The Project by Zev Chafets

by Ze'ev Chafets

The time is the turn of the century. Catapulted into office by abrupt tragedy, Dewey Goldberg is the first Jewish president of the United States. Though a thoroughly Americanized politico from a blue-collar district in Michigan, Goldberg knows he'll need a solid vote from his coreligionists in the bruising, upcoming reelection. Yet his greatest obstacle comes from a wholly unexpected Elihu Barzel, the prime minister of Israel. A miraculous survivor of World War II Poland in his youth, Barzel created an ever-growing legend for himself in Israel's birth and years of struggling growth. Inscrutable to even his closest friends, he is both the most well-known and the most mysterious man in the country, inspiring either devout loyalty or undying hatred. Now, for reasons known mostly to himself, he is about to throw his support to the American president's opponent, an ultraconservative, apocalypse-minded fundamentalist Christian. Charlie Walker is a prizewinning investigative journalist and Dewey Goldberg's confidant. Dispatched to Israel by presidential request, he gradually picks up the trail of an operation known only as The Project, a grand, treacherously shrouded stratagem, whose architect is Elihu Barzel, whose target is the earth's precarious balance of power, and whose explosive trigger only Walker can defuse. For in lifting the veil off The Project's hidden face, Walker will uncover a devastating secret about Barzel himself, one jealously guarded for decades by the aging warrior, and threaten to wrench not only Barzel's destiny from its likely course, but the destiny of Walker, Walker's friend and president, and the world they all inhabit. Packed with insight into the innerworkings of foreign policy, as well as brilliant suspense, refreshing humor, and wonderfully realized characters, The Project is a tour from a master guide through the twisting corridors of international power. An explosive thriller, it will keep you riveted from the opening page t

Genres: Politics, Mystery

Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This political thriller is a book about Jewish identity. On one side we have U.S. President Dewey Goldberg who is uncomfortable as to how his religion will affect his polling numbers. On the other side we have Israeli Prime Minister, Elihu Barzel, who may not be what he appears to be.

As I write this in the first half of 2023, the first six months of the new Netanyahu government, it feels that The Project, written more than a quarter Century ago, could have been written today. There are still problems with right-wing coalition partners and Islamic extremism.

This well-written book is a real page turner. The two funniest parts are when 1) at a White House kosher dinner, a rabbi’s son slaps a fedora on the President’s head during the recitation of the Grace After Meals, and 2) Barzel convinces televangelist Reverend Silas that he has been selected to be one of three Guardian’s of the Ark of the Covenant.

The title is rather lame. At least Project Armageddon would be more descriptive. But it takes the reader until page 218 to even find out what The Project is.

[Ezekiel Benzion · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner! And although it was written more than a decade ago, it resonates with the drama of the current tension in the Middle East. A tragic accident catapults the Leader of the House, Dewey Goldberg, into the presidency. The first Jewish president finds he is in conflict with Elihu Barzel, the Prime Minister of Israel. Why? As Barzel explains, there is only one person who stands up for the Jews of the world and it is not the President of the United States who worries about appearing too partisan, too Jewish, too much a pushover for the Israelis.

So The Project is the only way Israel can protect itself from Iran's new nuclear threat. But as it is disclosed, it is clear that such a plan might mean the end of the world....

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and entertaining read.