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Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide to the Magic, Mystery, and Chaos of Life in the Holy Land
"Fantastic! Precisely the kind of Israel education we all need. Israel 201 helps you understand the real Israel, in all of her complexity and beauty." - Mayim Bialik
Israel is in the news a lot, and almost always for the same things: conflict, elections, or the occasional start-up that sells for a billion dollars.
In Israel 201, Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt pull back the curtain and show you the people, places, and phenomena that make the country truly unique, and that can happen "only in Israel." From Yom Kippur bike sales to Jerusalem's cat conundrum, shomer Shabbos car insurance to LGBTQ combat soldiers in the IDF, this is the Israel you haven’t heard about.
Based on the authors’ own experiences living in Israel a combined twenty-five years and interviews with Israeli A-listers like Fauda cocreator Avi Issacharoff, Olympian Yael Arad, and others, Israel 201 is a behind-the-scenes look at the magic, mystery, and chaos of one of the most fascinating, and misunderstood, countries on earth.
Israel is in the news a lot, and almost always for the same things: conflict, elections, or the occasional start-up that sells for a billion dollars.
In Israel 201, Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt pull back the curtain and show you the people, places, and phenomena that make the country truly unique, and that can happen "only in Israel." From Yom Kippur bike sales to Jerusalem's cat conundrum, shomer Shabbos car insurance to LGBTQ combat soldiers in the IDF, this is the Israel you haven’t heard about.
Based on the authors’ own experiences living in Israel a combined twenty-five years and interviews with Israeli A-listers like Fauda cocreator Avi Issacharoff, Olympian Yael Arad, and others, Israel 201 is a behind-the-scenes look at the magic, mystery, and chaos of one of the most fascinating, and misunderstood, countries on earth.
- GenresIsrael
269 pages, Paperback
First published January 28, 2023
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March 5, 2023
ISRAEL 201 YOUR NEXT LEVEL GUIDE TO THE MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND CHAOS OF LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND
I’ve been to Israel five times and know many Israelis. Even so, I learned a lot while Reading ISRAEL 201 YOUR NEXT LEVEL GUIDE TO THE MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND CHAOS OF LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND. It is everything authors Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt promise.
Both authors moved to Israel from North America a few decades ago and are comedians. Thus, they are knowledgeable about their subject and laugh-out-loud funny, when appropriate.
ISRAEL 201 has eight chapters, each with short sections on various topics. Starting off with “The Israel Psyche,” they move on to the Hebrew language, politics, education, economy, military, “The Arts, Culture, Sports, and Leisure,” and end with aliyah. In addition, there are a helpful preface, quiz, afterward, games and glossary.
When Israelis meet people, they omit the small talk and ask what many outsiders would consider personal questions. While some people consider it chutzpah, Chasnoff and Lovitt explain the reasons behind Israeli actions and how there is much more to it. They invite strangers into their homes for meals, provide refreshments for people coming there to do repairs or deliver packages, and willingly help people in crisis.
Even though they live in a dangerous neighborhood and have one of the highest tax rates in the world, which supports their free health care and education, they are among the happiest people in the world.
Israelis feel responsible for each other. Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Memorial Day, is not celebrated by sales, picnics, fireworks, and sporting events. Everyone in Israel is related to or knows someone who either survived the Shoah or has died in a war or terrorist attack. When a siren sounds, everyone stands in respectful silence.
The first question in the “Pre-Course Quiz How Israeli are you?” reads:
1. You’re stopped at a red light. The light turns green but the car in front of you doesn’t move. You:
a. Wait patiently for the car to go.
b. Beep your horn gently.
c. Blare your horn loudly and continuously, shouting “Nu!” until the moron finally goes.
(HINT: It’s none of the above. I think there was an Israeli driver behind me in Ohio earlier this week.)
In the chapter on the Hebrew language, they explain
“the word for truth, emet, consists of three letters: alef, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; mem, the middle letter; and taf, the final letter. Sheker (lie), meanwhile, consists of three consecutive letters that are rearranged (like Q-R-S becoming S-Q-R). According to Professor Gabi Shetrit, the difference between truth and lies is not the presence or absence of facts, but how they are presented. ‘The truth encompasses all facts, from beginning to middle to end,’ he says. ‘A liar, however, selects a mere portion of the facts, rearranges them, and presents them as the entire story.’ This also explains why liars are so dangerous: their stories contain just enough of the truth to be believable, while leaving out the parts that don’t serve them.’”
Sounds like American today.
The chapter on Politics has a section titled “Politics 120 ÷ 2 + 1 = Chaos.” In Israel, people vote for one of the more than a dozen parties which ranks its candidates. Many people don’t know many of the people on the slate. It is rare for a party to win a majority of 120 seats in the Knesset which results in trying to build coalitions. The Prime Minister’s post is for five years, but can be tossed out and early elections held. In fact, there have been 4 Prime Ministers since 2020. It’s almost like the most recent election for Speaker of the House in the current Republican majority US Congress.
Almost everyone enters the IDF at age 18. There they work together
regardless of their religious beliefs, family status, or racial identity.
There are five public school systems: Jewish secular, Jewish religious, Arab Christian, Arab Muslim, and Arab Druze. They are very different from those in most Western cultures. There are no school buses, no playgrounds, no homework, and not much academic rigor. Students invent their own games (this book includes some of them). Students attend parent-teacher conferences with the parents who usually observe the interaction between the teacher and student.
There are no high-stakes, cutthroat competition for college admission. No summer internships. Students spend their summers being kids. Being inducted into the Army at 18 will quickly teach them the realities of adulthood
Employees and school children alike are very informal and outspoken. They ask questions, make suggestions, and, more importantly, are listened to. That is one reason Israel has a reputation of being innovative.
Israel has a disproportionate number of world-class scientists, writers, academics, and entrepreneurs, more Nobel laureates per capita than US, France, or Germany and is third among the countries on NASDAQ, behind China and US.
Gun control is very strict and requires requirements for receiving a license, the number and kinds of weapons a person may own, and how many bullets they may purchase.
Abortions are legal although they must be approved by a committee.
GLBTQ people are strongly present and involved.
In the medical field, 1/3 of the pharmacists are Arab. In the hospitals, the medical staff is disproportionately Arab and Observant Jews. Israel’s Covid Czar was a Druze physician.
It’s emergency services are unique. Of the 34,000 paramedics, 30,000 are volunteers including thousands of Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) teens. As a Red Cross organization, Mogen David Adom, cannot be affiliated with the government and depends on donations, even for its ambulances. First responders, contacted at their current locations, are quick to respond, often arriving at the scene before the ambulances arrive. More than 3000 teens, some as young as 15) take required 64-hour volunteer course and, once certified, serve in the ambulances.
The last chapter includes hilarious examples of how mixing up a letter or syllable in a Hebrew word changes the entire meaning.
ISRAEL 201 YOUR NEXT LEVEL GUIDE TO THE MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND CHAOS OF LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND is a treasure, well-written, informative, and entertaining.
I received a copy of ISRAEL 201 from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
I’ve been to Israel five times and know many Israelis. Even so, I learned a lot while Reading ISRAEL 201 YOUR NEXT LEVEL GUIDE TO THE MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND CHAOS OF LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND. It is everything authors Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt promise.
Both authors moved to Israel from North America a few decades ago and are comedians. Thus, they are knowledgeable about their subject and laugh-out-loud funny, when appropriate.
ISRAEL 201 has eight chapters, each with short sections on various topics. Starting off with “The Israel Psyche,” they move on to the Hebrew language, politics, education, economy, military, “The Arts, Culture, Sports, and Leisure,” and end with aliyah. In addition, there are a helpful preface, quiz, afterward, games and glossary.
When Israelis meet people, they omit the small talk and ask what many outsiders would consider personal questions. While some people consider it chutzpah, Chasnoff and Lovitt explain the reasons behind Israeli actions and how there is much more to it. They invite strangers into their homes for meals, provide refreshments for people coming there to do repairs or deliver packages, and willingly help people in crisis.
Even though they live in a dangerous neighborhood and have one of the highest tax rates in the world, which supports their free health care and education, they are among the happiest people in the world.
Israelis feel responsible for each other. Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Memorial Day, is not celebrated by sales, picnics, fireworks, and sporting events. Everyone in Israel is related to or knows someone who either survived the Shoah or has died in a war or terrorist attack. When a siren sounds, everyone stands in respectful silence.
The first question in the “Pre-Course Quiz How Israeli are you?” reads:
1. You’re stopped at a red light. The light turns green but the car in front of you doesn’t move. You:
a. Wait patiently for the car to go.
b. Beep your horn gently.
c. Blare your horn loudly and continuously, shouting “Nu!” until the moron finally goes.
(HINT: It’s none of the above. I think there was an Israeli driver behind me in Ohio earlier this week.)
In the chapter on the Hebrew language, they explain
“the word for truth, emet, consists of three letters: alef, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet; mem, the middle letter; and taf, the final letter. Sheker (lie), meanwhile, consists of three consecutive letters that are rearranged (like Q-R-S becoming S-Q-R). According to Professor Gabi Shetrit, the difference between truth and lies is not the presence or absence of facts, but how they are presented. ‘The truth encompasses all facts, from beginning to middle to end,’ he says. ‘A liar, however, selects a mere portion of the facts, rearranges them, and presents them as the entire story.’ This also explains why liars are so dangerous: their stories contain just enough of the truth to be believable, while leaving out the parts that don’t serve them.’”
Sounds like American today.
The chapter on Politics has a section titled “Politics 120 ÷ 2 + 1 = Chaos.” In Israel, people vote for one of the more than a dozen parties which ranks its candidates. Many people don’t know many of the people on the slate. It is rare for a party to win a majority of 120 seats in the Knesset which results in trying to build coalitions. The Prime Minister’s post is for five years, but can be tossed out and early elections held. In fact, there have been 4 Prime Ministers since 2020. It’s almost like the most recent election for Speaker of the House in the current Republican majority US Congress.
Almost everyone enters the IDF at age 18. There they work together
regardless of their religious beliefs, family status, or racial identity.
There are five public school systems: Jewish secular, Jewish religious, Arab Christian, Arab Muslim, and Arab Druze. They are very different from those in most Western cultures. There are no school buses, no playgrounds, no homework, and not much academic rigor. Students invent their own games (this book includes some of them). Students attend parent-teacher conferences with the parents who usually observe the interaction between the teacher and student.
There are no high-stakes, cutthroat competition for college admission. No summer internships. Students spend their summers being kids. Being inducted into the Army at 18 will quickly teach them the realities of adulthood
Employees and school children alike are very informal and outspoken. They ask questions, make suggestions, and, more importantly, are listened to. That is one reason Israel has a reputation of being innovative.
Israel has a disproportionate number of world-class scientists, writers, academics, and entrepreneurs, more Nobel laureates per capita than US, France, or Germany and is third among the countries on NASDAQ, behind China and US.
Gun control is very strict and requires requirements for receiving a license, the number and kinds of weapons a person may own, and how many bullets they may purchase.
Abortions are legal although they must be approved by a committee.
GLBTQ people are strongly present and involved.
In the medical field, 1/3 of the pharmacists are Arab. In the hospitals, the medical staff is disproportionately Arab and Observant Jews. Israel’s Covid Czar was a Druze physician.
It’s emergency services are unique. Of the 34,000 paramedics, 30,000 are volunteers including thousands of Haredi (Ultra Orthodox) teens. As a Red Cross organization, Mogen David Adom, cannot be affiliated with the government and depends on donations, even for its ambulances. First responders, contacted at their current locations, are quick to respond, often arriving at the scene before the ambulances arrive. More than 3000 teens, some as young as 15) take required 64-hour volunteer course and, once certified, serve in the ambulances.
The last chapter includes hilarious examples of how mixing up a letter or syllable in a Hebrew word changes the entire meaning.
ISRAEL 201 YOUR NEXT LEVEL GUIDE TO THE MAGIC, MYSTERY, AND CHAOS OF LIFE IN THE HOLY LAND is a treasure, well-written, informative, and entertaining.
I received a copy of ISRAEL 201 from LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
March 9, 2023
Dr. Harold Goldmeier is a teacher, business Consultant, public speaker and financial writer who taught at Harvard and now lives in Beit Shemesh. He is a free public speaker for community groups, manages an investment company, and consults and writes about business, social, and political issues. He can be reached a harold.goldmeier@gmail.com
Ten years ago, my wife and I moved from America to Israel. As we aged, we needed a change. After a decade, we remain outliers. One can read about life in Israel and joke about its troubles, insufferable bureaucracy, and political quandaries. To “get” Israel, “to be” an Israeli, the immigrant has to speak Hebrew. Otherwise, you are and always will be a transient inhabitant. Every aspect of the culture, the human interactions, all revolve around the essence of communication.
This is the message this reader gets from personal experience and from a new book by Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt. They are two other North American transplants who recently published Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide To The Magic, Mystery, And Chaos! Of Life In The Holy Land (Gefen Publishing House Ltd., 2023).
The authors offer a deeper look into Israeli society and culture than the plethora of salutary books produced every year that view the country through rose-colored glasses. The book is much more a work of solid social anthropology than a comedic tome I expected from two highly accomplished professional comedians.
Their opening line from David Ben-Gurion underpins the argument I made earlier. He said, “We know we’ll be a normal country when Jewish prostitutes and Jewish thieves conduct their business in Hebrew.” Almost every topic the authors cover over 265 pages has the language at its core. For example, the “Sabras” excuse their short shrift for waiting in line with “if you don’t like it, don’t live here.” Hebrew is an honest, brutal language, spoken by people with disdain for being seen as a sucker or dope, a “Freier.”
I suggest the reader take their “Pre-Course Quiz How Israeli Are You And Quiz Answers?” before and after reading the book. Little has been absorbed into my being. The quiz made me realize I am not cooked. I wore a suit to a cousin’s outdoor wedding on a hot Israel summer day. I can order a sandwich, but admittedly don’t always get what I think I ordered. We got our passports from a patient and helpful Hebrew-speaking clerk.
Israel 201 contributes to my awakening. Israel is another people’s country. I benefit from its official Jewishness, learn my place in history from the archaeological sites of my heritage, and Israel upticks my Judaism. I learn more and live by the Jewish calendar. But I am not an Israeli.
Chapter One examines the Israeli Psyche intimately weaving the unique language of the land with the thinking of the people. The book contains a fascinating interview with a professor of linguistics who loves Hebrew. He “kvells” describing roots and make-ups of words to Jewish life and culture.
Seven more chapters cover complex issues about Jewish Life in a Jewish State; government, policies, and the education system; negotiating work, military service, arts, culture, sports, and leisure. Their tips about the phases of moving to Israel might help relieve depression that inevitably sets in letting the “oleh” know they are not alone.
To be transparent, we met Benji Lovitt at dinner in our son’s house soon after we arrived in Israel. He knows our children and grandchildren well enough to rate them for their humor and sarcasm.
Chasnoff and Lovitt explore the question, of why anyone would choose to live in Israel. “One huge answer they conclude is “kehilatiyut.” That is Hebrew for the community. They talk about the bonds that bind Jewish People, the connections, and the shared narrative. The book is not irreverent but describes Israel as a lurching work in progress, to borrow a phrase.
Their comedic sense comes through in three pages about Polite versus Nice: What Israelis Say About Us. Chasnoff and Lovitt offer insight into how Israelis see Americans: “Americans are polite but not nice; Israelis are nice but not polite.” The authors flush this out further with examples of how Americans and Israelis say the same thing, but the meanings are different.
The Afterword is brilliant. It reports their discussion with Futurist Dr. David Passig, Professor at Bar-Ilan University. Most books on Israel lean heavily on the past because Jewish and Middle East history is mysterious and eventful. It shaped the people and nation into what it is today. Chasnoff and Lovitt want to know, “What comes next?” It’s an enlightening addition worth the cost of the book itself. Passig’s future assessment is neither dreamy nor funny but sobering.
It took years to organize and collect the data for Israel 201. The authors interviewed neighbors and friends, university professors, and cultural assessment experts. I prefer they had included an Index and that Benji gave some credit to Goldmeiers in the Acknowledgements for his sharp wit. The fruits of their labor come through in this jam-packed resource I highly recommend.
buy Israel 201 from Amazon.com
Ten years ago, my wife and I moved from America to Israel. As we aged, we needed a change. After a decade, we remain outliers. One can read about life in Israel and joke about its troubles, insufferable bureaucracy, and political quandaries. To “get” Israel, “to be” an Israeli, the immigrant has to speak Hebrew. Otherwise, you are and always will be a transient inhabitant. Every aspect of the culture, the human interactions, all revolve around the essence of communication.
This is the message this reader gets from personal experience and from a new book by Joel Chasnoff and Benji Lovitt. They are two other North American transplants who recently published Israel 201: Your Next-Level Guide To The Magic, Mystery, And Chaos! Of Life In The Holy Land (Gefen Publishing House Ltd., 2023).
The authors offer a deeper look into Israeli society and culture than the plethora of salutary books produced every year that view the country through rose-colored glasses. The book is much more a work of solid social anthropology than a comedic tome I expected from two highly accomplished professional comedians.
Their opening line from David Ben-Gurion underpins the argument I made earlier. He said, “We know we’ll be a normal country when Jewish prostitutes and Jewish thieves conduct their business in Hebrew.” Almost every topic the authors cover over 265 pages has the language at its core. For example, the “Sabras” excuse their short shrift for waiting in line with “if you don’t like it, don’t live here.” Hebrew is an honest, brutal language, spoken by people with disdain for being seen as a sucker or dope, a “Freier.”
I suggest the reader take their “Pre-Course Quiz How Israeli Are You And Quiz Answers?” before and after reading the book. Little has been absorbed into my being. The quiz made me realize I am not cooked. I wore a suit to a cousin’s outdoor wedding on a hot Israel summer day. I can order a sandwich, but admittedly don’t always get what I think I ordered. We got our passports from a patient and helpful Hebrew-speaking clerk.
Israel 201 contributes to my awakening. Israel is another people’s country. I benefit from its official Jewishness, learn my place in history from the archaeological sites of my heritage, and Israel upticks my Judaism. I learn more and live by the Jewish calendar. But I am not an Israeli.
Chapter One examines the Israeli Psyche intimately weaving the unique language of the land with the thinking of the people. The book contains a fascinating interview with a professor of linguistics who loves Hebrew. He “kvells” describing roots and make-ups of words to Jewish life and culture.
Seven more chapters cover complex issues about Jewish Life in a Jewish State; government, policies, and the education system; negotiating work, military service, arts, culture, sports, and leisure. Their tips about the phases of moving to Israel might help relieve depression that inevitably sets in letting the “oleh” know they are not alone.
To be transparent, we met Benji Lovitt at dinner in our son’s house soon after we arrived in Israel. He knows our children and grandchildren well enough to rate them for their humor and sarcasm.
Chasnoff and Lovitt explore the question, of why anyone would choose to live in Israel. “One huge answer they conclude is “kehilatiyut.” That is Hebrew for the community. They talk about the bonds that bind Jewish People, the connections, and the shared narrative. The book is not irreverent but describes Israel as a lurching work in progress, to borrow a phrase.
Their comedic sense comes through in three pages about Polite versus Nice: What Israelis Say About Us. Chasnoff and Lovitt offer insight into how Israelis see Americans: “Americans are polite but not nice; Israelis are nice but not polite.” The authors flush this out further with examples of how Americans and Israelis say the same thing, but the meanings are different.
The Afterword is brilliant. It reports their discussion with Futurist Dr. David Passig, Professor at Bar-Ilan University. Most books on Israel lean heavily on the past because Jewish and Middle East history is mysterious and eventful. It shaped the people and nation into what it is today. Chasnoff and Lovitt want to know, “What comes next?” It’s an enlightening addition worth the cost of the book itself. Passig’s future assessment is neither dreamy nor funny but sobering.
It took years to organize and collect the data for Israel 201. The authors interviewed neighbors and friends, university professors, and cultural assessment experts. I prefer they had included an Index and that Benji gave some credit to Goldmeiers in the Acknowledgements for his sharp wit. The fruits of their labor come through in this jam-packed resource I highly recommend.
buy Israel 201 from Amazon.com
May 14, 2023
I adored this book for its keen and often humorous insights into Israeli life. So many interesting perspectives represented. I came away with a new understanding of what it means to live in contemporary Israel. This should be required reading for anyone who plans to visit or make aliyah!
November 3, 2023
Entertaining and informative.
December 23, 2024
A well-organized chatty intro to daily life in Israel. Complexity is the name of the game!
February 2, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews