Of Poets, Singers, and a Young Medic

This chapter examines the bond between American poet W.H. Auden and Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai. It also tells of the author’s own experiences as an American student on kibbutz followed by his unplanned joining of the Israeli military as a combat medic who patrolled Israel’s tense borders. The Yom Kippur War between Israel and allies Syria and Egypt, which reified American Jewish commitment to Israel, are detailed. Additional accounts include that of Father Daniel Berrigan, one of the first concerted American critics of Israeli “imperialism.” The varied experiences of Johnny and June Carter Cash, Bishop Pike, and Meyer Lansky with respect to Israel are also rendered.