How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less / Sarah Glidden

How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less by Sarah Glidden. 308 p.

In 2007 Sarah, a 26-year-old living in New York, takes her Birthright Israel tour with her friend Melissa. She's prepared for the tour to try to "brainwash" her, so she did a lot of reading about The Situation, as she calls it, before taking the trip. Of course, she discovers that actually being there leads to things looking less clear-cut.

I particularly liked the part where the group goes on a sunrise hike up to Masada. Sarah brings along her copy of Josephus, the only extant historical description of what happened in Masada, and compares the text to the speech that their guide gives. She points out to her friend the way the changes to the story, the hike at sunrise, etc. are all designed to cause a particular emotional reaction in the group. And then she goes to the gift shop.

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