Saturday People, Sunday People: Israel through the Eyes of a Christian Sojourner

by Lela Gilbert

Saturday People, Sunday People is a unique portrait of Israel as seen through the eyes of a Christian who came for a visit and has stayed on for more than six years. Long fascinated by a land that has become an abstraction centering on international conflicts of epic proportions, Lela Gilbert arrived in Israel on a personal pilgrimage in August 2006—in the midst of a raging war. What she found was a vibrant country, enlivened by warm-hearted, lively people of great intelligence and decency.

Saturday People, Sunday People tells the story of the real Israel and of real Israelis—ordinary and extraordinary—and the energetic rhythm of their lives, even during times of tragedy and terror. The book interweaves a memoir of Gilbert’s experiences with Israel’s people and places, alongside a rich account of past and present events that continue to shape the lives of Israelis and the world beyond their borders.

As she watched events unfold in the Middle East, Gilbert witnessed how the simplest facts turned into lies, from denial of the existence of a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem to the characterization of Israel’s defensive border fence as “Apartheid.” Then Gilbert learned of a story that had all but vanished into the persecution and pogroms that drove more than 850,000 Jews from Muslim lands between 1948 and 1970—the “Forgotten Refugees.” Their experience is now repeating itself among Christian communities in those same Muslim countries. This cruel pattern embodies the Islamist slogan calling for the elimination of “First the Saturday people, then the Sunday people.”

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Religion

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Sally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well reseached and beautifully written.....Tells the story of the "Forgotten Exodus" of the Jews from Middle Eastern countries since 1948....and how this exodus was the precursor to the current situation for Christians, who are now the ones being forced to leave their ancient communties in the region: "On Saturday we kill the Jews, On Sunday We Kill the Christians." Provides helpful context for understanding the current situation in this region.

[Mary Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

An uneven book. Most engaging were the chapters where the author describes the people and customs she encountered while spending six years in Israel. Less engaging was the second half of the book where she catalogs in a rather random fashion the struggles and persecution of both Christians and Jews living in Arab countries throughout the last 75 years, and the "silent exodus" of those groups from homelands where they are no longer welcome because of the rise of intolerant Islamic people and politics.

Where was the editor to help shape this book into a cohesive hole? The author admits that some of her material was pulled from previously published articles--so perhaps that explains the mélange.

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. It's hard to rate this book. I really enjoyed the first half and her style of writing. Her candid remarks on life in Jerusalem were beautiful. The second half , while more eye-opening on Islamist extremism, seems more laborious to read and less unique of a writing style. A very eye opening book to read.

[Shelley Neese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Lela is a uniquely gifted writer. She allows us to experience the Holy Land through her first years of experience. I have read plenty of other Christian Zionist books but they are all defenses of Israel with an academic, biblical, or literal tone. Lela's is personal, and therefore even more convincing.