Jerusalem: City of Mirrors

by Amos Elon

A portrait of Jerusalem which gives an insight into the kaleidoscopic culture of this magical city. Battle-scarred from 4000 years of violent conflict, the holy city is a sacred symbol of Judaism, Islam and Christianity and its religious wars of today reflect those of the past.

Genres: History, Jewish, Israel, Nonfiction, Travel, Middle East, Religion

Paperback

First published September 1, 1989

About the author

Amos Elon was an Israeli journalist and author.

Reviews

[Paul Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

We went to Jerusalem once for a holiday. Man, what a place. Guys with automatics slung over their shoulder, walking around in jeans and t-shirt; looney bearded religious types jumping on to large flower pots and declaiming some stuff about the Messiah or the Dead Sea Scrolls or the End Times or Microsoft; girl soldiers with full battle gear on carring more big guns and with Big Hair and all glammed up as if going to the disco - riding on buses with all the civilians; more guys with machine guns getting narky because we didn't hear the closing bell in the Golden Dome gardens; a damned heatwave, 38 degrees, my friends, touching 40 one day so that going outside was like when you open the oven to get the roasted chicken out; the world's heaviest airline trip with the luggage taken apart and finger searched, going and coming, and armed guards going on to the plane; we came back from Jerusalem and we needed a holiday!

This is a splendid book about the ins and outs of the myriad societies which inhabit Jerusalem.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never been to Jerusalem or Israel for that matter, but if I had a 'bucket' list I suppose they would be on it. Frankly, I was sort of saving this little book for just such a trip but as the reality of my finite term here sinks in, thought I better just go ahead and read it. Anyway Amos Elon (1926-2009) was apparently a fairly famous Israeli journalist working at Haaretz for many years and was author a number of books, several of which also look interesting. This one was published back in 1989 (just after the first Intifada in 1987 for those keeping score) but I don't suppose things have changed that much and 3,000? years of history remains to be dissected. He provides a fairly brief but fascinating summary and analysis of the numerous historical epochs, even touching on the pre-Hebrew era (the Jebusites, about which little is actually known). He brings the story through to the present (1989) day and of course is concerned by the trends evident even then with the growing radicalization in the Muslim population and concomitant trends on the Israeli right. His brief portrait of the Mea She'arim ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Jerusalem is fascinating if also somewhat disturbing. Unfortunately he is unable to do a similar portrait in a Muslim neighborhood. Yet all the trends he observes have become even more fraught and extremist in the past 35 or so years if that seems possible (just 1o years after the book came the Second Intifada). Elon provides a keen reporters eye combined with an engaging writing style and he is obviously very knowledgeable. There is a lot packed into a fairly short book with all kinds interesting observations and citations from the many writers, historians and famous personages who visited or wrote about it. As far as possible this seems to be an 'even-handed' and somewhat sympathetic (to all sides) account while taking full recognition of the pathologies that seem to plague this incredible spot on the earth. 4.5 stars rounded down partly because it was almost too short, a little dated and perhaps falls short of a masterpiece. On the other hand it is a small enough volume to stuff in a day pack and serve as an excellent travel guide for those of us who continue to insist on paper versus screens. Maybe that trip will occur someday!

[Jacob Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not a history but a "word portrait." In other words, it doesn't follow the story of Jerusalem in a linear fashion. Instead it paints a portrait of the city. This includes geography, history, music, neighborhoods, pilgrims, battles, architecture, legend, religion, archeology, eccentrics, ritual, conflict, and cooperation. It is surprisingly effective. I have read a couple of histories of Jerusalem before, and this book does a wonderful job of filling in gaps and bringing to light the soul of the city and the people who inhabit it.

[Zioluc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerusalemme è la città più affascinante che io abbia visto, soffocata dai tanti strati della sua storia, straziata dai conflitti etnici e religiosi ma vitale e misteriosa nei suoi riti religiosi e sociali.
Questo libro è un racconto non strutturato, una libera chiacchierata di una persona che conosce molto bene la città e di volta in volta si sofferma sulle guerre e gli assedi, poi sugli edifici e sugli scavi archeologici, quindi sull'impronta lasciata dagli Ebrei, dai Cristiani, dai Musulmani, dagli Inglesi, dai Russi e così via. Abbastanza piacevole da leggere, riporta molti aneddoti interessanti anche se non è particolarmente approfondito e non è aggiornato (è stato scritto negli anni '80).

[Rabbi Scott Meltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now a little dated but an important book for understanding the nature, challenges, and history of this unique city.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jerusalem defies explanation or understanding. A walk through the Church of the Holy Sepulcher confirms this. The church is, in some ways, a metaphor for the entire city. Elon has found a formula that helps make whatever sense can be made of this painful history and difficult present: "At the meeting of so many cultures, creeds, images, and countermines, of saints and hucksters, the city continues to embody a glorious idea and at the same time a dream found vain, wanting, and destructive. The past seems to have lost little, if any, of its power to inspire, animate and provoke. Where there is so much destructive memory, a little forgetfulness may be in order.

One interesting note from the book is that nineteenth century Zionist pioneers and their 20th century successors who founded the state of Israel were wary of Jerusalem and for the most part wanted the capital elsewhere. A number supported proposals for international control or shared sovereignty. This did not last after the wars that started in 1948.

[Robert Chesshir]

A very hard book to find but a good read about Jerusalem. It incorporated myth, history, rumours and facts.