From the Publisher
"The author's voice is calm, rational, analytical. . . . Beneath the narrative lies a strong foundation of historical and religious research, solid organizational principles, and clear, informed prose. . . . An eloquent expression of the distant hope that deeply committed human beings can stop, inhale deeply, listen, change, and compromise."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review "Goodman’s vision is simple: Israel can’t go back. But Israelis can still extricate themselves from the zero-sum game, heal their ideological wounds, and only then begin thinking clearly again about peace with the Palestinians."—Mark Horowitz, Tablet "A must for anyone who wants to understand the tectonic forces underlying Israeli politics."—Rabbi Robert Orkand, Reform Judaism "Goodman separates fact from fiction, even-handedly presenting the case for reasonable arguments, and dismissing those which lack legal, political or historical justification."—Jewish Book Council "Probably the best guide produced in recent years to the present state of Israeli political discourse, and to its woeful limitations."—Haviv Gur, Mosaic, The Best Books of 2018 “Catch-67 is a book that dares to imagine a solution to one of the most intractable geopolitical conflicts in the long history of the Jewish people, but Goodman also embraces a more modest goal: 'I have sought throughout to acquire an understanding heart; to listen with empathy to different viewpoints; and, guided by the spirit of the Talmud, to try to rehabilitate Israel’s fractured conversation.' In that effort, he has succeeded magnificently.”—Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal “An astonishingly succinct and trenchant guide to the complexities of the internal Israeli debate.”—Peter Berkowitz, RealClearPolitics “Catch-67 plumbs the ideological and historical depths of the arguments of both the right and the left, treating them with equal respect. Goodman’s book won’t bring an end to what has long been our most urgent national conversation, but it does demonstrate, by both precept and example, how best to participate in it.”—Avi Shilon, Jewish Review of Books
“Goodman emerges as a thinking, open person who is not fixed in his ideas, and is sincerely searching for a way to create an exit from the maze in which we’re trapped. He is endowed with a real ability to listen, something rare in these parts.”—Ehud Barak, Haaretz
“Micah Goodman offers us a way forward through introducing a different kind of dialogue into a deeply divided Israeli society. By shifting the debate away from empty slogans and towards concrete solutions, he provides a way out of the rut that we’ve been in since 1967 and enables us to make the tough decisions, heal the rifts and continue to live as one people.”—Tzipi Livni, former Foreign Minister of Israel
Library Journal
09/15/2018
American Israeli philosopher Goodman (Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem; Maimonides and the Book That Changed Judaism) proposes freeing Israeli discourse regarding the political and moral dilemmas posed by Israel's victory in the 1967 Six Day War and subsequent occupation of Palestine from the ideologies holding Israelis to their given positions. His first concern, which occupies most of the book, is getting Israelis of opposing viewpoints to listen to one another and come to understand that both are right and wrong regarding their dreams and fears for the future of Israel. He cites decisions in Jewish history and the early days of Zionism to demonstrate how being open to alternative viewpoints has contributed to Jewish survival. In the final part, Goodman presents compromises suggested by Israeli diplomatic security experts that would relieve the challenges of living alongside one another on both Israelis and Palestinians without presuming to be solutions to the problem of the conflict. VERDICT Goodman's newest work will strongly interest readers and scholars concerned with the future of a democratic Jewish Israel.—Joel Neuberg, Santa Rosa Junior Coll. Lib., CA
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-07-31
An Israeli scholar assesses the consequences of the Six-Day War and the chasm that divides political opponents in Israel, offering some ideas for solutions.
Goodman (Maimonides and the Book that Changed Judaism: Secrets of The Guide for the Perplexed, 2015, etc.), a senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, has no Pollyannaish delusions about the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians (and among Israelis themselves). He clearly recognizes the problems of satisfying everyone, including a tiny geographical space and enormous religious and cultural differences. Throughout, he comments on the tribalism that divides political opinion in Israel (and in America and elsewhere), a situation that is difficult—perhaps impossible?—to remedy. The author's voice is calm, rational, analytical. He points out the strengths of the right and the left, the logical and moral errors on both sides, the apparent intractability of the problem, and the intransigence of the principal players. Beneath the narrative lies a strong foundation of historical and religious research, solid organizational principles, and clear, informed prose. Goodman begins by describing and analyzing the opposing political ideologies among Israelis and then focuses on the essence of the problem. Israel is small, surrounded by those who wish her ill, and if Israel yields in some fashion, won't Jews quickly become a minority in the country? He explores the moral dimension and dilemma, as well: How can you consider yourself a democracy if a large number of residents have no political rights? Near the end, the author offers some ideas for solutions; none are perfect, as he quickly admits—and he adds that perfection is hardly a useful aim when all involved are imperfect. Finally, he states his firm opposition to all-encompassing "political ideologies" and urges "listening" to "elevate Israel's culture of debate."
An eloquent expression of the distant hope that deeply committed human beings can stop, inhale deeply, listen, change, and compromise.
