Dear Zealots: Letters from a Divided Land

Award-winning Israeli author Oz (A Tale of Love and Darkness) presents a collection of three essays seeking "the listening ear of those whose opinions differ from" his own. The first piece, from which the book's title is taken, begins by considering the rise of both Islamic and Jewish fanaticism. The second, "Many Lights Not One Light," refers to a range of religious literature in describing Oz's understanding of Judaism as a culture rather than a religion or nationality. He concludes that Israel and the Jews would be better off when they recognize that Judaism has evolved over the years, and suggests that the nation and its residents should change as the world changes. The last section, "Dreams Israel Should Let Go of Soon," deals directly, as the first two did more generally, with the need for a two-state solution. Oz is perhaps the most eloquent of a number of contemporary Israeli writers in advocating for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bringing reason to the situation.