The Genius of Israel

This book focuses on four positive aspects of Israeli society and uses them as examples of Israeli exceptionalism. The author writes this book for an American audience and with a masterful use of tone and flow, making it an easy and accessible read for me. I appreciated Dan Senor's insight into Israeli society and have come to respect and take an interest in his claims of a tightly-knit social society based on civic service working for a greater purpose. I did not appreciate the explicit exclusion of Haredim and Arabic cultural groups from being considered part of Israeli society. I found it troubling that the book provided an un-nuanced perspective of the harm produced by the Israeli military against Palestine. I found it disheartening to hear the celebration of settler colonialism against Palestinians. I would recommend this book as an interesting read on the society of secular Israeli Jews with the caveat of it taking pride in militarism and populism.