Aug

27 2020

Ami Ayalon J Street Book Tour

11:00AM - 12:00PM  

Zoom

Contact Nicole Malina
nicole@jstreet.org

Please join us for an exclusive opportunity to hear from former Shin Bet Director Admiral Ami Ayalon in advance of the release of his upcoming memoir, FRIENDLY FIRE: How Israel Became Its Own Worst Enemy, and the Hope for Its Future.

Ami will be in conversation with Rabbi Devorah Marcus of Temple Emanu-El, where he will discuss his continued advocacy for a two-state solution, the greatest challenges Israel faces today and why he remains hopeful for its future. Ami will provide a preview of his upcoming memoir, in which he reflects on his experiences in the Shin Bet and the changes Israel has undergone as a society and democracy.

Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJApd-2tqT4vHtRh0wMsCMHsQ1rzOsmlNJya
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About the Book: In this deeply personal journey of discovery, Ami Ayalon seeks input and perspective from Palestinians and Israelis whose experiences differ from his own. As head of the Shin Bet security agency, he gained empathy for "the enemy" and learned that when Israel carries out anti-terrorist operations in a political context of hopelessness, the Palestinian public will support violence, because they have nothing to lose. Researching and writing Friendly Fire, he came to understand that his patriotic life had blinded him to the self-defeating nature of policies that have undermined Israel's civil society while heaping humiliation upon its Palestinian neighbors. "If Israel becomes an Orwellian dystopia," Ayalon writes, "it won't be thanks to a handful of theologians dragging us into the dark past. The secular majority will lead us there motivated by fear and propelled by silence." Ayalon is a realist, not an idealist, and many who consider themselves Zionists will regard as radical his conclusions about what Israel must do to achieve relative peace and security and to sustain itself as a Jewish homeland and a liberal democracy.

About the Author: Admiral (Ret.) Ami Ayalon is a former Flotilla 13 (Israel's navy SEALs) commando, commander of the navy, director of the Shin Bet security agency, cabinet minister, Knesset member and a recipient of the Medal of Valor, Israel's highest military decoration. With Sari Nusseibeh, he established the People's Voice peace initiative in 2002. He is a member of Commanders for Israel's Security, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Haifa Research Center for Maritime & Strategy and chairman of AKIM Israel (the National Association for children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities). He organized and was featured in the Academy Award-nominated documentary, The Gatekeepers.

Sponsor: Cosponsored by J Street, Temple Emanu-El, Congregation Dor Hadash, Temple Adat Shalom and Temple Solel