A Psalm In Jenin

By Brett Goldberg

Brett Goldberg weaves the stories of the Israeli reserve soldiers who left their jobs and families to participate in Operation Defensive Shield in the spring of 2002, in the wake of an unprecedented... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9657141036
• ISBN13: 9789657141038
• Release Date: January 2003
• Publisher: Modan Publishing House
• Length: 303 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Gripping Witness to War

In March 2002 Israel experienced one of the worst waves of terrorist attack in the nation's history, during which over two hundred Israelis were killed and hundreds more injured in suicide bombings and shootings. These attacks culminated with an attack on Netanya's Park Hotel during a Passover Seder - which left another thirty dead and many more injured. In response to this event, the Israeli government authorized Opeation Defensive Shield, sending Israeli infantry to recapture some of the same West Bank towns and cities that had been turned over to the Palestinian Authority only a few years before - and which had since become the springboard for suicide bombers intent on murdering Israeli civilians. A Psalm in Jenin recounts the stories of the Israeli soldiers, many of them reservists, who were tasked with recapturing the city of Jenin. Based on his interviews with the Israelis who who fought in the bitter house-by-house, street-by-street battles, author Brett Goldberg has woven a tale of the emotional trauma, and personal struggle that the Israeli soldiers had to endure. This book offers a rare, gripping account of what it means to be a humane army, struggling to both root out the terrorist cells, and yet also maintain their high moral standards and minimize the death toll among the civilian population. The author does not spare us the details. His descriptions of the devastation and death are raw, and uncut. Brett Goldberg's book will remain a haunting window into the horror and reality of war for many years to come.

An excellent book for contemporary military historians!

Brett Goldberg does a spectacular job in describing the battle for the Jenin refugee camp from the perspective of some of the IDF servicemen who fought there. As others point out, this book is a stunning view of humanity and Israeli resolve. From a military historian's point of view this is excellent secondhand material, and while there may be other books worth reading first, this should definitely be high on the list of books to read. This book describes in detail the urban combat situations faced by the IDF with discussions of civilians on the battlefield, fratricide mitigation, restrictive rules of engagement, terrain analysis, and various discussions of TTPs used by the IDF in urban combat. While none of these subjects are directly addressed, they are all interwoven into the text of the book. This book is an excellent read for all professional soldiers and military historians.

A superb book about the battle of Jenin

In 2002, Israeli soldiers bravely fought against terrorists in the city of Jenin. A few weeks afterwards, Brett Goldberg interviewed many men who fought there, and this book is the result. A surprisingly large number of words have been written about the battle by people who truly ought to have read this book first. In World War Two, many Jews died because they had no army to fight with. Israelis can all be proud of the fight they put up in Jenin only six decades later when attacked by the same types of thugs. For those of us who live in far off America, this book makes for very interesting reading. It is inspiring to see that people can be honest and ethical even in wartime. And I certainly share the anger of the soldiers at those who criticized Israel and its army for defending the lives of its people.