Between the River and the Sea 9781632064547_front cover.jpg
Between the River and the Sea 9781632064547_front cover.jpg

Between the River and the Sea: My Travels in Palestine and Israel

$20.00

By Hillen Cohen

Illustrated by Yana Bukler

Translated from the Hebrew by Haim Watzman

Blending travel writing, reportage, and personal reflection, Hillel Cohen walks throughout East Jerusalem and the West Bank in search of conversations to bridge one of the world’s most enduring conflicts.

In this powerful illustrated memoir, journalist and scholar Hillel Cohen recounts his travels in Israel and Palestine as a youth. Fervent and unafraid, the teenage Cohen wanders through Palestinian villages and homes with confidence because to do so is his birthright—or so he has always been told. But outside the segregated city of Jerusalem and its tightly-knit Jewish community, his certainty begins to waver. Each new shared meal and open-hearted conversation call into question the religious beliefs of his upbringing—as do the hostile clashes he comes to witness along the way.

With candor and humanity, Cohen’s coming-of-age following the Six Day War amid a newly occupied land offers sharp and unflinching reflections on identity, memory, ethics, and nationhood. Featuring vivid illustrations and graphic panels by Yana Bukler, Between the River and the Sea moves beyond political binaries to reveal the human complexity behind a divide that has spanned generations.

By Hillen Cohen

Illustrated by Yana Bukler

Translated from the Hebrew by Haim Watzman

Blending travel writing, reportage, and personal reflection, Hillel Cohen walks throughout East Jerusalem and the West Bank in search of conversations to bridge one of the world’s most enduring conflicts.

In this powerful illustrated memoir, journalist and scholar Hillel Cohen recounts his travels in Israel and Palestine as a youth. Fervent and unafraid, the teenage Cohen wanders through Palestinian villages and homes with confidence because to do so is his birthright—or so he has always been told. But outside the segregated city of Jerusalem and its tightly-knit Jewish community, his certainty begins to waver. Each new shared meal and open-hearted conversation call into question the religious beliefs of his upbringing—as do the hostile clashes he comes to witness along the way.

With candor and humanity, Cohen’s coming-of-age following the Six Day War amid a newly occupied land offers sharp and unflinching reflections on identity, memory, ethics, and nationhood. Featuring vivid illustrations and graphic panels by Yana Bukler, Between the River and the Sea moves beyond political binaries to reveal the human complexity behind a divide that has spanned generations.

About the author

Hillel Cohen is a scholar of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and a lecturer in the Department of Islam and Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University. He is the author of six books exploring Jewish–Arab relations in Israel, including Year Zero of the Arab–Jewish Conflict 1929 and Good Arabs: The Israeli Security Agencies and the Israeli Arabs 1948-1967. His books have been translated into English and Arabic, and his work is founded on archival research, extensive fieldwork, and a first-hand understanding of Israeli and Palestinian societies. He was born and currently resides in Jerusalem.

About the illustrator

Yana Bukler is an award-winning illustrator, graphic novelist, curator, and educator. Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, she immigrated to Israel as a child and later graduated with honors from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma. Since 2005, she has illustrated numerous books published in Hebrew, Italian, and German.

About the translator

Haim Watzman is a Jerusalem-based writer, journalist, and translator. His published works include Company C: An American’s Life as a Citizen-Soldier in Israel and A Crack in the Earth: A Journey Up Israel’s Rift Valley. Born in Ohio, he grew up in Maryland and relocated to Israel in 1978, where he now lives with his family.

Book Details

Paperback ISBN: 9781632064547 • $20.00
eBook ISBN: 9781632064554
Publication date: March 2, 2027
5.5" x 8.25" • 256 pages

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Praise

“...deeply moving and extremely important for peaceful coexistence in our region.”

— Omri Boehm

“A very open yet far-reaching introduction to the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

— Klaus-Günther Beck-Ewerhardy, Büchertreff.de

“It is precisely in this visualization of one's own limitations that the book's real strength—and productive restlessness—lies.”

— Omar Kamil, Hsozkult

“Hillel Cohen's life reads like a novel.”

— Märkischer Sonntag, Viewpoint

“Cohen's memoirs are ruthlessly honest.”

— Markus Roloff, Nordsee Zeitung