Heroes: Tales from the Israeli Wars

"Heroes - Tales From the Israeli Wars" tells the stories of some very different Israelis, both civilian and soldier, during Israel's short but turbulent history. Perhaps one of the most unique features of this book is its' attempt to take as little stand as possible on the questions of Israel and the Palestinian-Arabs. At points, the author seems to take a passive stance towards supporting Israel's radical left such as political organizations like Peace Now (Gush Shalom) that advocate the Israelis taking the same disastrous path as the Oslo War and the current and deadly 2003 Road Map proposed by President Bush's administration. In parts, the book come perilously close to the fallacies of moral equivalence, which is to say holding the fireman to the same level of guilt as the arsonist. This was probably the weakest aspect of the book. "Heroes - Tales From the Israeli Wars" tells the story of seven different Israelis:1. The Animal: Aryeh "Biro" Dayan: "Biro" is one of Israel's most colorful characters and has been extensively written about in most histories of the 1967 Six Day War as well as a few books about the 1948 War for Israeli Dependence. He is a death camp survivor complete with a Nazi-tattooed number on his forearm. His fame, however, comes from being a consummate, aggressive, and utterly uncompromising soldier. 2. Uzi Yairi: "He Hated the Army and Loved the IDF": An Unlikely Paratrooper: Uzi Yairi has become one of Israel's most famed commandoes while harboring a sensitive personality unexpected of soldiers. He fought courageously in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and was later slain while stopping terrorists who landed by boat and took over an Israeli hotel complete with hostages. His story is the colorful one of a man forced to defend his country while desperately hoping to see peace.3. Chariot of Fire: Israel Tal: Major General Israel Tal is well known as "the father of Israeli armor" since he not only organized Israel's armor into an effective professional fighting force that achieved overwhelming victory in the 1967 Six Day War, but later headed the design program that created Israel's homegrown tank, the Merkhava (Chariot). The story of the use, development, and later manufacture of armor is a fascinating one. Another often overlooked detail is that while Tal is often credited as the creator of the Merkhava, another engineer is also given credit who well deserves it, Brigadier General Israel Tilan. 4. His Brother's Keeper: Eliazer, Moshe, and Amos Joffe: While the first three stories are typical stories with military heroes albeit from unconventional viewpoints, this story begins the divergence from usual hero stories. It tells the stories of a family and their experiences in defending Israel, but also of the pain and suffering of one family and particularly of three brothers. Among the most poignant aspects of the story are the brothers' dedication to one another, even going so far as to check up on one another in the middle of combat.