In the Belly of the Whale: Portraits from a Fractured Israel, (Paperback)

<b>10 portraits of Israelis from all backgrounds, depicting the war-torn landscape of recent Israeli history: complicated, polarized, lively, argumentative, and--increasingly--adrift. </b><p><b>"Captures the personal within the political, offering rare insight." -- <i>Unholy</i> podcast, hosted by Yonit Levi and Jonathan Freedland</b> </p><p>Renowned journalist Ruth Margalit revisits 10 profiles of Israeli politicians, cultural figures, and iconoclasts spanning a decade of her reporting for <i>The New Yorker</i> and <i>The New York Times Magazine</i> to create a powerful mosaic of the clashing forces that have led to Israel's current state. </p><p>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. </p><p>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. </p><p>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.</p>

• In the Belly of the Whale: Portraits from a Fractured Israel, (Paperback)
• Author: Steerforth Press
• ISBN: 9781586424602
• Format: Paperback
• Publication Date: 2026-09-22
• Page Count: 272