A Purity of Arms: An American in the Israeli Army

From Library JournalWolf, an American who became an Israeli citizen in 1985, chronicles his 18 months of compulsory military service in "Company Aleph" of the Israeli army, and in the process, he captures the human tragedy for all the peoples of the Middle East. He has a telling eye for detail and a crisp style that moves us through forced desert marches and perilous parachute jumps. He creates a context to understand both the native-born Israeli and the immigrant, as well as the plight of the Palestinians pressed to serve in the Intifada. This is not an account of high-level Middle East diplomacy, done so well in Thomas Friedman's From Beirut to Jerusalem ( LJ 7/89), but one of individuals caught in the troubling context of Middle East politics. Highly recommended.- James Rhodes, Luther Coll., Decorah, Ia.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.From Publishers WeeklyRaised in San Francisco, Wolf served for two years in the Israeli army after becoming a citizen of that country in 1985. The training was demanding and included a 55-mile forced march during which he was told, "If something is really wrong you'll pass out, otherwise keep going." He was taught to avoid becoming a sociomat, a soldier who only takes care of himself, and inculcated with tohar haneshek (purity of arms), a concept of responsibility and restraint in the use of weapons. This first-person narrative tells of nerve-wracking patrols and ambushes on the West Bank and in Southern Lebanon. Wolf describes his unit's involvement in early stages of the "sticks and stones war," called intifada , between Israeli occupation forces and Palestinians, and he expresses his revulsion at having to deal militarily with suspected terrorists who were often under the age of 10. The memoir is an unpretentious, informative account of a young enlisted man's experiences in what many consider the world's finest small army. Photos.Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Author: Aaron Wolf

Publisher: Doubleday

Binding: Hardcover

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0385260369

ISBN-13: 9780385260367