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Company C: An American's Life as a Citizen-Soldier in Israel
A vivid dispatch from the front lines of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
When American-born Haim Watzman immigrated to Israel, he was drafted into the army and, after eighteen months of compulsory service, assigned to "Company C," the reserve infantry unit that would define the next twenty years of his life. From 1984 until 2002, for at least a month a year, Watzman, who had never aspired to military adventure, was a soldier.
Watzman was a soldier as he adjusted to a new country, married, raised his children, and pursued a career as a writer and translator. At times he defended his adopted country's borders; at other times he patrolled beyond them, or in that gray area, the occupied territories. A religiously observant Jew who opposed Israel's presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he served in uniform in conflicts that he demonstrated against in civilian clothes. Throughout, he developed a deep and abiding bond with the diverse men of Company C--a fellowship that cemented his commitment to reserve service even as he questioned the occupation he was enforcing.
In this engrossing account of the first Intifada, the period of the Oslo Accords, and Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank as lived by citizen-soldiers in the field, Watzman examines our obligations to country, friends, family, and God-and our duty to protect our institutions even as we fight to reform them.
When American-born Haim Watzman immigrated to Israel, he was drafted into the army and, after eighteen months of compulsory service, assigned to "Company C," the reserve infantry unit that would define the next twenty years of his life. From 1984 until 2002, for at least a month a year, Watzman, who had never aspired to military adventure, was a soldier.
Watzman was a soldier as he adjusted to a new country, married, raised his children, and pursued a career as a writer and translator. At times he defended his adopted country's borders; at other times he patrolled beyond them, or in that gray area, the occupied territories. A religiously observant Jew who opposed Israel's presence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, he served in uniform in conflicts that he demonstrated against in civilian clothes. Throughout, he developed a deep and abiding bond with the diverse men of Company C--a fellowship that cemented his commitment to reserve service even as he questioned the occupation he was enforcing.
In this engrossing account of the first Intifada, the period of the Oslo Accords, and Israel's reoccupation of the West Bank as lived by citizen-soldiers in the field, Watzman examines our obligations to country, friends, family, and God-and our duty to protect our institutions even as we fight to reform them.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 25, 2013
Brilliant, beautiful book that makes me want to grab my loved ones who serve in the reserves in Israel and hug them tight.
It discusses Israel in a nuanced, intelligent way, a must read for those who want a discussion of settlements that is not in favor of them but doesn't paint Israel as evil.
It discusses Israel in a nuanced, intelligent way, a must read for those who want a discussion of settlements that is not in favor of them but doesn't paint Israel as evil.
October 23, 2010
I really don't like his politics, which made it hard to read the book.
He surprised me in the end by coming to nearly the same conclusions
I have, but from the other direction, Interesting.
He surprised me in the end by coming to nearly the same conclusions
I have, but from the other direction, Interesting.
April 7, 2017
I didn't really read this all the way through. I skimmed some bits and then read the end. I liked what I read, it seems like a good book. Give it a try if you're interested.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews