by Stephen Langfur
A narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Updated edition, republished as an eBook and paperback by Fomite Press . Available from Fomite, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Indie Bookstores.
When he refused military service in the West Bank, Stephen Langfur – an American-Israeli Ph. D. – was sent to a cell for wayward soldiers in Jericho. It was 1989, 22 years into the Occupation, and the first Intifada was at its height. A few feet away were cells holding Palestinians. He kept notes on what he saw, heard, and thought. After his release, Langfur developed the notes into Confession from a Jericho Jail (Grove Weidenfeld, 1992). Israeli Supreme Court Justice Haim Cohen wrote from retirement: “The author’s brilliant exposition of . . . the Israeli-Arab conflict may well prove a valuable contribution to the present-day peace efforts.”
Instead, the Occupation has continued 30 more years. If Langfur’s confession is relevant today, it is because (as a reviewer put it):
“The book is much more intimate—and much more intriguing and satisfying—than a mere political tract. It’s a glimpse into the heart and soul of a man in middle age who is struggling
with his ideals, his identity, his passions and his destiny…. At times, his prose is so deeply lyrical, so full of imagery and allusion, that it becomes a kind of poetry.” —Jonathan Kirsch, Los Angeles Times
More from the reviews of the first edition
“…not just a record of the days that Langfur was confined, but
a far more complex and wide-ranging memoir sounding philosophical
and historical chords.”
—Gloria Emerson, Washington Post
“…an uncommonly insightful look at the contradictions in
Israeli society. The reader gets to experience the dynamics
of Israeli jail, and through it the dynamics of Israeli society as
a whole.”
—Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun Magazine
“He enriches the journal he kept of his prison experiences
with biblical allusions, accounts of humorous incidents
and portrayals of his jailers and fellow inmates….The moral
choices that obsess participants on both sides are the subject
of his deeply felt commentary and philosophical musings.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Into his narrative of prison life flow Langfur’s wide-ranging
and thorough meditations on biblical passages, orthodox
rituals, philosophical questions (Langfur has a doctorate in
Religion and Culture from Syracuse Univ.), and the very geography…
that ignites the strife.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“The occupation of the West Bank permeates his thoughts
about the function and meaning of human relationships, history,
religion, and Judaism. Filtered through the banal routines
of army protocol, religious ceremonies for which he provides
quorum, Palestinian prisoners, and dialogues with cellmates,
they glow with life and caring.”
—Booklist, Journal of the American Library Association
“His explanation for his refusal and morality are so convincing,
one wonders how the thousands of other Israelis cope
with the violence and daily humiliation of having to enforce
the policies of the occupation.”
—Yom Tov Shamash, Outlook
Confession from a Jericho Jail is available in eBook and paperback from Fomite Press , Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.