Jonathan Kis-Lev - My Quest For Peace: One Israelis Journey From Hatred To Peacemaking

My Quest

For Peace

One Israeli's Journey FromHatred To Peacemaking

Jonathan Kis-Lev

Text copyright 2016Jonathan Kis-Lev

All rights reserved. Nopart of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form orby any means whatsoever without express written permission from theauthor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in criticalarticles and reviews. Please refer all pertinent questions to thepublisher.

Published in the UnitedStates by Goldsmith Press LLC.

Editor: Taniavon-Ljeshk
Cover photograph: Scott Durham
Profile photograph: Doug Ellis Photography
Cover design: Slava Inkjet Noh

ISBN-13:978-1537163536

ISBN-10:1537163531

To my daughter, Sarah, and to all thechildren of the Middle East, for whom I wish for a betterfuture

"This book will sweep you up in its narrativeforce and not let go of you until it is done. Kis-Lev'saccomplishment is so unique, and the stories he brings are somoving, that it makes you believe anything is possible, even, Godhelp us, peace in the Middle East."

Ashton Jake, The Tel AvivPost

Captivating! The pacing of thestory is actually very well done, jumping back and forth in time.Its story holds much importance and teaches about human nature andthe possibility of peace to prevail.

Jane Silva, author andcolumnist

"In this richly detailed, beautiful andresonant memoir examining both the Jewish and the Arab sides of theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict. Kis-Lev gives the terrible conflict ahuman face. The tale opens with Jonathan's own memories from theGulf War, when he was only five years old--and moves back and forthin time to present Jonathan's life as a peace activist. Through hiseyes we experience the indignities and sufferings of the childrenof both sides of the conflict, as well as their unbelievableability to create long lasting friendships. Kis-Lev makes a greateffort to empathize with all sides and tells an affecting andimportant story that succeeds as both literature and socialcommentary."

John Vista, Middle EastReview

As a Palestinian, it was afascinating read for me peeling back how to feel beneath anotherperson's skin, across a vast chasm, a chasm I was born into. I feltchoked up several times. Jonathan masterfully illustrated the agonyof both sides of the conflict. This book will open your heart andsoul.

Laila Hoja, The BookReviewer

Today's headline news from anindividual human perspective, real, raw and revealing.

Joan Kelvin

"Kis-Lev's most personal memoir is a powerfulportrayal of what might be labeled the "other side" of thePalestinian-Israeli conflict, the viewpoint of peace activists,about whom we rarely hear in the news. We meet Jonathan'sPalestinian friends, hear their stories and cannot decipher whetherKis-Lev is actually a right wing Israeli, having been an Israelisoldier and supporting the illegal settlements in the West Bank, orrather a pro-Palestinian activist, speaking Arabic with hisbrothers and sisters while defending the Palestinian narrativeas if it was his own.

Tova Hansel, author andspeaker

An honest look by an honestperson at the dichotomy Israelis find ourselves in by nature welove mankind, but are forced into a situation where we are expectedto hate. And yet it is not in our nature. Jonathan Kis-Lev tellsyou his story from childhood to adulthood and you will beriveted by the honesty, the love, and the energy heexudes.

Susan Leibtag, Middle EastToday

Through Jonathan's ownexperience, as well as that of his family and friends, we travelthrough three generations of conflict and pain in the Middle East.An intimate look at the peacemaking scene from the eyes of a youngleader seeking to bring forth a new future to that batteredregion."

Jo Levi, The Reviewer

"Kis-Lev is an Israeli activist for peace.Unlike some on the Israeli Left, he isn't an anti-Israelprovocateur. Rather, he is a fervently patriotic Israeli with anabiding love for his nation's history and the best of itstraditions and institutions. So his honest and sometimes brutallyfrank portrait of his homeland's past and its present dilemmas isespecially poignant.

Daniel J. Okla, The JewishDaily

Kis-Lev's memoir utilizes thestories of individuals, both Israelis and Palestinians, to paint arich story based on personal experiences. With him we travelthrough the land to various peace activities, bringing togetherbereaved families from both sides of the conflicts, students,artists, children, adults... Recalling his own military experienceon the West Bank, Kis-Lev shows an intimate, difficult andchallenging portrayal of the conflict from inside an Israeli jailfor Palestinians This is a masterful portrait of contemporaryIsrael and Palestine."

Katie Shvoljann, Radio forCoexistence

Kis-Lev is immersed in all of thehistory of his country. While some of it offends him, none of it isalien to him. The author of My Quest for Peace is a dreamer, yes,yet he is deeply rooted in the harsh reality. Kis-Lev's book is anextended test of his own capacity to maintain the principles ofpeace in full view of the brutality that surrounds him.

Aven K. Lint, Israel Weekly("HaShavua")

"An important and powerful book. Kis-Lev hasan undoctrinaire mind. He comes not to praise, nor to blame, butinstead to observe and to reflect. It is a Zionist book, bothloving and critical of Zionisms successes and failures. Yet it isalso a Palestinian book, embracing and suffering the pain of thePalestinian narrative. It is about the entirety of the Holy Land'sexperience...."

Alison Kahn, Peace For TheFuture

I spent the whole of last weekendreading My Quest For Peace. For two days I did not leave theworld Jonathan had trapped me in. As I finished the book and took awalk outside, I stopped seeing people as people. All I saw wasbrothers and sisters. And I suddenly thought that peace in theMiddle East is possible!

John Vitals, Ph.D

Despite due respect for thisyoung activist, I did not really expect to like this memoir verymuch. What could the author have accomplished in such a short life?I thought the title, too, was rather boastful. All wrong. Thewriting is surprisingly fluent, the storytelling surprisinglyefficient, and free of waste as well as redundancies. Also free ofsentimentality and exaggerated pathos. Despite the book's size, itis never boring. Highly recommendable!

Nadia Joels,bookreview.com

This book should be a requiredreading for Palestinian and Israeli youth. It covers each stage ofJonathans life, beginning with his early childhood in a family ofJewish Russian immigrants to Israel, through his education inCanada and his encounters with Palestinians, and eventually throughhis struggle for peace and nonviolence. Harassed and discouraged bythe authorities for his actions, Kis-Levs struggle is not an easyone. Criticized by his own friends, moving in opposition to hisupbringing, attacked by the other side and nearly stoned this isa heroic journey of a peace warrior.

Dan Klein

I was intrigued from the veryfirst chapter of the book. As I began to read further, I discoveredI needed to confront my own fears, stereotypes and hatred. WorldPeace is gained by listening, learning, talking, withholdingjudgment and building mutual respect despite differences. JonathanKis-Lev honestly shares his own journey, his deep fears and hatred.He opens, blossoms, and takes the reader along with him. He writesfreely and with the expression of someone who takes delight in whatis new, learning from what is old, and moving into the future withbravery, and happy expectations.

Michelle Tessaro, Online BooksReview

My Quest

For Peace

February 1991

Age 5

I hate Arabs! I thought tomyself.

Of course. Who wouldnt? Because of these