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Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai
The incredible never-before-told story of Leonard Cohen's 1973 tour of Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
"Who by Fire is a stunning resurrection of a moment in the life of Leonard Cohen and the history of Israel. It’s the story of a young artist in crisis and a young country at war, and the powerful resonance of the chord struck between them. A beautiful, haunting book full of feeling." —Nicole Krauss, author of To Be a Man
In October, 1973, the poet and singer Leonard Cohen – 39 years old, famous, unhappy, and at a creative dead end – traveled to the Sinai desert and inserted himself into the chaos and bloodshed of the Yom Kippur War. Moving around the front with a guitar and a pick-up team of local musicians, Cohen dived headlong into the midst of a global crisis and met hundreds of fighting men and women at the worst moment of their lives. His audiences heard him knowing it might be the last thing they heard, and those who survived never forgot what they heard.
Cohen’s war tour was an electric cultural moment, one that still echoes today, and one that inspired some of his greatest songs – but a moment that only few knew about, until now. In Who By Fire, Canadian-Israeli journalist Matti Friedman gives us a riveting account of what happened during those weeks in Israel in October, 1973. With access to amazing and never-before-seen material written by Cohen himself, along with dozens of interviews and rare photographs, Friedman revives this fraught and stunning time, presenting an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the artist, and of the young people who heard him sing in the midst of combat.
Who By Fire brings us close to one the greatest, most brilliant and charismatic voices of our times, and gives us a rare glimpse of war, faith, and belonging.
"Who by Fire is a stunning resurrection of a moment in the life of Leonard Cohen and the history of Israel. It’s the story of a young artist in crisis and a young country at war, and the powerful resonance of the chord struck between them. A beautiful, haunting book full of feeling." —Nicole Krauss, author of To Be a Man
In October, 1973, the poet and singer Leonard Cohen – 39 years old, famous, unhappy, and at a creative dead end – traveled to the Sinai desert and inserted himself into the chaos and bloodshed of the Yom Kippur War. Moving around the front with a guitar and a pick-up team of local musicians, Cohen dived headlong into the midst of a global crisis and met hundreds of fighting men and women at the worst moment of their lives. His audiences heard him knowing it might be the last thing they heard, and those who survived never forgot what they heard.
Cohen’s war tour was an electric cultural moment, one that still echoes today, and one that inspired some of his greatest songs – but a moment that only few knew about, until now. In Who By Fire, Canadian-Israeli journalist Matti Friedman gives us a riveting account of what happened during those weeks in Israel in October, 1973. With access to amazing and never-before-seen material written by Cohen himself, along with dozens of interviews and rare photographs, Friedman revives this fraught and stunning time, presenting an intimate and unforgettable portrait of the artist, and of the young people who heard him sing in the midst of combat.
Who By Fire brings us close to one the greatest, most brilliant and charismatic voices of our times, and gives us a rare glimpse of war, faith, and belonging.
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First published August 30, 2021
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About the author
Matti Friedman
11 books217 followersMatti Friedman is an Israeli Canadian journalist and author.
Friedman was born in Canada and grew up in Toronto. In 1995, he made aliyah to Israel and now he lives in Jerusalem.
Between 2006 and the end of 2011, Friedman was a reporter and editor in the Jerusalem bureau of the Associated Press (AP) news agency. During his journalistic career, he also worked as a reporter in Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Moscow and Washington, D.C.
Following the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Friedman wrote an essay criticizing what he views as the international media's bias against Israel and undue focus on the country, stating that news organizations treat it as "most important story on earth." He cited the fact that when he was a correspondent at the Associated Press (AP), "the agency had more than 40 staffers covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. That was significantly more news staff than the AP had in China, Russia, or India, or in all of the 50 countries of sub-Saharan Africa combined. It was higher than the total number of news-gathering employees in all the countries where the uprisings of the 'Arab Spring” eventually erupted... I don’t mean to pick on the AP—the agency is wholly average, which makes it useful as an example. The big players in the news business practice groupthink, and these staffing arrangements were reflected across the herd." Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the piece went "viral" on Facebook. The Atlantic then invited Friedman to write a longer article.
Friedman's first book, The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible, was published in May 2012 by Algonquin Books. The book is an account of how the Aleppo Codex, "the oldest, most complete, most accurate text of the Hebrew Bible," came to reside in Israel. It was believed the codex had been destroyed during the 1947 Anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo when the Central Synagogue of Aleppo, where the codex was housed, was set on fire and badly damaged. In the book, Friedman also investigates how and why many of the codex's pages went missing and what their fate might be.
The book won the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, was selected as one of Booklist's top ten religion and spirituality books of 2012, was awarded the American Library Association's 2013 Sophie Brody Medal and the 2013 Canadian Jewish Book Award for history, and received second place for the Religion Newswriters Association's 2013 nonfiction religion book of the year.
Friedman was born in Canada and grew up in Toronto. In 1995, he made aliyah to Israel and now he lives in Jerusalem.
Between 2006 and the end of 2011, Friedman was a reporter and editor in the Jerusalem bureau of the Associated Press (AP) news agency. During his journalistic career, he also worked as a reporter in Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Moscow and Washington, D.C.
Following the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Friedman wrote an essay criticizing what he views as the international media's bias against Israel and undue focus on the country, stating that news organizations treat it as "most important story on earth." He cited the fact that when he was a correspondent at the Associated Press (AP), "the agency had more than 40 staffers covering Israel and the Palestinian territories. That was significantly more news staff than the AP had in China, Russia, or India, or in all of the 50 countries of sub-Saharan Africa combined. It was higher than the total number of news-gathering employees in all the countries where the uprisings of the 'Arab Spring” eventually erupted... I don’t mean to pick on the AP—the agency is wholly average, which makes it useful as an example. The big players in the news business practice groupthink, and these staffing arrangements were reflected across the herd." Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the piece went "viral" on Facebook. The Atlantic then invited Friedman to write a longer article.
Friedman's first book, The Aleppo Codex: A True Story of Obsession, Faith and the Pursuit of an Ancient Bible, was published in May 2012 by Algonquin Books. The book is an account of how the Aleppo Codex, "the oldest, most complete, most accurate text of the Hebrew Bible," came to reside in Israel. It was believed the codex had been destroyed during the 1947 Anti-Jewish riots in Aleppo when the Central Synagogue of Aleppo, where the codex was housed, was set on fire and badly damaged. In the book, Friedman also investigates how and why many of the codex's pages went missing and what their fate might be.
The book won the 2014 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature, was selected as one of Booklist's top ten religion and spirituality books of 2012, was awarded the American Library Association's 2013 Sophie Brody Medal and the 2013 Canadian Jewish Book Award for history, and received second place for the Religion Newswriters Association's 2013 nonfiction religion book of the year.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 192 reviews
November 2, 2025
I read this back in Sept. of "21" 5.0
Love Matti Friedman!!
It had to be difficult for him in writing this book simply- from lack of documented information. He speaks to this here as well as in his interviews which are online.
Cohen wanted to perform for the soldiers to give them back some of their lost spirit as they were reeling from the surprise attack on Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War; the holiest day of the year in the jewish religion. There were also personal reasons for Cohen traveling to Israel.
Primarily, for years he was having a personal struggle with G-d which is apparent as Friedman writes, but he was desperate for peace of mind.
Cohen sang his songs to the troops and with them -yes, but this particular song was one he sang specifically to G-d as a plea for help. He needed answers. We can speculate this as a test to his G-d, but what if the test failed. Hence, Who by Fire.. the song that owns the same title of this book.
Many opinions and few answers, yet when melded together; for me there, there are no wrong opinion. Searching for meaning through the lyrics certainly gives enough credence to Cohen's quests and to this book.
Friedman does an outstanding job with all of it just as Cohen wrote an outstanding song.
They would have make a great duo. Question is... can Mattie sing?
My kids don't know this book so I was blown away hearing them sing this verbatim -tune and all. Im up to two lines with a pathetic melody.
Love Matti Friedman!!
It had to be difficult for him in writing this book simply- from lack of documented information. He speaks to this here as well as in his interviews which are online.
Cohen wanted to perform for the soldiers to give them back some of their lost spirit as they were reeling from the surprise attack on Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War; the holiest day of the year in the jewish religion. There were also personal reasons for Cohen traveling to Israel.
Primarily, for years he was having a personal struggle with G-d which is apparent as Friedman writes, but he was desperate for peace of mind.
Cohen sang his songs to the troops and with them -yes, but this particular song was one he sang specifically to G-d as a plea for help. He needed answers. We can speculate this as a test to his G-d, but what if the test failed. Hence, Who by Fire.. the song that owns the same title of this book.
Many opinions and few answers, yet when melded together; for me there, there are no wrong opinion. Searching for meaning through the lyrics certainly gives enough credence to Cohen's quests and to this book.
Friedman does an outstanding job with all of it just as Cohen wrote an outstanding song.
They would have make a great duo. Question is... can Mattie sing?
My kids don't know this book so I was blown away hearing them sing this verbatim -tune and all. Im up to two lines with a pathetic melody.
December 7, 2023
In 1973, Leonard Cohen was having something like a mid-life crisis. He was 39 years old and decided he ran out of things to say and didn’t want to write songs anymore.
Then on October 6th of that year, which was the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, an Arab coalition launched a surprise attack on Israel.
Matti Friedman tells the story of Leonard Cohen coming to Israel when the war broke out. It’s the story of his complicated reaction to the events and his artistic rebirth.
While he was in Israel, he seemed to view himself as being there to support Israel. But after the war, he talked about being there for “Egyptians and Israelis” (in that order). Friedman proposes that we might think of this as a difference between “Leonard Cohen the man” and “Leonard Cohen the poet”. The man went to Israel out of an impulsive need to support his tribe. The poet wants to transcend nationalities and ethnicities.
I wish I could say more about what Cohen thought about the war, but he never talked much publicly about it. He did write a few songs while he was there, like Who By Fire and Lover Lover Lover which offer some clues. And he did leave behind a messy 45-page manuscript of some of his thoughts at that time, that Friedman got ahold of. Friedman does his best to shed light on what was going on in Cohen’s mind.
Whatever was Cohen’s motivations, his appearances and songs meant a lot to the soldiers and the greater Israeli population. Many have life-long memories of him being there. It’s hard to imagine the emotion underlying these performances, where soldiers are listening to songs hours before they are sent on a mission that might end their lives, or days after they saw a friend die.
The book is also the story of the Israelis and their incredible resilience and bravery. I was moved to hear stories of young people who were born in Israel and living flourishing lives far away when the events happened. They dropped everything and went back to Israel to fight for their country and risk their lives. Not reluctantly, but with an incredible sense of urgency. For people who were already in Israel, I was moved by the communal spirit as young people headed to the front lines and people who weren’t in the front lines worked tirelessly to keep the farms, households, and businesses in good order.
Even though Israel won the war, communal bonds frayed after the war. Trust in leaders eroded since Israel was caught unprepared, completely surprised by the attack. The attack happened during a time where border security was lighter because of it being a holy day. Overall, about 2600 Israelis died during the war, at a time when Israel only had about 3 million people living there.
Friedman talks about how Israel has not been the same since.
I didn’t really know anything about Leonard Cohen going into this book. The only thing I knew about him was that he wrote Hallelujah, a song I never liked. I still don’t care for much of his stuff, but I’m really glad I learned of Who By Fire and Lover Lover Lover. They are both incredible songs I’ve now listened to dozens of times.
If you don’t have time to read the book, this is a great one-hour interview with the author.
Then on October 6th of that year, which was the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, an Arab coalition launched a surprise attack on Israel.
Matti Friedman tells the story of Leonard Cohen coming to Israel when the war broke out. It’s the story of his complicated reaction to the events and his artistic rebirth.
While he was in Israel, he seemed to view himself as being there to support Israel. But after the war, he talked about being there for “Egyptians and Israelis” (in that order). Friedman proposes that we might think of this as a difference between “Leonard Cohen the man” and “Leonard Cohen the poet”. The man went to Israel out of an impulsive need to support his tribe. The poet wants to transcend nationalities and ethnicities.
I wish I could say more about what Cohen thought about the war, but he never talked much publicly about it. He did write a few songs while he was there, like Who By Fire and Lover Lover Lover which offer some clues. And he did leave behind a messy 45-page manuscript of some of his thoughts at that time, that Friedman got ahold of. Friedman does his best to shed light on what was going on in Cohen’s mind.
Whatever was Cohen’s motivations, his appearances and songs meant a lot to the soldiers and the greater Israeli population. Many have life-long memories of him being there. It’s hard to imagine the emotion underlying these performances, where soldiers are listening to songs hours before they are sent on a mission that might end their lives, or days after they saw a friend die.
The book is also the story of the Israelis and their incredible resilience and bravery. I was moved to hear stories of young people who were born in Israel and living flourishing lives far away when the events happened. They dropped everything and went back to Israel to fight for their country and risk their lives. Not reluctantly, but with an incredible sense of urgency. For people who were already in Israel, I was moved by the communal spirit as young people headed to the front lines and people who weren’t in the front lines worked tirelessly to keep the farms, households, and businesses in good order.
Even though Israel won the war, communal bonds frayed after the war. Trust in leaders eroded since Israel was caught unprepared, completely surprised by the attack. The attack happened during a time where border security was lighter because of it being a holy day. Overall, about 2600 Israelis died during the war, at a time when Israel only had about 3 million people living there.
Friedman talks about how Israel has not been the same since.
I didn’t really know anything about Leonard Cohen going into this book. The only thing I knew about him was that he wrote Hallelujah, a song I never liked. I still don’t care for much of his stuff, but I’m really glad I learned of Who By Fire and Lover Lover Lover. They are both incredible songs I’ve now listened to dozens of times.
If you don’t have time to read the book, this is a great one-hour interview with the author.
March 18, 2022
The fact that I’ve listened to this (at normal speed) within a day is testament to how much I loved this genre-defying audiobook.
It helps if you like Leonard Cohen but I’m not sure that it’s essential. By focusing on Cohen’s ‘visit’ to Israel during the Yom Kippur war, the author has created a multi-layered narrative that is at once insightful and particular but also says something powerful about all of us.
We begin with an introduction to the meaning of some key elements of the Yom Kippur service, inarguably the most powerfully spiritual service in the Jewish religion. The story of Jonah is related as part of that service and the author skilfully deconstructs this familiar story before moving on.
It isn’t until we look at Leonard Cohen’s own life that we suddenly understand why Friedman took the time to talk about Jonah. Cohen too spent much of his life metaphorically running away and refusing to follow a pre-ordained path. By the end of his life, like Jonah, you feel that he had finally reconciled himself with who he was meant to be, finally choosing priest over lecher. If you are in any doubt, listen to ‘You Want it Darker’ from his final album. Hineni.
This is also a beautiful and touching book about youth and war and about our complexity as human beings. Absolutely beautiful, can’t recommend it enough.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Orange Sky Audio for an arc of this audiobook. This review is my honest opinion.
It helps if you like Leonard Cohen but I’m not sure that it’s essential. By focusing on Cohen’s ‘visit’ to Israel during the Yom Kippur war, the author has created a multi-layered narrative that is at once insightful and particular but also says something powerful about all of us.
We begin with an introduction to the meaning of some key elements of the Yom Kippur service, inarguably the most powerfully spiritual service in the Jewish religion. The story of Jonah is related as part of that service and the author skilfully deconstructs this familiar story before moving on.
It isn’t until we look at Leonard Cohen’s own life that we suddenly understand why Friedman took the time to talk about Jonah. Cohen too spent much of his life metaphorically running away and refusing to follow a pre-ordained path. By the end of his life, like Jonah, you feel that he had finally reconciled himself with who he was meant to be, finally choosing priest over lecher. If you are in any doubt, listen to ‘You Want it Darker’ from his final album. Hineni.
This is also a beautiful and touching book about youth and war and about our complexity as human beings. Absolutely beautiful, can’t recommend it enough.
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Orange Sky Audio for an arc of this audiobook. This review is my honest opinion.
January 18, 2022
As a recent convert to the music and wisdom of Leonard Cohen, I have been actively searching out books about his life and career, especially if they offer an interesting and original angle.
Journalist Matti Friedman’s excellent and timely work “Who By Fire - Leonard Cohen in the Sinai” is one such book. It tells the true and astonishing story of an extraordinary chapter in the career of singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen that not only changed his life but also left an indelible impact on the state of Israel itself. To quote Friedman - “Sometimes an artist and an event interact to generate a spark far bigger than both”.
In 1973, Cohen travelled to Israel during the conflict known as the Yom Kippur War to give impromptu concerts to Israeli troops at the front lines in the Sinai desert. Friedman makes use of an unpublished document which Cohen himself wrote about his experiences during this time, as well as interviews with people who were there and actually attended the “concerts”.
Friedman paints a vivid account of the effect of Cohen’s songs on the young soldiers. Cohen himself was also reinvigorated by his journey, going on to write some of his best-known songs, including “Hallelujah”, after having contemplated retirement some months before. But Cohen’s visit also affected the nation’s music and “spiritual life,” leading the country to abandon “the militant secularism of the founders for an openness to the old wisdom.” This may sound incredible but Cohen was an incredible artist, and Friedman’s erudite prose brings the story to life with stunning credibility.
Friedman’s scholarly work is a glorious testament to a great artist and to the enduring power of song to change the world.
Journalist Matti Friedman’s excellent and timely work “Who By Fire - Leonard Cohen in the Sinai” is one such book. It tells the true and astonishing story of an extraordinary chapter in the career of singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen that not only changed his life but also left an indelible impact on the state of Israel itself. To quote Friedman - “Sometimes an artist and an event interact to generate a spark far bigger than both”.
In 1973, Cohen travelled to Israel during the conflict known as the Yom Kippur War to give impromptu concerts to Israeli troops at the front lines in the Sinai desert. Friedman makes use of an unpublished document which Cohen himself wrote about his experiences during this time, as well as interviews with people who were there and actually attended the “concerts”.
Friedman paints a vivid account of the effect of Cohen’s songs on the young soldiers. Cohen himself was also reinvigorated by his journey, going on to write some of his best-known songs, including “Hallelujah”, after having contemplated retirement some months before. But Cohen’s visit also affected the nation’s music and “spiritual life,” leading the country to abandon “the militant secularism of the founders for an openness to the old wisdom.” This may sound incredible but Cohen was an incredible artist, and Friedman’s erudite prose brings the story to life with stunning credibility.
Friedman’s scholarly work is a glorious testament to a great artist and to the enduring power of song to change the world.
March 20, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.
They knew death was waiting for them when the concert ended. He played for them knowing his music might be the last thing they heard... In photographs, the singer seems transported and the audience intent. This isn't Woodstock. This isn't a night out, and everyone's sober. The stakes are high. Something important is happening.
Ugh so good. I thoroughly enjoyed delving into Cohen's trip to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. I, like many, didn't know much about it other than that he went to Israel and he played for the soldiers. Hearing testimonies, soliders' own experiences in the war and/or meeting Cohen was so interesting and intriguing. Even though I obviously knew the outcome of the war, I was incredibly invested in the personal accounts of what really went down. This book just does an excellent job at really emphasizing how young these soldiers were, and made me feel for them immensely. Friedman did an excellent job of really making you feel the anxieties, the stress, and the shift in the atmosphere at yet another war since the 6 Day War.
Hearing from Cohen's personal account from this time was just incredible. He can be such an enigma, and I'm so fascinated by him. Overall, Friedman did such an incredible job at weaving Cohen's personal work with the lives of those who fought and were witnesses to his show. Highly recommended.
They knew death was waiting for them when the concert ended. He played for them knowing his music might be the last thing they heard... In photographs, the singer seems transported and the audience intent. This isn't Woodstock. This isn't a night out, and everyone's sober. The stakes are high. Something important is happening.
Ugh so good. I thoroughly enjoyed delving into Cohen's trip to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. I, like many, didn't know much about it other than that he went to Israel and he played for the soldiers. Hearing testimonies, soliders' own experiences in the war and/or meeting Cohen was so interesting and intriguing. Even though I obviously knew the outcome of the war, I was incredibly invested in the personal accounts of what really went down. This book just does an excellent job at really emphasizing how young these soldiers were, and made me feel for them immensely. Friedman did an excellent job of really making you feel the anxieties, the stress, and the shift in the atmosphere at yet another war since the 6 Day War.
Hearing from Cohen's personal account from this time was just incredible. He can be such an enigma, and I'm so fascinated by him. Overall, Friedman did such an incredible job at weaving Cohen's personal work with the lives of those who fought and were witnesses to his show. Highly recommended.
April 13, 2022
Matti Friedman writes beautifully. He researches deeply. Both of those qualities are on ample display in his latest book (my copy is titled/subtitled, Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai). The book focuses on what outside Israel is a little-known episode from Cohen's life: the time that he spent in Israel after the country was attacked in October 1973.
September 18, 2022
In one sense, this is definitely not the sort of book I normally read, and in another sense, it is precisely the sort of book I like to read. I have always enjoyed Matte Friedman, his books, his commentary and his coverage of events. I believe after this book I have a deeper appreciation of the topics he embraces.
The theme to his books seems to be transitions. "Spies of No Country" looked at an at a time when Israel was first starting, being led in many ways by Eastern European Ashkenazim, only to rely on Mizrachim from Arab countries for intelligence. "Pumkinflowers" looks at another time of change when Israel entered into a conflict to protect it's citizens on it's northern border only to end up in a no win Vietnam situation at home.
It is these polar opposites that create the tension in which everyday life exists; especially in Israel. Was this a story about Leonard Cohen seemingly at the end of his musical career trying to figure out what is next? Is this a story of a country that went from the elation of winning the 6 Day War believing they were invincible only to be woken by the surprise attack of the Yom Kippur War? Or is this a story how Israelis endured, suffered and came through another existential threat. I think it is a little of all of them with Matti Friedman throwing in his astute observation through careful research and an innate understanding of what it is to be Jewish and Israeli.
I like to read about Judaism, Israel, Zionism, History, Antisemitism and the Holocaust to learn more about my past so that I may pass down my inheritance to my children and grandchildren. This is the type of book that you read, ponder, and then perhaps, in the near future pick it up again and get new insights.
The theme to his books seems to be transitions. "Spies of No Country" looked at an at a time when Israel was first starting, being led in many ways by Eastern European Ashkenazim, only to rely on Mizrachim from Arab countries for intelligence. "Pumkinflowers" looks at another time of change when Israel entered into a conflict to protect it's citizens on it's northern border only to end up in a no win Vietnam situation at home.
It is these polar opposites that create the tension in which everyday life exists; especially in Israel. Was this a story about Leonard Cohen seemingly at the end of his musical career trying to figure out what is next? Is this a story of a country that went from the elation of winning the 6 Day War believing they were invincible only to be woken by the surprise attack of the Yom Kippur War? Or is this a story how Israelis endured, suffered and came through another existential threat. I think it is a little of all of them with Matti Friedman throwing in his astute observation through careful research and an innate understanding of what it is to be Jewish and Israeli.
I like to read about Judaism, Israel, Zionism, History, Antisemitism and the Holocaust to learn more about my past so that I may pass down my inheritance to my children and grandchildren. This is the type of book that you read, ponder, and then perhaps, in the near future pick it up again and get new insights.
February 7, 2023
I thought this book was supposed to be about the renewal of Leonard Cohen's career and maybe the resurrection of his spirit as a consequence of singing to the soldiers at the front during the Yom Kippur War. Until midway that's what I thought it was about. He didn't go to Israel intending to sing, and only after he arrived did he feel his way into doing that. But as the book progressed toward its end, I was no longer sure about its theme. His singing may have been a blessing to some of those who heard him, but possibly his career wasn't transformed until he was an old man. Before that, he was a rock star like other rock stars, and maybe only in his old age did he become something more. As the author says, age is what it took to outstrip his demons.
The book was also about the suffering and death of war -- war made personal, and the impact of violent loss down through the decades on those bereft. In that, the theme is universal.
These are my reactions and not necessarily what the author intended to convey.
Three and a half stars.
The book was also about the suffering and death of war -- war made personal, and the impact of violent loss down through the decades on those bereft. In that, the theme is universal.
These are my reactions and not necessarily what the author intended to convey.
Three and a half stars.
September 28, 2022
This is the story of a little-known piece of Leonard Cohen’s life. At 37, he had heard about the unrest in Isreal. He retired, left home, and traveled from the Greek island of Hydra to the chaos and bloodshed of the Sinai desert. He visited the front lines of the Yom Kippur War when Egypt attacked Israel on the Jewish high holiday of Yom Kippur and did a series of concerts for the soldiers and people. The book includes rare pages from his unfinished manuscript and rare photographs not many have seen.
The story of is really about Leonard Cohen and how he struggles with his (Jewish) tribal affinity versus his understanding that he's a universal poet who can't be part of one tribe and has to address the soul of humanity. You really see him struggle with those questions as the war progresses and as he writes songs during the war and is inspired by the war afterward.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
The story of is really about Leonard Cohen and how he struggles with his (Jewish) tribal affinity versus his understanding that he's a universal poet who can't be part of one tribe and has to address the soul of humanity. You really see him struggle with those questions as the war progresses and as he writes songs during the war and is inspired by the war afterward.
To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...
August 7, 2022
Pues... está lo máximo.
Lloré al final.
Lloré al final.
November 10, 2024
WHO BY FIRE - Leonard Cohen in the Sinai is a difficult read on many levels.
The historical records of this period in the singer/songwriter’s life are contradictory, often sketchy.
Cohen’s personal journals and notes - most never published -were often vague, consisting of disjointed words or song lyrics. Dates or place names were absent.
The recollections of the Yom Kippur war(October,1973) elicited from survivors, now almost 50 years later, were lost in aging memories.
Cohen himself was tight-lipped, evasive when interviewers tried to understand why he would have traveled,unannounced, uninvited and unaccompanied to a war zone’s front lines.
There is an attempt here to bridge the complex lives of two very disparate Leonard Cohens. A 30-something Leonard, wealthy background, tried to run from his faith and heritage by indulging in meaningless affairs, alcohol and drugs; this was a Leonard who walked out of one of his own concerts.
Then there was the later Leonard, the poised 80-something icon who charmed the world with his fedora and suit in sold out concert venues all over the world.
This book is an effort to fill in the enormous gap between the two Cohens.
A few hundred pages and so little to go by.
Good writing. Great research.
A difficult read, nonetheless.
The historical records of this period in the singer/songwriter’s life are contradictory, often sketchy.
Cohen’s personal journals and notes - most never published -were often vague, consisting of disjointed words or song lyrics. Dates or place names were absent.
The recollections of the Yom Kippur war(October,1973) elicited from survivors, now almost 50 years later, were lost in aging memories.
Cohen himself was tight-lipped, evasive when interviewers tried to understand why he would have traveled,unannounced, uninvited and unaccompanied to a war zone’s front lines.
There is an attempt here to bridge the complex lives of two very disparate Leonard Cohens. A 30-something Leonard, wealthy background, tried to run from his faith and heritage by indulging in meaningless affairs, alcohol and drugs; this was a Leonard who walked out of one of his own concerts.
Then there was the later Leonard, the poised 80-something icon who charmed the world with his fedora and suit in sold out concert venues all over the world.
This book is an effort to fill in the enormous gap between the two Cohens.
A few hundred pages and so little to go by.
Good writing. Great research.
A difficult read, nonetheless.
February 5, 2024
This was an interesting idea for a book, but it kind of read like a long magazine article. I love Leonard Cohen - and the research for this project is impressive. The author explores a tiny but important period of Cohen’s life when he performed for Israeli troops during the Yom Kippur war. Maybe it’s the timing, but I couldn’t help but think how different war carried out by drones is from frontline battles fought by exhausted soldiers. It was fascinating to see the evolution of one of Cohen’s great songs during this period, but something about the book as a whole left me a little flat. Time to put a plug in for Sylvie Simmons’ I’m Your Man if you want to read a great Cohen biography. And to listen to some Leonard.
June 12, 2022
A great book that combines the biography of one of the world known singers with the israeli history and also relates to the topic of music or performance and war as a performance by itself. I was also touched by the personal stories of israelis in this book.
April 18, 2022
A very welcome account of a largely-unknown chapter in Leonard’s life. Impeccably and astutely written, the writing is fully worthy of its subject icon.
June 26, 2022
Fascinating and moving. Highly recommended.
October 15, 2023
“Soldiers aren’t mental patients but sometimes they’re not far, and some of them will be later on. In a war anyone who’s honest knows they’ve been defeated, even if their side wins.”
January 1, 2024
Startlingly relevant.
October 15, 2022
This book is about a little-known episode in Leonard Cohen’s life. In 1973 he hit a wall both emotionally and creatively. He was living on Hydra with his partner and toddler son. While he longed for domesticity, he felt restless and confined by it, and creatively stalled. When he heard about the October 6 1973 start of the Yom Kippur War, he felt a visceral need to go to Israel and within days arrived in Tel Aviv. He had no plan (and certainly no desire to fight as a soldier) but he soon connected with various local musicians, and began a tour of military bases that lasted for almost the entirety of the mercifully short war. From his experiences during this time, he was revitalized in his writing and wrote a number of songs that went on to be Cohen standards.
The book is fascinating and yet odd. Cohen is at best an eminence gris in the story, as he wasn’t alive by the time it was written. The author had extensive access to diaries and notebooks held by the Cohen estate. He used them well but by necessity, as Cohen rarely spoke of this episode to anyone ever again, there were a lot of “might have thought”, “probably meant”, kind of references to ideas and events.
I really liked the author’s interviews with Israelis who were there at the time, both soldiers and civilians. Their takes on both Cohen’s visit and the bigger picture of the war itself were just a interesting as the Cohen story.
There was a lot packed into roughly 200 pages. I couldn’t put it down.
The book is fascinating and yet odd. Cohen is at best an eminence gris in the story, as he wasn’t alive by the time it was written. The author had extensive access to diaries and notebooks held by the Cohen estate. He used them well but by necessity, as Cohen rarely spoke of this episode to anyone ever again, there were a lot of “might have thought”, “probably meant”, kind of references to ideas and events.
I really liked the author’s interviews with Israelis who were there at the time, both soldiers and civilians. Their takes on both Cohen’s visit and the bigger picture of the war itself were just a interesting as the Cohen story.
There was a lot packed into roughly 200 pages. I couldn’t put it down.
October 12, 2022
A wonderful book. Friedman ably balances Cohen's personal story in Israel with a history of the 73 Yom Kippur war. Cohen is an enigmatic figure; and through this unique personality, Friedman is able to show us a different side to Israel. Friedman's book tells us how the 73 war played a pivotal role in Israel's "national personality" much as it did on a personal and professional level for Cohen. This is neither a complete biography of Cohen nor a history of the war; but through it one will learn a lot about both in an intimate and charming way.
The audio version does a great job; with a voice actor portraying Cohen when Cohen's unpublished account of his time in Israel during the war. Otherwise the author reads it; and does so as skillfully as a professional reader.
The audio version does a great job; with a voice actor portraying Cohen when Cohen's unpublished account of his time in Israel during the war. Otherwise the author reads it; and does so as skillfully as a professional reader.
September 24, 2023
In 1973 the Egyptians and the Syrians staged a surprise attack on Israel on the holiest day of the year in the Jewish calendar. Cohen was living on an island in Greece and felt compelled to go to Israel even though he was non-observant.
The author did a lot of research both in the Leonard Cohen archives and in doing interviews with those people who worked in some way with Cohen when he was there. That was necessary because Cohen was never very forthcoming about his motivations or his experiences for this part of his life.
I will admit that I have never been much of a fan of his music or poetry - but Friedman paints such a compelling picture that that fact does not matter. It gave me an understanding of who this very creative person was and perhaps a bit more about the coreageuos nature of the Israelis in 1973.
The author did a lot of research both in the Leonard Cohen archives and in doing interviews with those people who worked in some way with Cohen when he was there. That was necessary because Cohen was never very forthcoming about his motivations or his experiences for this part of his life.
I will admit that I have never been much of a fan of his music or poetry - but Friedman paints such a compelling picture that that fact does not matter. It gave me an understanding of who this very creative person was and perhaps a bit more about the coreageuos nature of the Israelis in 1973.
May 29, 2022
I usually love Matti Friedman's books because he finds a subject of which people have heard and then delves in so he reader gets not only the whole story, but how the story relates to the culture and development of the modern State of Israel.
Who By Fire is no exception. Friedman thoroughly researched Leonard Cohen's visit to Israel during the Yom Kippur War and uses Cohen's own writings at the time to show Cohen's first and true impressions of his time in Israel. These musings, much like Cohen himself, are kind of wandering and poetic, and a little hard to understand without being put into context by Friedman.
There are several chapters with graphic details of the Yom Kippur War, and Friedman's straightforward style amplifies the gruesome details of fatalities on both sides.
An interesting book for both fans of Cohen and those interested in the history of Israel.
Who By Fire is no exception. Friedman thoroughly researched Leonard Cohen's visit to Israel during the Yom Kippur War and uses Cohen's own writings at the time to show Cohen's first and true impressions of his time in Israel. These musings, much like Cohen himself, are kind of wandering and poetic, and a little hard to understand without being put into context by Friedman.
There are several chapters with graphic details of the Yom Kippur War, and Friedman's straightforward style amplifies the gruesome details of fatalities on both sides.
An interesting book for both fans of Cohen and those interested in the history of Israel.
June 25, 2025
Leonard Cohen was right.
Friedman is a really excellent writer, I would like to read more of his work in the future.
I was fascinated to hear the details of Cohen’s excursion to the Sinai, where he was playing music for his “brothers”. His journals and interviews (selections were included) were a highlight. He said crazy things. What a radical Jew, we need more of the essence.
I wish I could be at that Tel Aviv cafe with him and Matti Caspi.
Friedman is a really excellent writer, I would like to read more of his work in the future.
I was fascinated to hear the details of Cohen’s excursion to the Sinai, where he was playing music for his “brothers”. His journals and interviews (selections were included) were a highlight. He said crazy things. What a radical Jew, we need more of the essence.
I wish I could be at that Tel Aviv cafe with him and Matti Caspi.
December 16, 2023
This is as much about the complex, often fraught relationship between diasporic Jews and Israelis as it is about Leonard Cohen during the Yom Kippur War. Timely stuff. It’s not as personal and brilliant as Friedman’s “Pumpkinflowers,” but still very much worth reading.
September 5, 2024
Very good, meticulously researched - learned some things about Israel and Cohen. I recommend the audio version narrated by the author and an actor who voices the Leonard Cohen writings and sounds just like him.
July 17, 2025
Excellent excellent book about Leonard Cohen’s time on the front lines in Israel during the Yom Kippur War, inspiring Lover Lover Lover. Friedman is a great non fiction writer, and I really enjoyed the audiobook, read by him!
April 25, 2022
Fascinating record of a strange and wonderful moment for Israel and popular music.
September 10, 2022
A great, short read. Very evocative. Learned a lot both about the war and about Cohen, somebody I've been listening to for decades, have read a few books by and about but definitely wouldn't call myself a deeply knowledgeable fan of.
One of the duties of a priest, a Cohen, is to stand in front of the congregation and call down divine protection. "May God bless and guard you***." Invoking this shield is what a Cohen does.
I didn't quite understand the significance of the surname Cohen, what having it meant and how seriously Leonard took it.
I watched the documentary of the '72 tour years ago and still sort of have the image of a...deeply troubled troubadour imprinted on my mind. Back then it was surprising seeing the man who would become the smiley old behatted gentleman I saw live in 2008 be so...unmoored (and high). Also calling the band The Army seemed weird. After having read the book and his views on discipline (army or monastery as a tool to deal with oneself and one's urges), it makes a lot more sense.
He said it's easier to go than it is to stay. The excitement of war against the ordeal of warmth and monotony. Going is the easy way. Going is an alibi. We're not meant for the easy way.
He pretty much went into this war because he couldn't deal with being a partner to Suzanne (not that Suzanne; the mother of his children didn't get a song named after her) and a father to his older child, Adam. Also at that point he had a bit of a career crisis as well. Wasn't sure if he had anything more to give as a musician.
Note: I'm perhaps less scandalised by the pre-war parts of the presented manuscript than the author is, bless him.
Since I actually wanted to learn about the war as much as about what Leonard was doing there, I found the passages describing what was going on in it and how it was proceeding as interesting as the actual Cohen bits. But the best, unsurprisingly, were the passages where Israelis and Eliezer Cohen met.
... Cohen was inducted [in a café in Tel Aviv] into the improvised musical corps that has followed the Israeli army into battle since The Independence War of 1948. When the fighting starts, the country's singers show up to play - it's considered part of being a successful musician, a kind of tax you pay for not fighting yourself.
*
The Israeli musicians who travelled with Cohen say he asked them to use his Hebrew name, Eliezer. "Leonard" is hard for Israelis to pronounce: leh-oh-narrrd.
*
*
17. Men were getting killed. I began to end our show with a new song. The chorus was: Lover lover lover lover lover lover lover come back to me.
18. I said to myself, perhaps I can protect some people with this song. I would keep it going for a long time.
*
*
It is as if you're in the desert and God comes down to you and starts speaking. I was like Moses hearing the voice, and I walked toward it.
I'll paint the picture for you: A steel helmet on the sand. Sitting on the helmet is a figure with a guitar, singing Lover Lover Lover.
*
Here in the desert, Cohen gave no sign of recognition and didn't seem talkative. Shlomi was so surprised to see the singer in the war that he said nothing. He tried to call his friends, but they were hungry and tired and did not know Leonard Cohen. So he just listened along with two or three other soldiers who drifted over.
Cohen didn't talk about his war musician era much at all afterwards. The manuscript, from which this book quotes, was never finished and never released. So did it have any impact and in what way?
"After I'd been in this little war, which had a big effect on me, when I came back to Hydra after the war, I thought I'd try to make a go of it, of this situation. The was a little child, there was a nice house in Hydra, there was Suzanne, we had history. And there was so much death and horror in the world, you know? I'm going to tend that little garden. It may not be the garden I wanted and exactly the flowers I planted, but it's my little garden and I'm going to do my best."
The year after the war, Cohen and Suzanne had a second child, a daughter, whom they named Lorca, after the Spanish poet.
Cohen returned to perform in Israel one more time, in 2009, almost a year to the day I saw him perform in Prague. He concluded this last concert of that leg of the tour in a very Cohen-like manner:
The stadium was quiet. Cohen raised his hands and parted his fingers. He switched from English to Hebrew [...], the language of the priests, fifteen words. He blessed the people and left the stage.
***May God bless you and guard you.
May God shine His face upon you and be gracious to you.
May God lift up His face to you and grant you peace.
One of the duties of a priest, a Cohen, is to stand in front of the congregation and call down divine protection. "May God bless and guard you***." Invoking this shield is what a Cohen does.
I didn't quite understand the significance of the surname Cohen, what having it meant and how seriously Leonard took it.
I watched the documentary of the '72 tour years ago and still sort of have the image of a...deeply troubled troubadour imprinted on my mind. Back then it was surprising seeing the man who would become the smiley old behatted gentleman I saw live in 2008 be so...unmoored (and high). Also calling the band The Army seemed weird. After having read the book and his views on discipline (army or monastery as a tool to deal with oneself and one's urges), it makes a lot more sense.
He said it's easier to go than it is to stay. The excitement of war against the ordeal of warmth and monotony. Going is the easy way. Going is an alibi. We're not meant for the easy way.
He pretty much went into this war because he couldn't deal with being a partner to Suzanne (not that Suzanne; the mother of his children didn't get a song named after her) and a father to his older child, Adam. Also at that point he had a bit of a career crisis as well. Wasn't sure if he had anything more to give as a musician.
Note: I'm perhaps less scandalised by the pre-war parts of the presented manuscript than the author is, bless him.
Since I actually wanted to learn about the war as much as about what Leonard was doing there, I found the passages describing what was going on in it and how it was proceeding as interesting as the actual Cohen bits. But the best, unsurprisingly, were the passages where Israelis and Eliezer Cohen met.
... Cohen was inducted [in a café in Tel Aviv] into the improvised musical corps that has followed the Israeli army into battle since The Independence War of 1948. When the fighting starts, the country's singers show up to play - it's considered part of being a successful musician, a kind of tax you pay for not fighting yourself.
*
The Israeli musicians who travelled with Cohen say he asked them to use his Hebrew name, Eliezer. "Leonard" is hard for Israelis to pronounce: leh-oh-narrrd.
*
*
17. Men were getting killed. I began to end our show with a new song. The chorus was: Lover lover lover lover lover lover lover come back to me.
18. I said to myself, perhaps I can protect some people with this song. I would keep it going for a long time.
*
*
It is as if you're in the desert and God comes down to you and starts speaking. I was like Moses hearing the voice, and I walked toward it.
I'll paint the picture for you: A steel helmet on the sand. Sitting on the helmet is a figure with a guitar, singing Lover Lover Lover.
*
Here in the desert, Cohen gave no sign of recognition and didn't seem talkative. Shlomi was so surprised to see the singer in the war that he said nothing. He tried to call his friends, but they were hungry and tired and did not know Leonard Cohen. So he just listened along with two or three other soldiers who drifted over.
Cohen didn't talk about his war musician era much at all afterwards. The manuscript, from which this book quotes, was never finished and never released. So did it have any impact and in what way?
"After I'd been in this little war, which had a big effect on me, when I came back to Hydra after the war, I thought I'd try to make a go of it, of this situation. The was a little child, there was a nice house in Hydra, there was Suzanne, we had history. And there was so much death and horror in the world, you know? I'm going to tend that little garden. It may not be the garden I wanted and exactly the flowers I planted, but it's my little garden and I'm going to do my best."
The year after the war, Cohen and Suzanne had a second child, a daughter, whom they named Lorca, after the Spanish poet.
Cohen returned to perform in Israel one more time, in 2009, almost a year to the day I saw him perform in Prague. He concluded this last concert of that leg of the tour in a very Cohen-like manner:
The stadium was quiet. Cohen raised his hands and parted his fingers. He switched from English to Hebrew [...], the language of the priests, fifteen words. He blessed the people and left the stage.
***May God bless you and guard you.
May God shine His face upon you and be gracious to you.
May God lift up His face to you and grant you peace.
July 2, 2023
It’s quite a moving book, told with great nuance. You learn a lot about both a world famous artist and a nation at a pivotal time in both their histories.
April 23, 2022
A Masterpiece
Moving, informative, reflective, poetic, historic travel log of Leonard Cohen, 1973 Israel Yom Kippur War w Leonard Cohen unaccompanied by any one else, came to the front lines in Suez... Then traveling a bit past 1973 each momental year until Leonard Cohen's final 2009 concert in Tel Aviv. ... Until his passing .
Well written, Matti Freidman. Thank you for this story...
Moving, informative, reflective, poetic, historic travel log of Leonard Cohen, 1973 Israel Yom Kippur War w Leonard Cohen unaccompanied by any one else, came to the front lines in Suez... Then traveling a bit past 1973 each momental year until Leonard Cohen's final 2009 concert in Tel Aviv. ... Until his passing .
Well written, Matti Freidman. Thank you for this story...
April 19, 2022
Matti Friedman's research for this book is astonishing and I'm grateful that he was interested enough to dig our the information, find people who were there in 1973 and interview them. This is a story about Israel meeting a crises and coming of age, along with Leonard Cohen's discovery of his true talents as a poet, songwriter and dare I say, "prophet." Leonard Cohen discovers himself as a mortal and a cohen, in Israel, in the Sinai desert, near the front lines, with soldiers, kids mostly, who are in the middle of fighting a war. A rare look at Leonard Cohen and of the '73 war. If you love Leonard Cohen this is a must read. If you love Israel, this a must read. If you are not sure, but are curious, this is a must read.
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