, feel, and view the world in opposing ways. I had heard of the conflict in Israel throughout the years, but this book puts a face to the realities that people in Israel face. I can not imagine living in a country where peace is so sought after and yet still so elusive. Love that the author points no fingers but presents different political and religious viewpoints through the eyes of her characters.

The story also is very compelling. I was drawn in to Orit and Ruti’s situation immediately and could not wait to find out how the story would unfold. Several developments took me completely by surprise and I did not succeed in figuring out what would happen. I highly recommend this book!

*I received a free copy of this book through OnlineBookClub.org. My full review can be found there. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you live in the same community, go to the same schools, shop in the same markets, work at and are treated in the same hospitals, how is it possible to be separate? How do you take sides when the enemy-child in danger could so easily be your own? Sometimes you can. Sometimes…you can’t. This beautifully written story of three women paints the everyday life of Arabs and Jews struggling to live in Isreal. It is a story of secrets, heartbreak, love, and hope. Batya Casper’s personal knowledge is evident as she paints the landscape with a loving eye and has the reader cheering for individuals on both sides of the conflict. And you cry for individuals on both sides of the conflict as layers of secrets over the course of generations unfold. A love story folded into a narrative that is riveting. Language that is poetic. A landscape that is as romantic as terrifying. You won’t want to put it down and you won’t want it to stop. This is a story about people, not politics. I can’t praise this book enough.

Dearest Grandchildren, Rachel, Leah, David, Devorah and Benjamin,

> I must tell you about a magnificent book I have just finished reading
> for the second time, about Israel. The author so cleverly relates a whole
> spectrum of problems regarding the Israeli/Palestinian discord. I was
> delighted with the amount of information so interestingly available without
> having to pick up a text book of any kind. It talks about Israel,
> historically, culturally, politically, geographically and socially, giving
> insights to both sides of the Israel-Palestinian divide. Because she has
> lived in Israel intermittently throughout her life, the author has deep insight into the hopes and aspirations, the disappointments and despair that beset both Israelis and Palestinians. All that happens in the
> book regarding all the characters is true, but of course she has hidden
> their names by disguising their true identity.
> The story evolves using a most fascinating technique, with each
> character telling each side of their story. It is a novel, so it is
> not meant to be a documentary, but the author’s facts are backed up by
> records giving us a deep understanding about the 1948 War of Independence, the 6
> Day War, and the Yom Kippur War. It was the Intifada that finally made her
> explode, motivating her to write the book. I went to her book review last night and was
> so excited by the extent of her accomplishment. The name of the book is
> “Israela”, which I sent back to you with your Mom. In case your friends might
> be interested, it is on Amazon.
>
> I love you all so much and miss you so Hugely.
>
> Thank you for writing to us often.
> Love,
> Mimi and Gigi.

Israela, by Batya Casper, Ph.D. is a mesmerizing read that gives audiences a glimpse into the complexities of life in Israel. Using an intriguing three-person narrative format that revolves around the central characters, the author allows the reader to step into each character’s predicament, thereby fully grasping the emotion and conflict surging within. More importantly, Casper’s well-researched and thorough revelations about Israel portray the constant turmoil that its residents, both Arab and Jew, face on a daily basis. Beyond race and ethnicity, Israela is Israel’s story–the story of humanity.

Ratiba, a journalist who goes against her family and culture to marry an Israeli Arab, Orit, whose career in theater is plagued by her desire to reunite with Ratiba, and their nurse cousin, Elisheva, are the central characters of Israela. For readers, it doesn’t take long before it becomes apparent that their parallel universes will collide and their fates are intertwined.

Skillfully written, Casper blankets the characters in a cloud of secrecy and delivers surprises at the most unexpected of times. When each character’s individual conflict merges into one resounding cry of hope and heroism, the book takes on a special meaning that transcends individualism and emphasizes the selfless nature of human beings turned heroes.

The plot essentially explores the relationship between the three characters. Hamzah–Ratiba’s son and Orit’s nephew–who lands at Orit’s house, bridging the gap between Orit and her long-lost sister. In Hamzah’s own words, he tells his mother that Orit is “the aunt who took me in, who loved me almost as much as you.” Interestingly, Elisheva, Ratiba’s cousin, encounters Hamzah in a life or death situation. Will her experience as a nurse allow her to tend to her nephew? Can Hamzah ultimately succeed in bringing together his estranged family?

Casper’s Israela provides a panoramic view of the character’s thoughts and actions by employing multiple shifts in narration. Interesting and informative, Israela is a must read!

This is the most even handed view that I have seen of a polarizing conflict since it portrays the humanity of the competitors for some of the most sought after real estate in the world. It reveals the character, values, flaws, and heroism of ordinary yet often noble citizens in their struggle to exist in a capricious environment where bad things often happen to good people who dare to hope for peace and dignity in harsh and combative circumstances. The complexities, idealism, and passion of the story’s characters are revealed in a fascinating and suspenseful tapestry viewed through the eyes of women rather than politicians or warriors whose views more often get published. The story Dr. Casper tells is powerful and the reader may feel optimism that springs from the personal character and humanity of two peoples who are locked in an apparently intractable battle for survival. The descriptions and metaphors employed by the author are as colorful as the characters themselves. It is humanity, not factions that experiences tragedy and triumph as the story unfolds. This is a most enjoyable read, and I highly recommend it.

Dr. Casper has written a unique, epic work, spanning many generations and world events. She has somehow managed to compress historical and political issues that could span volumes into one very readable novel. Dr. Casper’s approach to her narrative is daring and engaging. She writes from the perspectives of three very different women, as well as from the personification of Israel herself. Somehow, these narratives coalesce into a most readable whole that is thought-provoking and memorable. Her language is poetic, descriptive and evocative of time and place. Dr. Casper offers no easy answers or solutions, but the basis for intelligent, informed dialogue. Her love for Israel and its peoples is apparent. So is her feeling of sadness at the distance and hostility between nations whose histories and destinies are destined to be linked. At its core, this is a book about both family alienation and the transformative power of love.

ISRAELA is a powerful epic that spans several generations, and encompasses
two territories that have more history than the rest of the world combined.
Reading this novel, I was hauled into the homes of strangers, and I’ve
emerged with friends I’ll never meet. I feel I know what it is like to live
a lie for the sake of love.

The story is exquisitely written with eloquence, deep feeling, sound
intelligence, and the soul of a poet. It is told from myriad vantage points,
allowing the reader to get right into the heart of each character. The
dialog is natural and plentiful, the descriptions precise and vivid. The
tale itself is as original as every human being.

The timing reminds us that history is not linear, nor are families
structured the way society instructs us. In Casper’s remarkable tale, the
layers of experience, passion, history, politics, secrets, and deceit, weave
a pattern that is gorgeous, timeless, and meaningful.

ISRAELA–Batya Casper–Tate Publishing & Enterprises==Rariba, an Israeli journalist, meets her husband, an Israeli Arab, when they are in school. He has no idea she is Jewish. After marrying him, she basically has no contact with her family. Her actress sister Orit misses her. Their other sister Elisheva is a nurse. How their lives as Arabs and Jews intertwine is very interesting. How long can secrets be kept and what to do about them is a big question. It shows cooperation between the cultures. The twists and turns are very good, especially the ending. The story is divided into seven parts from1955 to 1983 with the chapters going from one sister to another. Israela has a few chapters interspaced among the sisters. She also brings in a situation with Rariba’s son Hamzah and Orit. I enjoyed the characters and the story which was quite unusual. Your heart goes out to the characters.

Batya Casper has used the literary device of three disparate women’s voices through which she describes in painful and graphic detail the moral dilemmas of the Israeli/Palestinian confict. Readers not previously acquainted with this apparently unsolvable conflict, will gain an understanding of the mortal dangers faced by the Israeli population on a daily bsis from terror attacks, while at the same time Casper has shown an even-handed understanding of the Palestinian point of view. Casper’s deep grasp of the history of the region is evident in every chapter of this intelligent, exciting, and extremely moving first novel. I am eagerly awaiting her next opus. This is an important book and I recommend it strongly.
Frieda Korobkin
Author of Throw Your Feet Over Your Shoulders (Beyond the Kindertransport)

Israela is a fascinating and illuminating read about the intense relationship that exists between Arabs and Jews in Israel. Unlike many other attempts to bring the knowledge of the complexity of this region to the general public through non-fiction, Israela makes the information far more accessible by telling the story through the every day lives of three extraordinary women. For me, though I am quite familiar with the conflict, Israela provided a deeper understanding of the powerful emotions that underlie the conflict. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who would like to gain insight to middle-east conflict, but especially for those who would like to learn about it from a more personal perspective.

This novel assembles a cast of characters as diverse as Israel itself and brings them into sharp relief with a wonderfully told story that illuminates not only its fictional characters but the state of Israel (in both senses) today. The narrative is told in the first person by each character, whose personal histories reflect the context of Israel’s recent history. Brief, poetic, non-narrative introductory sections convey the spiritual dimension of the land and its emotional content for Israel’s inhabitants and devotees. A splendid read that stays with you.

Israela is the product of a writer whose talent is undeniable. This is a gorgeously written, compelling story of family, loyalty, love and pain set against the baffling and tragic Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Casper’s eloquence is addicting; her novel should be read by anyone who appreciates great literature and sensitive, insightful story-telling.

Israela should be made into a movie.
I’ve read it more than once, and each time I gain additional perspective and insights into both the joy and the moral dilemas that Israeli residents, Arab and Jew, have faced in the past and which continue to impact their lives on a daily basis.
Joann

A soul-wrenching story of Israel today – all her agonies and her joys. Ordinary people living their lives in a beautiful country that is so torn apart.

This is a great book, thoroughly absorbing, and exquisitely written. This tells the story of a family, a country, and a world where relationships are forged under the shadow of history.

I read it twice. It is an enjoyable read with compelling characters. A gripping story and a very hot topic.

This is a somewhat different, nicely written book which explores aspects of modern Israel from different angles.Israel herself is

personified.The novel starts in 1966 and delves in and out of the years and the characters lives .Their take on conflict and

unfurling events influenced by their own very personal experiences.Well worth a read