In the Belly of the Whale: Portraits from a Fractured Israel (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781586424602)

10 portraits of Israelis from all backgrounds, depicting the war-torn landscape of recent Israeli history: complicated, polarized, lively, argumentative, and--increasingly--adrift.

"Captures the personal within the political, offering rare insight." -- Unholy podcast, hosted by Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland

Renowned journalist Ruth Margalit revisits 10 profiles of Israeli politicians, cultural figures, and iconoclasts spanning a decade of her reporting for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine to create a powerful mosaic of the clashing forces that have led to Israel's current state.

To live in Israel today, Margalit writes, is to be either a whale or a Jonah--trying to make do in the belly of the whale. The profiles in this collection represent both: outsiders trying to make a life in a system designed against them, and insiders hatching plans and amassing power all while riding the twin waves of populism and jingoism.

Returning to these profiles from her current reality as a writer and mother living in Tel Aviv at a time of war, Margalit reexamines the texts in light of a transformed society and self, adding new updates and insights to journalistic portraits she has created over the course of a dozen years.

Incorporating perspectives of Israelis from all strata of society--Jews, Arabs, activists, artists, politicians, and academics alike--Margalit stitches an enlightening patchwork to help readers better understand the seemingly inscrutable politics of a nation in which so many have a deep and abiding interest.

Author: Ruth Margalit
ISBN-10: 1586424602
ISBN-13: 9781586424602
Publisher: Steerforth Press
Language: English
Published: 09/22/2026
Pages: 272
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs