ISResilience: What Israelis Can Teach the World

by Michael Dickson, Naomi L. Baum

From well-known leaders making life-and-death decisions to ordinary people who have overcome incredible loss to do inspirational things, meet the Israelis who thrive against all odds and learn how you can too.

ISResilience is a study of a nation that has had to collectively and individually hang tough like no other country on earth. Imbued in Israel's DNA is the understanding that survival isn't optional - it's a necessity. Any Israeli could have given testimony for this book. Israelis routinely carry on with their day-to-day lives not just when things are calm and peaceful but when rockets are launched at them, during official conflicts and wars and unofficial waves of gruesome terrorism. And they don't just survive - they thrive.

Each chapter of this book profiles a diverse, compelling Israeli personality - some famous, some not, but all exceptional - and traces the characteristic that unites them all. The life lessons extrapolated from these interviewees can teach every one of us to be stronger people.

Written by a communications expert and Israel analyst together with a pioneering psychologist in the field of resilience research and treatment, ISResilience brings today's most in-demand skill to life and shows how we all can benefit from the trait embodied by the nation once admired by Princess Diana as "a plucky little country."

Part-history, part-biography, part-self-help manual, ISResilience is a study of a nation that has had to collectively and individually hang tough like no other country on earth. Each chapter comprises an interview with a compelling Israeli personality some famous, some not, but all exceptional profiles them, and traces the characteristic that unites them all resilience - extrapolating from them life lessons that can teach everyone of us to be stronger people.

From well-known leaders making life-and-death decisions to ordinary people who have overcome incredible loss to do inspirational things meet the Israelis that thrive against all odds, and learn how you can too.

Absorb yourself in the stories of people who:
toughed it out in a Soviet Gulag to emerge a human rights icon
overcame disability to pioneer tech helping paraplegics walk again
fell from the sky, beating death and emerging an Olympic hero
withstood 90% body burns to lead an iconic victory in battle
survived the Nazis turning from child orphan refugee to spiritual leader
broke through the glass ceiling to become a female Colonel
went from having limbs blown off to winning high office
overcame death threats to find his voice as an Arab in the Jewish State
climbed Mount Everest to forgo reaching the peak in order to save a life
gave up NBA fame to take a tiny country to basketball glory
got elected to parliament, refusing to have others in her community define what a women could achieve
turned unbearable grief into a promise to ease the pain of others
walked barefoot from Africa to reach the Promised Land
...and learn the keys to their resilience.

Genres: Israel, Nonfiction, Jewish

172 pages, Hardcover

Published October 28, 2020

About the author

Michael Dickson is Executive Director of StandWithUs in Israel, an international educational non-profit dedicated to supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism around the world. Michael regularly addresses audiences and broadcasts on issues pertaining to Israel and public diplomacy. He is an accomplished writer, with many published articles and TV appearances.

Michael is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Communication of Bar Ilan University, is an Honorary member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, and in 2015 was appointed to the Spectrum Forum of leading Executive Directors in Israel under the age of 40. In 2016, he was listed as the 14th most influential Jew on Twitter and also named in Channel 13 TV's "30 Israelis Making a Difference" at a special event at the President's Residence. Michael was listed in the Top 30 of "The Aliyah 100 List" of British immigrants to Israel as one of the "flag bearers who shape the State of Israel and made a significant contribution".

In 2019, he was awarded the Bonei Zion ("Builder of Zion") Prize, recognizing the achievements of outstanding Anglo immigrants and their contribution to the State of Israel, at a ceremony in the Tower of David, Jerusalem. In 2020, he was listed on the Global Jewish 100 - "a celebration of people across the world who are moving Jewish culture forward, selected according to their accomplishments, influence, and impact".
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Michael made Aliyah from the UK in 2006, and lives in Israel with his wife and five children.

Reviews

[Alessio Gerussi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a nice perspective on the features that characterize the resilience of Israeli people. Despite from time to time a bit too emphatic for a non-Israeli eye, I read this book during my time in Israel and during these months I tried to compare what I was reading with patterns in the conversations and actions of people I met. I can tell with a good degree of confidence that in my personal experience this book reflects the reality of people in Israel. Yet, as always, I cannot say which kind of book could be this one if I read from my house in Europe for example, without the blessing of experiencing its stories in the stories of people I met in everyday routine. I still advise to read it if you are interested in a well-written book on modern Israel.

[Yana Goldman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The resilience of Israelis - I know it first hand. And I love that there is a book about it. I love the stories. For the next book I would love it even more if there are more stories from "the other" Israelis. The druse, Muslims, Christians. Newcomers from Russia, India, France, Ethiopia. This is a very colorful country, those colors need to be shown and celebrated.

[Cheryl Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring book

Through personal stories and jaw dropping events this book explains how Israel and the Israeli people have overcome so much adversity to achieve so much in such a short time. I was moved and inspired by reading this book

[Talya Jacobson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this. Actually emotional to read about stories and the underlying sources of their resilience. Lots to absorb here, and learn from. Recommend!

[Ayelet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have followed Naomi Baum's work for years and am always impressed. Hopefully others can be equally inspired.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Great book featuring some very inspiring people. I would've liked it to go a bit more in-depth and feature more first-person narrative, but I would still very much recommend it.

[Cheryl Kloda · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader, I found , the book "ISResilience", to be a very inspiring book! The first chapter tells about Avigdor Kahalani who was a tank commander. He had a devastating injury during the war. He was burnt on over fifty percent of his body! I personally met Kahalani a few years ago. If, I hadn't been told what happened to him, I would never know. Here was a brave man who was enjoying his life! Israeli's from other walks of life are also discussed. Israel is a land with many diverse cultures and individual people. I found their Life Stories to be very inspiring as well. I highly recommend reading "Isresilience: What Israelis Can Teach The World".