Jerusalem 1913 by Amy Dockser Marcus

     Jerusalem 1913 is just one of hundreds of books written on the conflicts occurring within Palestine/Israel over the previous century. Amy Knockser Marcus certainly reflects a viewpoint that is unique among the authors of such books with which I am familiar. As an American-born woman residing inside Israel, her take on things  is not different from the thousands of other Americans living in Israel.  However, she is an Israeli with a more moderate perspective who is trying to find a way to even begin building a bridge over the gulf separating Israeli Jews from Palestinian Arabs.  By itself that angle isn't very common, and when it is coupled with her Pulitzer Prize-winning skills as a journalist, an unusual composition is the result.

     Unfortunately, this book was well-written but poorly conceived. She doesn’t really have a clear point. In the book she began by speaking of her interest in exploring the relationships between Jews and Arabs within Palestine under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, but, in the end she tapers off into 'shoulda, coulda, woulda.' Like many others, she maintains that the relationships between them weren’t strained until the appearance of Zionism and nationalist sentiments among both Jews and Arabs.

     Though this book wasn’t incredibly informative or enlightening, there were a few interesting bits. I was saddened by the fact that we as humans are capable of so much self-centeredness. All it takes is a heart hardened to others, and the will to perform what that heart dictates. People on both sides of the conflict were unwilling to compromise their plans and goals in order to accommodate others who didn’t fit their program. Mouths were open, but ears and hearts everywhere were closed. There were twinges of conscience, but ultimately, there was not enough to change matters, and some seemed to get swept along though inside they had grave misgivings. Plenty of people recognized that ultimately war would be the result of their choices, but they were willing to let that be the cost that they (and their children, grandchildren, and so on) would pay.

     Jerusalem 1913 is an easy read, and it is a somewhat beneficial for those well-versed in the issues and realities of the conflict, but it is not a primer. Don’t let it be the first book that you read on the subject.