A Stranger in My Homeland

A Stranger in My Homeland weaves together Nir Avishai Cohen’s personal journey with the major events that have reshaped Israel in recent years: the struggle over democracy, the judicial overhaul protests, October 7, and the war that followed. Writing as both a former IDF reserve major and a human rights activist, Cohen offers a rare insider’s perspective on a society growing increasingly nationalist, religious, and authoritarian. From violent protests in Tel Aviv to military service during wartime, from public campaigns against the occupation to political interrogations by Israel’s security apparatus, Cohen documents the moral and political unraveling of contemporary Israel through deeply personal experience. The grandson of Holocaust survivors and the son of a farming family from northern Israel, he finds himself confronting a painful reality: becoming a stranger in his own homeland.Part memoir, part political reflection, and part warning about the fragility of democracy, this book offers an intimate and provocative portrait of Israel at a historic turning point. Read more