The vocabulary of peace
Shulamith Hareven

Life, Culture, and politics in the Middle East.

In this collection of 23 essays, a noted Israeli writer begins with insights on words and language (including a beautifully perceptive essay on her native Hebrew, “The Limits of My Language Are the Limits of My World”) and ends with pleas for peace in the Middle East. In between are often lyrical and revelatory portraits of people and places. While her politics may be controversial (in “Life Is Now, Mr. Shamir,” she urges the Israeli prime minister to take leave of the territories), her wisdom and humanity are incontestable: “The moment people realize that war is not only cruelty, brutality, and the complete failure of human common sense, but also the most antiecological act possible, we are on the way to the most beneficial and sanest possible peace. Our semantics already enable us to take this road. Politics would be well advised to follow.” Not always easy, these erudite essays are well worth the effort.