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Memories After my Death: The Story of Joseph "Tommy" Lapid
From leading political figure and bestselling Hebrew author Yair Lapid comes a mesmerizing portrait of the author's father, one of modern Israel's leading figures.
Memories After My Death is the astonishing true story of Tommy Lapid, a well-loved and controversial Israeli figure who saw the development of the country from all angles over its first sixty years. From seeing his father taken away to a concentration camp to arriving in Tel Aviv at the birth of Israel, Tommy Lapid lived every major incident of Jewish life since the 1930s first-hand.
This sweeping narrative will captivate anyone with an interest in how Israel became what it is today. Tommy Lapid's uniquely unorthodox opinions - he belonged to neither left nor right, was Jewish, but vehemently secular - expose the many contradictions inherent in Israeli life today.
Memories After My Death is the astonishing true story of Tommy Lapid, a well-loved and controversial Israeli figure who saw the development of the country from all angles over its first sixty years. From seeing his father taken away to a concentration camp to arriving in Tel Aviv at the birth of Israel, Tommy Lapid lived every major incident of Jewish life since the 1930s first-hand.
This sweeping narrative will captivate anyone with an interest in how Israel became what it is today. Tommy Lapid's uniquely unorthodox opinions - he belonged to neither left nor right, was Jewish, but vehemently secular - expose the many contradictions inherent in Israeli life today.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
25 people are currently reading
489 people want to read
About the author
Yair Lapid
18 books21 followersYair Lapid (Hebrew: יאיר לפיד), writer, popular TV host, journalist, and former Finance Minister of Israel, was born in Tel Aviv in 1963. He grew up in London and Tel Aviv, and began his journalistic career while still serving in the army. After his discharge, he wrote for the daily Maariv, and published poems in literary journals. In 1986, he worked as a movie director for Cannon Films in Los Angeles, and in 1988 he became editor of the weekly Tel Aviv. Lapid's varied career has also included songwriting, lead parts in movies, literary translation, writing a musical, producing documentary interviews with international figures and hosting entertainment and talk shows on Israel TV. For many years, he was also news anchor on Channel 2 TV. In 2012 Lapid left Channel 2 and entered politics. He founded the Yesh Atid (There Is a Future) Party, which became the second largest party in Israel in the 2013 election, and served as Israeli Minister of Finance from March 2013 until December 2014.
Lapid's four suspense novels have been bestsellers, and for his bestselling non-fiction books he has received the Publishers Association's Gold and Platinum Prizes (2006, 2010, 2011, 2015).
Lapid's four suspense novels have been bestsellers, and for his bestselling non-fiction books he has received the Publishers Association's Gold and Platinum Prizes (2006, 2010, 2011, 2015).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
December 25, 2017
Memories After Amy Death is a beautifully written biography of Tommy Lapid, a well -known Israeli journalist, television personality, and politician. It is a posthumously written autobiography -- a biography written by Tommy's son, but using Tommy's voice as the focal point of the narrative as if Tommy himself were speaking. There's a richness to the voicing and a delicious sense of irony always apparent.
At its best, the book talks about Tommy's childhood in Hungary ( bordering Yugoslavia) and how the well-to-do family never imagined they would wake up to find their neighbors had turned on them as fear and cowardice gripped Nazi-occupied Europe. The horrors of the War and the Holocaust have been recounted elsewhere but there is a personal viewpoint here that brings that world vividly to life. The story tells us how shell-shocked the survivors were and eventually how Tommy and his mother boarded a ship for Haifa when the Yugoslavian dictator Tito gave them 24 hours to leave.
The later parts of the book are also quite fascinating as Tommy meets world leaders as a journalist and lives through all the turbulent events of the ensuing decades. The best of the stories and memories are sprinkled throughout.
I won this fascinating biography in a giveaway.
At its best, the book talks about Tommy's childhood in Hungary ( bordering Yugoslavia) and how the well-to-do family never imagined they would wake up to find their neighbors had turned on them as fear and cowardice gripped Nazi-occupied Europe. The horrors of the War and the Holocaust have been recounted elsewhere but there is a personal viewpoint here that brings that world vividly to life. The story tells us how shell-shocked the survivors were and eventually how Tommy and his mother boarded a ship for Haifa when the Yugoslavian dictator Tito gave them 24 hours to leave.
The later parts of the book are also quite fascinating as Tommy meets world leaders as a journalist and lives through all the turbulent events of the ensuing decades. The best of the stories and memories are sprinkled throughout.
I won this fascinating biography in a giveaway.
December 14, 2015
To his credit, Yair Lapid is an evocative writer, and manages to write in a voice that sounds authentically like his late father's, while weaving in some of his own meanderings in a way that is loyal to both himself and his father. This is no small feat. The love between father and son is certainly inspiring and intriguing. There are few people in this world who I think are capable of doing what Yair did for his father with such beauty and lyrical writing.
On the other hand, what the book offers in beautiful writing it loses in its glossing over of complexity. This is a risk in all biography, and perhaps even moreso in this type of son-to-father hagiography. The book tries to make Tommy Lapid's gross obnoxiousness into a charming demonstration of character. It wasn't just that he was a fat and opinionated Hungarian, as the book repeats constantly with an implied wink and hardy-har-har. He was also a sexist, arrogant, self-absorbed bulldozer. The book tries to charmingly gloss over the fact that he saw women as sex objects for most of his life -- except his wife and daughters -- that he hated feminists with a passion, and that he was part of the boys' club male elite that ran the country for its first six decades at least. He was part of a privileged male elite, easily flitting between one high-status position to another, even ones he knew nothing about. (He ran a women's magazine that he hated and derided.... He ran the IBA without ever having stepped into the building before then....) He was lucky and privileged, despite his completely bullying style in discourse and action. The book tries to make this an endearing, charming quality, like his obesity, just the character of someone who loved food and loved pushing people around. But it wasn't endearing, then or now. And this posthumous glossing over of patriarchal arrogance and a perpetual unwillingness to listen was more than a little annoying.
For me, the most aggravating segment was about his stint on Popolitika. Aside from the exaggerated arrogance of calling it the most important show ever and calling himself the unequivocal star, the again idealized descriptions of the culture of discourse on the show were at times infuriating. He was amused that people found the constant yelling and interrupting on the show to be a huge turn-off. Like, "Haha, look how obnoxious i am, isn't it cute? You people who say you hate it, you really love it". The "no means yes" version of leadership. I wasn't amused. The Popolitika culture of discourse was, indeed, awful, a terrible stain on the development of Israeli culture, and Tommy Lapid was at the center of it. I understand why Yair wanted to present it all as endearing. And that is exactly the flaw of this book. It misses the truth. The truth is, Tommy Lapid's Popolitika was -- despite his self-proclaimed love of civilized culture -- completely uncivilized and uncultured.
By the way, the English version of this book really needed a few more rounds of editing and proofing. There were some major translating errors (eg, "Israel National Fund" instead of "Jewish National Fund"), and many formatting errors, including an obvious missed space in the very first paragraph. The translation also vacillates between American and English usages, which is just a little annoying.
Overall, it could have been a lovely book. And conceptually, there is something beautiful about the son writing about his father after his death. Yair Lapid is a gifted writer for sure. Themes of father-son relationships are captivating at times. But there is just a little too much idol worship and glossing over of some serious grossness. When i finished, i felt like i needed to throw up.
On the other hand, what the book offers in beautiful writing it loses in its glossing over of complexity. This is a risk in all biography, and perhaps even moreso in this type of son-to-father hagiography. The book tries to make Tommy Lapid's gross obnoxiousness into a charming demonstration of character. It wasn't just that he was a fat and opinionated Hungarian, as the book repeats constantly with an implied wink and hardy-har-har. He was also a sexist, arrogant, self-absorbed bulldozer. The book tries to charmingly gloss over the fact that he saw women as sex objects for most of his life -- except his wife and daughters -- that he hated feminists with a passion, and that he was part of the boys' club male elite that ran the country for its first six decades at least. He was part of a privileged male elite, easily flitting between one high-status position to another, even ones he knew nothing about. (He ran a women's magazine that he hated and derided.... He ran the IBA without ever having stepped into the building before then....) He was lucky and privileged, despite his completely bullying style in discourse and action. The book tries to make this an endearing, charming quality, like his obesity, just the character of someone who loved food and loved pushing people around. But it wasn't endearing, then or now. And this posthumous glossing over of patriarchal arrogance and a perpetual unwillingness to listen was more than a little annoying.
For me, the most aggravating segment was about his stint on Popolitika. Aside from the exaggerated arrogance of calling it the most important show ever and calling himself the unequivocal star, the again idealized descriptions of the culture of discourse on the show were at times infuriating. He was amused that people found the constant yelling and interrupting on the show to be a huge turn-off. Like, "Haha, look how obnoxious i am, isn't it cute? You people who say you hate it, you really love it". The "no means yes" version of leadership. I wasn't amused. The Popolitika culture of discourse was, indeed, awful, a terrible stain on the development of Israeli culture, and Tommy Lapid was at the center of it. I understand why Yair wanted to present it all as endearing. And that is exactly the flaw of this book. It misses the truth. The truth is, Tommy Lapid's Popolitika was -- despite his self-proclaimed love of civilized culture -- completely uncivilized and uncultured.
By the way, the English version of this book really needed a few more rounds of editing and proofing. There were some major translating errors (eg, "Israel National Fund" instead of "Jewish National Fund"), and many formatting errors, including an obvious missed space in the very first paragraph. The translation also vacillates between American and English usages, which is just a little annoying.
Overall, it could have been a lovely book. And conceptually, there is something beautiful about the son writing about his father after his death. Yair Lapid is a gifted writer for sure. Themes of father-son relationships are captivating at times. But there is just a little too much idol worship and glossing over of some serious grossness. When i finished, i felt like i needed to throw up.
July 19, 2012
I actually think I would have enjoyed this book even if I'd read it in English, although in Hebrew there's always that added factor of yay, me! I read a full-length book in Hebrew and enjoyed it! That must mean it's a great book!
Yair Lapid writes this biography of his father, Tomi Lapid, as if it is actually Tomi himself writing his memoir. It's gimmicky but the gimmick works here. I kept forgetting that it was Yair writing, not Tomi. I was amazed at the level of detail and the apparent authenticity of the voice. The book was also written in a very engaging manner, opening practically every chapter with an attention-grabbing anecdote or provocative musing.
In a sense, the story of Tomi's life is entwined with that of Israeli Jewry. The book describes Tomi's innocent childhood in prewar Europe, his harrowing Holocaust experiences, and his ending up in the new state of Israel in 1948. Seventeen-year-old Tomi goes to the army, learns the language, becomes a journalist, works with Rudolph Kastner, follows the Eichmann trial, and eventually gets involved in politics. As Tomi's career develops, so does the state of Israel. Every relevant historical event in Israel impacts on Tomi, and eventually Tomi's political involvement reciprocates in kind.
Tomi was a very interesting character -- larger than life, hedonistic but also cultured, strongly Jewish and just as strongly anti-religious, with his own strong opinions and no fear of defending them. His story occasionally dragged but almost always remained interesting, and he was rendered as someone I might have enjoyed meeting despite some very different life philosophies. Definitely recommended to anyone who enjoys reading books about Israel.
Yair Lapid writes this biography of his father, Tomi Lapid, as if it is actually Tomi himself writing his memoir. It's gimmicky but the gimmick works here. I kept forgetting that it was Yair writing, not Tomi. I was amazed at the level of detail and the apparent authenticity of the voice. The book was also written in a very engaging manner, opening practically every chapter with an attention-grabbing anecdote or provocative musing.
In a sense, the story of Tomi's life is entwined with that of Israeli Jewry. The book describes Tomi's innocent childhood in prewar Europe, his harrowing Holocaust experiences, and his ending up in the new state of Israel in 1948. Seventeen-year-old Tomi goes to the army, learns the language, becomes a journalist, works with Rudolph Kastner, follows the Eichmann trial, and eventually gets involved in politics. As Tomi's career develops, so does the state of Israel. Every relevant historical event in Israel impacts on Tomi, and eventually Tomi's political involvement reciprocates in kind.
Tomi was a very interesting character -- larger than life, hedonistic but also cultured, strongly Jewish and just as strongly anti-religious, with his own strong opinions and no fear of defending them. His story occasionally dragged but almost always remained interesting, and he was rendered as someone I might have enjoyed meeting despite some very different life philosophies. Definitely recommended to anyone who enjoys reading books about Israel.
August 9, 2013
I feel like a bit mean-spirited giving this only three stars, but it's really not what I was hoping for. My hope was that it would provide a greater level of insight into some major events in Israel's history. Rather, it was too focused on the man himself. I realize that it is a biography, written the public-figure son of a public figure, so what was I expecting? Well, Yehuda Avner managed to write an excellent autobiography that of course focuses on his role in the major events happening around him, yet still gives a tremendous sense of the events and the key players. Here it was too light, too much Lapid and less information about the events and their backgrounds.
Still, Yair wrote an easy-to-read, engaging book that used the gimmick of writing in his dead father's voice well.
Worth a read if you care about Israeli history/current events, but don't expect anything too deep.
Still, Yair wrote an easy-to-read, engaging book that used the gimmick of writing in his dead father's voice well.
Worth a read if you care about Israeli history/current events, but don't expect anything too deep.
May 6, 2021
In this excellent biography that was written after the death of Tommy Lapid by his son, Yair Lapid, the current treasury secretary of Israel, Tommy’s life story is told through the voice of his father as if it was written by Tommy himself. Tommy Lapid was born in Hungary and survived the Holocaust to later immigrate to Israel. In Israel he eventually became an important journalist and politician. This biography is also a great way to learn about Israel from the “good old days” up to modern Israel. The best way to describe this biography is to say that it’s simply one long, amusing and insightful anecdote. It’s truly amazing the amount of funny little experiences that Tommy had during his eventful life. Yair Lapid’s light and simple writing style works beautifully with his father life story. This is one of the most enjoyable biographies I have read recently.
December 5, 2023
Tomi Lapid nem lett egy kifejezetten szimpatikus karakter ettől a könyvtől, és valószínűleg sok kérdésben politikailag sem a legközelebb áll hozzám, de nagyon-nagyon örülök, hogy elolvastam ezt a könyvet. A magyar fordítás igazán jól sikerült, és a rengeteg történeten keresztül tényleg kirajzolódott nemcsak az izraeli történelem egy-egy izgalmas fejezete; ez a könyv valóban “a magyar vidéki zsidó középosztály pompás rajza” és megszűnésének – számomra sokszor szívszorító – krónikája volt. Az különösen izgalmas volt, hogy számos időszerű izraeli belpolitikai ellentét felsejlik a könyvben. A “vallásosok” izraeli társadalomban elfoglalt helyéről folyó vitákról és az izraeli Legfelsőbb Bíróság szerepéről sokkal többet megtudtam; nyilván Lapid olvasatában, de a könyv sokrétűen mutatta be ezt a kérdéskört, nem egyszerűsítette le arra, hogy “Lapid nem hitt Istenben” vagy “utálta a vallásosokat”.
A megosztó újságíró és politikus életrajzát fia vetette papírra már apja halála után, a történet egyes szám első személyben meséli el Tomi Lapid élettörténetét. El sem tudom képzelni, hogy érzelmileg mennyire megterhelő lehetett így az alkotás, de persze izgalmas is volt abba belegondolnom (úgy, hogy nekem is nem annyira rég halt meg az édesapám), hogy miben segíthette Jair-t az írás a gyászfolyamatában.
Mindig nehéz kiválasztanom, hogy melyik rész ragadott leginkább magával, vagy melyik idézet adhatná át a könyv hangulatát, de most különösen sokat tépelődtem, végül erre a részletre esett a választásom Lapid igazságügyi miniszteri korszakából, a Gázai-övezetből való, mai napig vitatott egyoldalú izraeli kivonuláshoz kötődik:
“Néhány nappal később, május 18-án másféle buldózerek kezdtek működni. A hadsereg egyik egysége bevonult Rafahba, és a “Szivárvány” fedőnév alatt véghezvitt akcióban félelmetes, óriás D-9-es repülőgépek kezdték lerombolni a lakóházakat, hogy kiszélesítsék a felderítő utat az egyptomi határ mentén. Aznap este korán értem haza, bekapcsoltam a tévét, és megláttam a Hadidzsa nevű vaksi öregasszonyt, aki négykézláb kutatott a romok közt, hogy megtalálja az otthon maradt gyógyszereit.
Hermina nagymama jutott az eszembe. Nem gondoltam a saját katonáinkra, s még arra sem, hogy mindig úgy gondoltam és éreztem: semmit sem szabad a holokauszthoz hasonlítani. Csak arra gondoltam, én mit éreznék, ha ez az asszony az én nagymamám lenne. A szíriai akció esete jutott újból az eszembe: én, a miniszterelnök-helyettes miért nem tudtam előre a rafahi intervencióról?
Hiszen felelős vagyok azért, ami itt történik, nem rázhatom le magamról a miniszteriális felelősséget. Közvetve vitathatatlanul részem van abban, hogy az öregasszony most a romok közt keresgél.
Feldúltan érkeztem baráti összejövetelünkre a Basel kávéházba Olmerttel és Dan Margalittal. Miközben a testőreink a túloldali járdán várakoztak, a járókelők kíváncsian megbámultak bennünket, ahogy habos kávét szürcsölgettünk, én pedig elmeséltem a jelenlévőknek, hogy mit láttam a tévében. A fejüket csóválták a következő megjegyzések kíséretében: – Borzasztó. – Tényleg szörnyű. – Nem tudom miért, de ez valahogy még jobban feldühített. – Szörnyű dolgok történnek akkor is –
mondtam –, amikor rossz emberek rosszat tesznek, és a jó emberek hallgatnak. A rendes emberek hallgatása lényeges része minden tragédiának. Aki hallgat, az majdnem ugyanannyira felelős a történtekért, mint az elkövető.”
A megosztó újságíró és politikus életrajzát fia vetette papírra már apja halála után, a történet egyes szám első személyben meséli el Tomi Lapid élettörténetét. El sem tudom képzelni, hogy érzelmileg mennyire megterhelő lehetett így az alkotás, de persze izgalmas is volt abba belegondolnom (úgy, hogy nekem is nem annyira rég halt meg az édesapám), hogy miben segíthette Jair-t az írás a gyászfolyamatában.
Mindig nehéz kiválasztanom, hogy melyik rész ragadott leginkább magával, vagy melyik idézet adhatná át a könyv hangulatát, de most különösen sokat tépelődtem, végül erre a részletre esett a választásom Lapid igazságügyi miniszteri korszakából, a Gázai-övezetből való, mai napig vitatott egyoldalú izraeli kivonuláshoz kötődik:
“Néhány nappal később, május 18-án másféle buldózerek kezdtek működni. A hadsereg egyik egysége bevonult Rafahba, és a “Szivárvány” fedőnév alatt véghezvitt akcióban félelmetes, óriás D-9-es repülőgépek kezdték lerombolni a lakóházakat, hogy kiszélesítsék a felderítő utat az egyptomi határ mentén. Aznap este korán értem haza, bekapcsoltam a tévét, és megláttam a Hadidzsa nevű vaksi öregasszonyt, aki négykézláb kutatott a romok közt, hogy megtalálja az otthon maradt gyógyszereit.
Hermina nagymama jutott az eszembe. Nem gondoltam a saját katonáinkra, s még arra sem, hogy mindig úgy gondoltam és éreztem: semmit sem szabad a holokauszthoz hasonlítani. Csak arra gondoltam, én mit éreznék, ha ez az asszony az én nagymamám lenne. A szíriai akció esete jutott újból az eszembe: én, a miniszterelnök-helyettes miért nem tudtam előre a rafahi intervencióról?
Hiszen felelős vagyok azért, ami itt történik, nem rázhatom le magamról a miniszteriális felelősséget. Közvetve vitathatatlanul részem van abban, hogy az öregasszony most a romok közt keresgél.
Feldúltan érkeztem baráti összejövetelünkre a Basel kávéházba Olmerttel és Dan Margalittal. Miközben a testőreink a túloldali járdán várakoztak, a járókelők kíváncsian megbámultak bennünket, ahogy habos kávét szürcsölgettünk, én pedig elmeséltem a jelenlévőknek, hogy mit láttam a tévében. A fejüket csóválták a következő megjegyzések kíséretében: – Borzasztó. – Tényleg szörnyű. – Nem tudom miért, de ez valahogy még jobban feldühített. – Szörnyű dolgok történnek akkor is –
mondtam –, amikor rossz emberek rosszat tesznek, és a jó emberek hallgatnak. A rendes emberek hallgatása lényeges része minden tragédiának. Aki hallgat, az majdnem ugyanannyira felelős a történtekért, mint az elkövető.”
December 8, 2017
***I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway***
It's a biography, but written in first person as if Tommy Lapid is telling us his story from beyond the grave. For about 3 pages I thought this was kitschy and lame...but then I was totally and completely sold. The tone of this book is lively and passionate and funny and I can't help but believe that Yair Lapid fully captured his father's way of speaking. It's a fascinating book about the importance of life and love and friendship. It's an excellent reminder that you can disagree with someone politically, while still valuing and loving them as a friend. Happiness, according to Tommy Lapid, is not about what happens to us in our lives. It's about how we choose to live.
It's a biography, but written in first person as if Tommy Lapid is telling us his story from beyond the grave. For about 3 pages I thought this was kitschy and lame...but then I was totally and completely sold. The tone of this book is lively and passionate and funny and I can't help but believe that Yair Lapid fully captured his father's way of speaking. It's a fascinating book about the importance of life and love and friendship. It's an excellent reminder that you can disagree with someone politically, while still valuing and loving them as a friend. Happiness, according to Tommy Lapid, is not about what happens to us in our lives. It's about how we choose to live.
September 14, 2011
What an absolutely fantastic book! Yair Lapid has done his father proud. This Autobiography/Biography is well written, funny, easy to follow and even makes you hungry! Tommy Lapid, his life walked hand in hand with the History of the State of Israel and Tommy was a great then life character. Whether you loved or hated Tommy Lapid - this book is a must read to understand the mentality of the modern Israeli
April 22, 2014
I heard in my mind Tomi's voice throughout the book. Any one who knew him or at least saw him on TV can't help be feel the same. So much so, that I actually doubt that Tomi did not actually write the book,
It is a fascinating story sprinkled with his unique sense of humor. It allows the reader to witness and understand a period in Israel's history.
It is a fascinating story sprinkled with his unique sense of humor. It allows the reader to witness and understand a period in Israel's history.
June 11, 2011
He seems like he was a bit of a blow hard, interesting from a historical perspective though.
March 4, 2013
I absolutely loved this book. I may not agree with Yair or Tommy's politics but what a terrific story and what a wonderful portrayal of a huge Israeli figure!
September 4, 2022
I'd like to write a more thorough review later, because I made a ton of bookmarks and highlights in the book and I don't want that effort to come to naught. But for now:
The book is surprisingly well written. Sucked me in straight away. The most compelling are perhaps the younger years (Jewish life in Hungary/Serbia, the holocaust, the first few decades of Israel), the later years populated by big important jobs and politics inevitably must be simultaneously less interesting and less relatable. But there were still many great insights there, throughout the whole book.
Now, why did I read a biography of a random deceased politician, written by his son, the current prime minister of Israel?
I have lately decided that I wanted to learn more about Israel. The social media narrative of Israel being the killer of innocents just didn't quite sit well with me, but I also had to admit I actually knew very little about the Middle East, Israel included.
Once you realise pro-Palestinian voices are often propped up by Russian media & propaganda (even if us leftie liberals are completely oblivious to that), you cannot unsee it and you need to know more.
Biographies and memoirs are by their own nature "biased", as in coming from a personal point of view, but that doesn't mean they cannot be educational. You can recognise someone's point of view without immediately adopting it as your own or disregard everything the person has to say just because there are a few things that don't fit with your worldview.
Having recently watched documentaries on Shimon Peres (politically leftier than both Lapids) and the Shin Bet (one of its former directors saying something along the lines of "raiding Palestinian homes every week & seeing frightened women might turn you into a bit of a leftie") and having read this biography of an outspoken atheist liberal centrist (or center-rightist?) has provided me not only with enough context for Israel's military engagements but it also presented me with the diversity of the Israeli society.
Lapid was very against the religious right dictating the laws and way of life in Israel, critical of quite a few actions the country took in relations to their Arab neighbours (who he certainly wasn't a fan of). He wasn't a person of fanatical belonging to any major ideologies (though he certainly had his strong opinions), and so this book was actually not at all a bad way to learn about the complexities of Israeli society.
"People say things like 'We've got to kick their asses' but they take no interest in how many old blind women will lose their homes. So we win a campaign here and there but we lose the war.
The State of Israel was not founded for us to adopt the moral standards of fanatical Islam. I am not interested in being an Arab or thinking like an Arab or taking on the cruelty of the Arabs. In the long run, we will only be able to survive the struggle against the millions of Muslims surrounding us if we strive to be an enlightened Western democracy, humanistic and free. In the short run, we must at times give up our need for retaliation. It is painful, but essential."
I find myself more and more annoyed and angered at liberal leftie people (like myself) living in relatively peaceful democracies, not surrounded by enemy forces (though the Russians, our former occupiers, are certainly doing their information warfare number on us) who put on equal terms the many missteps democracies do to preserve their peace and prosperity with the total nihilistic disregard for absolutely anything, especially human life, with which totalitarian countries of all various ideologies and religions are usually run.
I'm worried for the future of the democratic world. If Lapid the elder was worried in the 2000s I can only guess what he would think now.
P.S. The anecdotes were great.
The book is surprisingly well written. Sucked me in straight away. The most compelling are perhaps the younger years (Jewish life in Hungary/Serbia, the holocaust, the first few decades of Israel), the later years populated by big important jobs and politics inevitably must be simultaneously less interesting and less relatable. But there were still many great insights there, throughout the whole book.
Now, why did I read a biography of a random deceased politician, written by his son, the current prime minister of Israel?
I have lately decided that I wanted to learn more about Israel. The social media narrative of Israel being the killer of innocents just didn't quite sit well with me, but I also had to admit I actually knew very little about the Middle East, Israel included.
Once you realise pro-Palestinian voices are often propped up by Russian media & propaganda (even if us leftie liberals are completely oblivious to that), you cannot unsee it and you need to know more.
Biographies and memoirs are by their own nature "biased", as in coming from a personal point of view, but that doesn't mean they cannot be educational. You can recognise someone's point of view without immediately adopting it as your own or disregard everything the person has to say just because there are a few things that don't fit with your worldview.
Having recently watched documentaries on Shimon Peres (politically leftier than both Lapids) and the Shin Bet (one of its former directors saying something along the lines of "raiding Palestinian homes every week & seeing frightened women might turn you into a bit of a leftie") and having read this biography of an outspoken atheist liberal centrist (or center-rightist?) has provided me not only with enough context for Israel's military engagements but it also presented me with the diversity of the Israeli society.
Lapid was very against the religious right dictating the laws and way of life in Israel, critical of quite a few actions the country took in relations to their Arab neighbours (who he certainly wasn't a fan of). He wasn't a person of fanatical belonging to any major ideologies (though he certainly had his strong opinions), and so this book was actually not at all a bad way to learn about the complexities of Israeli society.
"People say things like 'We've got to kick their asses' but they take no interest in how many old blind women will lose their homes. So we win a campaign here and there but we lose the war.
The State of Israel was not founded for us to adopt the moral standards of fanatical Islam. I am not interested in being an Arab or thinking like an Arab or taking on the cruelty of the Arabs. In the long run, we will only be able to survive the struggle against the millions of Muslims surrounding us if we strive to be an enlightened Western democracy, humanistic and free. In the short run, we must at times give up our need for retaliation. It is painful, but essential."
I find myself more and more annoyed and angered at liberal leftie people (like myself) living in relatively peaceful democracies, not surrounded by enemy forces (though the Russians, our former occupiers, are certainly doing their information warfare number on us) who put on equal terms the many missteps democracies do to preserve their peace and prosperity with the total nihilistic disregard for absolutely anything, especially human life, with which totalitarian countries of all various ideologies and religions are usually run.
I'm worried for the future of the democratic world. If Lapid the elder was worried in the 2000s I can only guess what he would think now.
P.S. The anecdotes were great.
August 16, 2017
The Memories After My Death was written in 2009 in Hebrew, by Yair, and recently translated into English. Probably between translations and the writing of the son, original nuances were lost, but someone curious both about Tommy Lapid and his times can still receive satisfactory answers to a large array of questions.
The story is told chronologically, from the childhood years in Novi Sad and Budapest to the first impressions upon landing to Israel and Lapid's adventures in the world of post-communist businesses mediating media purchases in Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of billionaire Robert Maxwell. Episodes of a life well spent taking wholeheartedly all the possible professional and personal challenges.
My feeling was that the book was pending between a story based on life facts - which is a good approach, as maybe for many mostly of younger age, the interesting past of Tommy Lapid wasn't always obvious - or a story built around ideas and life philosophy - an approach requesting in-depth elaboration. From the last point of view, I think that many of the political controversies he created, especially in relation with the religious mainstream were diplomatically muzzled by the more experienced sabra politician of a son.
All the observations being made, this book is worth reading it if interested in some historical insights into the recent genesis of Israeli politics and media history. There are echoed from a different time and moral age, a reminder that times are always changing and it is good that way too.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
The story is told chronologically, from the childhood years in Novi Sad and Budapest to the first impressions upon landing to Israel and Lapid's adventures in the world of post-communist businesses mediating media purchases in Central and Eastern Europe on behalf of billionaire Robert Maxwell. Episodes of a life well spent taking wholeheartedly all the possible professional and personal challenges.
My feeling was that the book was pending between a story based on life facts - which is a good approach, as maybe for many mostly of younger age, the interesting past of Tommy Lapid wasn't always obvious - or a story built around ideas and life philosophy - an approach requesting in-depth elaboration. From the last point of view, I think that many of the political controversies he created, especially in relation with the religious mainstream were diplomatically muzzled by the more experienced sabra politician of a son.
All the observations being made, this book is worth reading it if interested in some historical insights into the recent genesis of Israeli politics and media history. There are echoed from a different time and moral age, a reminder that times are always changing and it is good that way too.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review
February 19, 2025
I entered this book without any prior knowledge of either Israeli or modern Jewish history and I finished it with a better understanding of both. Yair Lapid writes on behalf of his father in recounting major events of the latter's life in a very compelling voice, making clear that their father-son relationship was as strong as is claimed in the book, and that intensive research was done in putting such a work together. I was especially captured by the first half of Lapid's life - the Holocaust in Hungary and his first years in Israel - but the second half of politicking and networking slowly lost me.
As a biographical work, Tommy Lapid's lived experiences are clearly invaluable to Jewish voices and to those wishing to understand the Israeli state's early years. However, Lapid's pompous tone and overt arrogance put me off at times, which might have been intentional in encapsulating the elder Lapid's big persona. Overall, very good read.
As a biographical work, Tommy Lapid's lived experiences are clearly invaluable to Jewish voices and to those wishing to understand the Israeli state's early years. However, Lapid's pompous tone and overt arrogance put me off at times, which might have been intentional in encapsulating the elder Lapid's big persona. Overall, very good read.
July 29, 2024
A very personal book writer by a son (Yair) that cherished his father (Tommy) and was interested in perpetuating his memory and journey to and through Israel.
Highlights of the book to me
1/ Life is not either / or but ‘this and that’
2/ the miscommunication that arise when in power and Tommy confuses a call where he is being asked to vote on a security matter with being informed
3/ Israel’s dual personality - great point. So it’s not about the glass being half full (or empty) it’s about a schizophrenic personality … hardly a compliment but it rings true when you read it
4/ people with different public and private personas - a bit of a puzzle for me at a personal level
Highlights of the book to me
1/ Life is not either / or but ‘this and that’
2/ the miscommunication that arise when in power and Tommy confuses a call where he is being asked to vote on a security matter with being informed
3/ Israel’s dual personality - great point. So it’s not about the glass being half full (or empty) it’s about a schizophrenic personality … hardly a compliment but it rings true when you read it
4/ people with different public and private personas - a bit of a puzzle for me at a personal level
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 27, 2023
It is a biography/auto biography written by one of senior Israeli current politicians (Yair Lapid) about his father Tomi Lapid. Tomi's story starts with his European childhood, WW2 and the holocaust, escape to Israel and his professional,personal end political carrers. The book is easy to read and enriched my general knowledge, not only related to autor's plot, but also regarding to music, philosophy and history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2017
Thanks to Goodreads and St. Martin's Press Nonfiction for a free copy of this book.
Memories After My Death: The Story of My Father, Joseph "Tommy" Lapid is written by Yair Lapid but from the point of view of his father. It is a fascinating, well written portrait of a controversial but popular Israeli figure, beginning with his youth spent growing up in Serbia in the 1930's right up to his death in 2008. If you are interested in reading about how the Jewish people were treated in Yugoslavia and Hungary during WW2 and how Israel became a nation, I would highly recommend this book.
Memories After My Death: The Story of My Father, Joseph "Tommy" Lapid is written by Yair Lapid but from the point of view of his father. It is a fascinating, well written portrait of a controversial but popular Israeli figure, beginning with his youth spent growing up in Serbia in the 1930's right up to his death in 2008. If you are interested in reading about how the Jewish people were treated in Yugoslavia and Hungary during WW2 and how Israel became a nation, I would highly recommend this book.
December 12, 2017
What a great story. Well written an encompasses an amazing period of history. Mr Lapid truly led an incredible life. So grateful i got the chance to read and share in his life story. Highly recommend.
October 11, 2017
Insight into the very full life of "Tommy" Lapid. Personal tidbits revealed which allow the reader to see other views of prominent people when they interacted with Mr. Lapid. A life to be respected. A very good read.
December 9, 2018
Truly one of the best books I recall reading
Made more special because the protagonist (whilst a brave, intelligent, sincere, liberal Zionist) epitomised so many characteristics I am against. Atheism, elitism, ego to name the most relevant
Read it, truly amazing!!
Made more special because the protagonist (whilst a brave, intelligent, sincere, liberal Zionist) epitomised so many characteristics I am against. Atheism, elitism, ego to name the most relevant
Read it, truly amazing!!
December 16, 2022
What a pleasant surprise! The concept of a son writing his dead father’s memoirs is creative and adds a whole new dimension to the narrative. I enjoyed the excellent writing style and the son-father love that is beautifully emerging between the lines.
December 23, 2017
loved the book. very informative. this was a goodreads giveaway tome.
October 24, 2017
A very interesting look at the life of Tommy Lapid told through the eyes of his son fulll of anecdotes by people who knew him.Quite a life .!
March 7, 2018
good read win
December 23, 2025
ספר מרשים, ולעיתים רבות מרגש, על אדם מרשים ומפוכח, אדם שלא הייתי מתנגד להכיר באופן אישי
March 30, 2023
מדהים כמה שהספר הזה רלבנטי כעת. קריאת חובה.
April 2, 2013
I picked this one up in the middle of the 2012/13 Israeli election campaigns in a curious attempt to learn more about Yair Lapid (whose party would end up second strongest with 19 seats) as an author and his family background. His well-written account of the colourful life of his father Tommy Lapid impressed and surprised me on many levels.
To write a biography as a first-person narrative with the deceased functioning as narrator is daring even if you knew the person really well. I was pretty skeptical at first but it felt so authentic that I had to remind myself several times throughout the book that it is not actually Tommy writing his memoirs.
Born before Nazi-Germany in Yugoslavia, Tommy survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Israel in 1948, in the same year the State of Israel declared independence. As a journalist Tommy found himself in the midst of important and crucial events throughout the history of the young Jewish State and recounts them from his own perspective in the biography.
So even if you're not particularly interested in Lapid as a person you will find his personal memories of Israel's first 60 years intriguing.
To write a biography as a first-person narrative with the deceased functioning as narrator is daring even if you knew the person really well. I was pretty skeptical at first but it felt so authentic that I had to remind myself several times throughout the book that it is not actually Tommy writing his memoirs.
Born before Nazi-Germany in Yugoslavia, Tommy survived the Holocaust and immigrated to Israel in 1948, in the same year the State of Israel declared independence. As a journalist Tommy found himself in the midst of important and crucial events throughout the history of the young Jewish State and recounts them from his own perspective in the biography.
So even if you're not particularly interested in Lapid as a person you will find his personal memories of Israel's first 60 years intriguing.
May 18, 2023
»Skal far dø?«, spurgte jeg engang min moster, og hun svarede »nej, det skal far ikke«.
Nogle mennesker finder ro ved at løbe en tur. Gå til psykolog. Lytte til trist musik. Jeg finder ro ved at ringe til min moster. Det er ikke kun, fordi hun er læge. Hun er også et kompas, der altid peger i den rigtige retning. Mod det, jeg har brug for at høre.
Hun er en læsehest ligesom mig. Det er egentlig dumt, at jeg ikke har brugt hende mere til at finde bøger. Forleden anbefalede hun nemlig denne fortælling om Israel.
Memories After My Death er en biografi om Tommy Lapid, der flygtede fra kommunisterne og endte i Israel som en berømt journalist og politiker. Den er skrevet af hans søn, men fortalt med Tommys egen stemme.
Bogen er velskrevet. Hovedpersonen, Tommy, er ikke arrogant, men charmerende. Ikke intelligent, men smart. Han er ikke til at stå for. Samtidig er det en bog om Israels historie - et unikt land, jeg har skrevet om tidligere.
»Jeg lyver aldrig«, siger min moster. Det gjorde hun ikke med min far, og det gør hun heller ikke med denne bog.
Nogle mennesker finder ro ved at løbe en tur. Gå til psykolog. Lytte til trist musik. Jeg finder ro ved at ringe til min moster. Det er ikke kun, fordi hun er læge. Hun er også et kompas, der altid peger i den rigtige retning. Mod det, jeg har brug for at høre.
Hun er en læsehest ligesom mig. Det er egentlig dumt, at jeg ikke har brugt hende mere til at finde bøger. Forleden anbefalede hun nemlig denne fortælling om Israel.
Memories After My Death er en biografi om Tommy Lapid, der flygtede fra kommunisterne og endte i Israel som en berømt journalist og politiker. Den er skrevet af hans søn, men fortalt med Tommys egen stemme.
Bogen er velskrevet. Hovedpersonen, Tommy, er ikke arrogant, men charmerende. Ikke intelligent, men smart. Han er ikke til at stå for. Samtidig er det en bog om Israels historie - et unikt land, jeg har skrevet om tidligere.
»Jeg lyver aldrig«, siger min moster. Det gjorde hun ikke med min far, og det gør hun heller ikke med denne bog.
October 1, 2018
קשה להגיד דברים רעים על ספר שכתב בן על אביו שמת זמן קצר לאחר מכן. אבל לא יכולתי להתעלם מכך שהכותב היה, בבירור, יאיר לפיד, על כל המשתמע מכך. השטחיות, ההערצה הלא מתפשרת לאב, הציטוטים המוגזמים שנדחפים לכל מקום גם ללא צורך וללא הקשר. אני יודע לאכול את יאיר לפיד במנות קטנות, בטור בעיתון אחת לשבוע, אבל ספר שלם היה קשה.
והעיקר הוא, כנראה, חוסר היכולת להעמיק ולהתמודד ממש, מעבר לאנקדוטות, עם האירועים המשמעותיים בחייו וההשלכות שלהם. המוות של הבת מן הסתם השפיע גם על טומי וגם על יאיר, הכותב, ונראה שזה משהו ששניהם לא לגמרי ידעו להתמודד איתו, אבל הדחיסה שלו לתוך פרק אחד עשתה לו עוול. כך גם ההשלכות של אירועים אחרים משמעותיים לא שולבו מספיק לאורך הספר.
אבל בשורה התחתונה למדתי לא מעט. גם על טומי לפיד, גם על המשפחה שלו, גם קצת על עיתונות ופוליטיקה וניהול. טוב לקרוא על חיים של אנשים שעשו הרבה, גם אם מדובר בעיקר באנקדוטות. סך הכל מדובר בספר קריא ומרגש לפרקים.
והעיקר הוא, כנראה, חוסר היכולת להעמיק ולהתמודד ממש, מעבר לאנקדוטות, עם האירועים המשמעותיים בחייו וההשלכות שלהם. המוות של הבת מן הסתם השפיע גם על טומי וגם על יאיר, הכותב, ונראה שזה משהו ששניהם לא לגמרי ידעו להתמודד איתו, אבל הדחיסה שלו לתוך פרק אחד עשתה לו עוול. כך גם ההשלכות של אירועים אחרים משמעותיים לא שולבו מספיק לאורך הספר.
אבל בשורה התחתונה למדתי לא מעט. גם על טומי לפיד, גם על המשפחה שלו, גם קצת על עיתונות ופוליטיקה וניהול. טוב לקרוא על חיים של אנשים שעשו הרבה, גם אם מדובר בעיקר באנקדוטות. סך הכל מדובר בספר קריא ומרגש לפרקים.
February 28, 2011
I was a little apprehensive about Yair Lapid's style, having read his column in an Israeli newspaper in January and hated it, but was pleasantly surprised. His style in this book is nothing like his trying-too-hard-to-be-funny newspaper writing. Like a good biography, it made it easier to understand Tommy Lapid's actions in his life, and generated a lot of sympathy in me toward him. i even liked the concept of a fake first-person autobiography.
I wonder whether I'm starting to like biographies. This is the third one I've read and really liked in the past year.
I wonder whether I'm starting to like biographies. This is the third one I've read and really liked in the past year.
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