chertok

Stealing Home is an at times witty, at times grave, at times hopeful, and at times cynical, but always thought-provoking collection of autobiographical essays. This book is a man's bold yet humble analysis of his own choices, particularly of his decision to give up a modest, bucolic, and secure academic life in California for an even more rewarding and meaningful one in Israel.

These twenty-eight wonderfully written essays leave no delicate subject untouched. Chertok exposes the materialistic shallowness of many American "assimilated" Jews. He describes his experiences in the Israeli army and his growing distress with Israel's involvement in Lebanon. He bemoans Israel's schools, he criticizes Israel's treatment of the Arabs. He is, in fact, a rare bird- a dedicated Zionist and an observant Jew who despises narrowmindedness in any shape or form, whether it be cultural, social, left-win, right-wing, or religious.

This book is essential reading not only for those concerned with Israel or with the "Jewish-American experience." Stealing Home addresses universal issues that have concerned all people in all nations throughout history. It is a book about finding one's place in the world...without becoming complacent or self-righteous.

Haim Chertok was born in the Bronx and taught at several American Universities before emigrating to Israel in 1976, where he currently teaches at Ben-Gurion University. In 1986 he was a recipient of Joseph M. Katz Award for Distinguished Jewish Feature Writing; in 1987, of the Smolar Award for Excellence in North American Jewish Journalism for his column, a regular feature of The Jerusalem Post. Chertok’s first book, Stealing Home: Israel Bound and Rebound (Fordham University Press) was awarded 1989’s National Jewish Book Award.