The Lemon Tree

By: Sandy Tolan

Narrated by: Sandy Tolan

The tale of a simple act of faith between two young people - one Israeli, one Palestinian - that symbolizes the hope for peace in the Middle East. In 1967, not long after the Six-Day War, three young Arab men ventured into the town of Ramle, in what is now Jewish Israel. They were cousins, on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes; their families had been driven out of Palestine nearly 20 years earlier. One cousin had a door slammed in his face, and another found his old house had been converted into a school. But the third, Bashir Al-Khairi, was met at the door by a young woman called Dalia, who invited them in. This act of faith in the face of many years of animosity is the starting point for a true story of a remarkable relationship between two families, one Arab, one Jewish, amid the fraught modern history of the region. In his childhood home, in the lemon tree his father planted in the backyard, Bashir sees dispossession and occupation; Dalia, who arrived as an infant in 1948 with her family from Bulgaria, sees hope for a people devastated by the Holocaust. As both are swept up in the fates of their people, and Bashir is jailed for his alleged part in a supermarket bombing, the friends do not speak for years. They finally reconcile and convert the house in Ramle into a day-care centre for Arab children of Israel, and a center for dialogue between Arabs and Jews. Now the dialogue they started seems more threatened than ever; the lemon tree died in 1998, and Bashir was jailed again, without charge. The Lemon Tree grew out of a 43-minute radio documentary that Sandy Tolan produced for Fresh Air. With this audiobook, he pursues the story into the homes and histories of the two families at its center, and up to the present day. Their stories form a personal microcosm of the last 70 years of Israeli-Palestinian history. In a region that seems ever more divided, The Lemon Tree is a reminder of all that is at stake, and of all that is still possible.

©2006 Sandy Tolan (P)2013 Audible Inc.

A very small piece of a huge picture.

The story is well written and colorfully told but it's perspective lacks the spiritual and much longer history that lies beyond what is told here. Neither of the two main characters here are happy and at peace. Furthermore they cannot yet see a solution to their dilemma.

A real life account that reads like a novel.

Tolan reduces the essence of the Jewish -Palestinian conflict to it lowest common denominator -- personal longing for rootednes. He demonstrates that there is no short or easy route to peace in the Middle East, but it is possible through continual dialogue pressing to see the other as your brother, sister.

Required reading

I had no idea what the Arabs are going through. My eyes were never open to this side of the story. I would dare do most do not understand. This story brings to life the events that have polarized the Middle East and as of today have the Jews repeating history again and again. This story can change your life. I feel it should be required reading of all high school students. They need to see how easy it is for history to repeat itself, how unfair and intolerant humans can be and to argue those points so perhaps one day we can have peace on earth.

History Book

I was hoping for the history to be told through the characters. Only a very small amount of the book is the story of the characters, the rest is a history book!

A must read for a full view of the Israel/Palestine issue

A fantastically crafted story about both sides, their histories, their drivers and how tangled and interwoven both Arabs and Jews policies and goals are. A complicated situation made understandable by excellent writing and an amazing story of friendship.

A must-read for anyone who seeks understanding

A complex tale told with a firm focus in humanity.
A complex story about an Arab family & a Jewish family and the world events that created the dilemma in their lives.
Family histories examined and shared. Powerful & painful - both sides seeking home & security.
A must-re-read.

Eye Opening

The Lemon Tree has removed blinders and awakened a curiosity to know more, do more, be more.

Timely

The Lemon Tree is an important work, allowing greater insights into the relations between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples. I highly recommend this book, as a step toward understanding the complex issues of this area.

The Power of a Lemon Tree…

Compelling and informative narrative that anyone with a desire to better understand the complexities of the Israel/Palestine conflict should read.

While presenting a digestible timeline of facts and moments, this book centers around the unlikely relationship between Dalia (Israeli) and Bashir (Palestinian) across decades. A much-needed glimmer of hope for what is possible if each side can truly see the other.

9-11

well done - names (familiar and unfamiliar) and dates (familiar and unfamiliar) now have space in my mind.

it is interesting how quickly 9-11 was passed by.
(But, perhaps that is another book.)