Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew Reviews

• 
  ZOË

  3.5 I enjoyed this! A productive and, yes, uncomfortable dialogue between two people who may disagree but are committed to understanding one another, which is exactly what we need more of in today’s day and age.
  
  I will say, I wish more was said about Mizrahi Jews and the discrimination they faced in Middle Eastern countries for centuries before the establishment of Israel, as well as the experiences of Black Jews, other Jews of color, and converts.
  
  Overall I’d recommend this to anyone who isn’t Jewish (those who are likely already know most of the information presented here,) but it’s not a complete resource by any means.
• 
  Susan

  I highly, highly recommend this book for anyone who is curious about the onslaught of antisemitism and why so many college students are setting up encampments in protest of Israel specifically and Jews in general. This is an age-old issue with new characters, and the authors address why and how this is happening now. Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby have such a great rapport and reading the book feels like the reader is right there with them as they discuss these uncomfortable, but necessary conversations. A must-read!
• 
  Zibby Owens

  The book's main topics cover antisemitism, the Holocaust, power, money, and white privilege, Zionism and Israel, and the Black and Jewish struggle. The author addresses all the tough questions and discusses how we can work to do this together. It was like the author reached out and hugged an entire group of people. The coauthors also confront their own issues. In Chapter One, they discuss how this book happened. However, in chapter 16, they talk about how the book almost fell apart due to a disagreement. But this book did happen, so we also see how two people with different backgrounds can disagree on a significant issue and still find love and have a relationship.
  
  There is so much information distilled into shorter bits that people can understand and then provides analogies to make it relatable. It also addresses any question you may have about a Jewish person walking society. At the end of reading this book, I had tears in my eyes because I felt like there was so much hope all of a sudden at a time when it often felt like there was no way out.
  
  To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
  
  https://zibbymedia.com/blogs/transcri...
• 
  Kyle Donohue

  I am a person that always wants to read or listen before making a judgment on anything. In my opinion this book was tone deaf to the issues that are going on currently. I have spent time in seminary studying history and talking with my Jewish brothers and sisters. This piece was mostly from a Zionist perspective. Zionism is a nationalist and political theology that some have used to justify actions that have taken place. I do encourage people to read or listen to books, articles, reports before making their own judgments. Research the history of the region and conflict in depth. Do the ground work for yourself.
• 
  Jessica Paige (Exercise_Read_Repeat)

  A must read.
• 
  Michael

  I'm only two-thirds into this, but this is not a good book. I'm writing as an American Jew, and I have lived in Israel. The premise of a book is a solid one; one explainer/advocate for Black culture and society (Emmanuel Acho, a Nigerian-American former professional football player) in conversation with an Israeli-American explainer/advocate for Jewish and Israeli culture, working through the legacy of antisemitism, prejudice, stereotyping, etc.
  
  But it's all wrong. First, Noa Tishby is (by training and by trade) an Israeli apologist and public relations expert. This is probably the wrong take for a book called "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew," since it would be more apt to call it "Conversations with an Israeli." It would be more interesting and on-point to have a prominent American Jewish writer or explainer in this role, since the focus is too heavily on Israel, its relations with the Palestinians, its conflicts, etc. versus the lived experience of millions of American Jewish people. A conversation on American Black-Jewish relations would be really valuable, and this ain't it.
  
  I think the publication was rushed following the October 7 Hamas attack, and the copyediting is notably sloppy. Particularly egregiously given that one of the authors is Israeli, the Hebrew text (when it appears) is entered backward, indicating that the printer copied/pasted Hebrew text into an English-language word processing document and then it was entered left-right instead of right-left. That's just appalling. Any knowledgeable Jew reading the book would immediately have questions about the overall attention to detail, given screwups like this.
  
  Anyway the whole thing is kinda meh. Tishby spends much of her text arguing for Jewish peoplehood and the connection between thousands of years of Jewish history and the current national identity of the state of Israel, which is fine, but Acho doesn't really interrogate her to the extent that would be helpful on the current status of Israeli-Arab citizens, the settlements in the West Bank, etc. Any reasonable person already agrees that the Hamas attack on October 7 was horrific; extremists are already being condemned etc. So Tishby makes an effort to call out both leftists who back Hamas through a simplistic colonizer/indigenous or white/person of color dichotomy, and of course, Christian or Muslim extremists for their eliminationist rhetoric about Jews in the Middle East. But, like a lot of folks recently, I feel she engages in false-equivalency arguments about lefty anti-Zionism and murderous antisemitism on the right.
• 
  Lynn

  An exceptional and timely book. Two friends, Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tisby have an ongoing and at times uncomfortable conversation about Jews, Israel, antisemitism, Zionism, and what it means to be a Jew in these difficult times, among other issues. Acho is well known for his book and series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man“. Tishby was Israel’s former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization, and the author of “Israel: A Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth”. (Also an excellent book!)
  
  They were friends before October 7, 2023 and have been planning to write this book before then. The book almost got derailed by a misunderstanding, but then they worked it out, knowing that this book was needed more than ever. They talk about really uncomfortable topics and work their way through them. Probably 75% of the book is Tishby talking, as she clarifies issues that are hard to understand about Jews and Israel.
  
  This book is a must read: for Jews, who want to know more about their heritage and the world we live in now; and for non-Jews, who have misconceptions about Jews and especially about the events of 10/7/23 and it’s aftermath.
  
  Since 10/7/23, I’ve been grateful to find out who my real friends are, and sadly, who they are not (and who I no longer consider friends.)
  
  An absolute recommend and must read for everyone.
• 
  Moran Videletz

  A must read/ listen!
  
  Noa Tishby isn't afraid to dish out the truth and answer every question asked even with some of them were very stupid in my opinion but I live in Israel so my background is totally different than Emmanuel Acho ( which I never heard of before this book).
  
  Noa Tishby fight against Anti-Semitism is truly inspiring and I hope her son will live in a better world than the one we have at the moment!
  
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  Emma | emmasbookishself

  A must read. Very informative, easy to digest/understand.
• 
  Dori Gray

  A must read
• 
  Emily Pope

  I’ll just say this: I am not Black and I am not Jewish, so I don’t have a lot to relate to when it comes to that. Who am I to dismiss other people’s experiences or points of view when it comes to their own life experiences? Who are people to dismiss me and my life? The only thing I can do is hear people out and let people speak, regardless of differences. I don’t have to agree with every thing said, and trust me, I don’t. However, people everywhere regardless of race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or lifestyle need to be having open and challenging conversations. This book is a good example of that.
  
  If you are looking to educate yourself on what antisemitism looks & sounds like, you’ll find helpful information here. If you want a step-by-step history of the holocaust, how it came to be and how literally it absolutely CAN happen again, you’ll find good information here. If you want to learn the facts and debunk myths about Israel, Palestine, Gaza, terrorist groups, Jewish history, antisemitism, and Zionism then you absolutely will find good information here.
  
  There is really only one flaw, for me, about this book and it might not even be that big a flaw. Maybe I’m just overthinking it. It’s just a vibe I got. At times, I felt like Acho and Tishby were trying to one-up each other when it came down to who was the most persecuted, the blacks or the Jews. And at times it felt like between the two of them there was some serious finger pointing. I didn’t really think that was necessary. But hey, they might say that I’m privileged to not understand that, and maybe I am. However, I still think they both handle the uncomfortable moments with forgiveness and openness so I applaud them for that.
  
  I don’t pretend to know all the answers people are seeking when it comes to hard topics, obviously. But I will always respect when two different sides of the table come together to have the tough conversations and learn something new about the other and find common ground. I think Acho and Tishby did a great job of that, at the very least.
• 
  Stephanie Sullivan

  I have forever found all things Jewish fascinating. It always intrigued me being an ethnoreligion and I have found it both wildly interesting and confusing. Emmanuel Acho asks some questionably uncomfortable questions to Noa Tishby, an Israeli activist, and she answers them without pause.
  
  This book took me quite a while to get through given the amount of context. I found myself doing a lot of side googling which lead into deep dives. There were some part I had to read multiple times to comprehend.
  
  If you want to understand the pain and suffering felt by Jewish people over the course of history, this book helps to break that down. Including the most recent tragedy to hit the Jewish community that took place on October 7th 2023. You will also learn a deeper history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and understand what it means to be a Zionist. A term I formally thought was a negative one.
  
  If you want to take the time to learn and broaden your perspective regarding all things Jewish, this book is for you.
• 
  Peter Fox

  This book couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Truly covers all relevant uncomfortable topics with grace. Noa and Emmanuel have written a necessary and timely book.
• 
  Milly Cohen

  muy interesante y bueno y cierto y urgente
  pero mucha de la info creo que la leí también en el otro de Noa
  así me pareció
• 
  Haley

  This book has sat with me. I know a lot did the history and some of the earlier chapters are more for people who know less about Judaism - but the deeper in to the book, the deeper and more relevant it gets (in these turbulent times). IF ANY OF MY FRIENDS WANT TO READ THIS BOOK - I will buy it for you!!!!!!! 💕💕
• 
  Darlene

  This is an interesting conversation—and, yes, uncomfortable. But it is enlightening to see how conversations late at night can get, where you ask the hard questions and the other person lets down their social shield and purely expresses what we all really want to know but are afraid to ask.
  
  Emmanuel Acho has written other books, including Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, and he has a podcast similarly named. But with what happened in the East on October 7th, many of us are confused about the whole thing. We think we understand Israel's stand and possibly Palastine's, but what was the third people, Hamas? And what was all of that?
  
  I thought I needed to hear it from someone close to the source, Noa Tishby, rather than the opinions of the crowd. This book explores this topic and many of the misconceptions about the Jewish people.
  
  I was fortunate enough to pick this up on Libby. I highly suggest the audio version, as it gives you the full experience of the conversation between Noa and Emmanual. I will be looking up more by both authors, Quite interesting!
• 
  Shana Burstyn

  Required reading!!!
• 
  megkreads (Megan)

  A million stars ⭐️
• 
  Julia

  heavily focused (rightly so) on understanding the events surrounding oct 7th, but ultimately a really good conversation that is an excellent start to doing the work that we did post George Floyd with Emmanuel’s other book, now learning context to help support both Jews and Palestinian civilians is crucial to increase understanding and humanity in an increasingly inhumane situation.
• 
  Jillian

  I wish everyone would read this, Jews and non Jews. It meant so much to have a non Jew’s allyship as part of this book.
• 
  Sam

  Excellent book
• 
  Sam

  listened to this on audio in a few hours. really well done
• 
  Laura Bleill

  A must read/listen for anyone who wants an excellent overview of antisemitism, in modern times and over the course of history. And especially what in means in the context of what happened on October 7.
  
  I especially appreciated Noa and Emmanuel’s discussions about Black-Jewish relations, how to improve them, and how to maintain dialogue.
  
  It’s hard to believe that this book was well in process before October 2023. I’m so glad it was - even if it almost didn’t happen.
  
  The audience for this book isn’t limited. I would highly recommend to any non-Jews. This would make a great gift for children who are going off to college, or for the non-Jewish family members of Jewish people. And it was a great way for me, someone who is loud and proud, to refresh my own knowledge about the roots, causes, and history of antisemitism. It also made me more sensitive to microaggressions I have experienced in my own workplace that in the past I brushed aside. I won’t make that mistake again. Thanks Noa and Emmanuel!
  
  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ listened on audio at 1.5 speed.
• 
  Courtney Shapiro

  This book was so well done. I listened to the audio and I think that captured my emotions even more. It was validating and honest and brought to light my own feelings as a Jew both prior to and after October 7. It was heavy and informative, but also easy to follow. I felt like Noa and Emmanuel were speaking to me and not simply recorded. It's books like these that showcase just how important communication is especially with difficult, uncomfortable topics like the ones discussed throughout. I not only felt seen and heard, but I also learned a lot while I was reading. I genuinely think everyone should read this and hey, while you're at it, maybe check on your Jewish friends.
• 
  Katie

  I so admire the authors of this book for sitting down, asking uncomfortable questions, and listening to each other, all from a place of wanting to understand and make our collective world better. If you don’t have a Jewish friend, read this. If you have ONE Jewish friend, read this. And if that one Jewish friend is me, hit me up for a Shabbat dinner or a seat at our Seder.
  
  I highly recommend the audio version.
• 
  Abby | abbysbookadventure

  I'm glad I listened to this and you should too. I was definitely uncomfortable at times, but I can appreciate that consensus is not the goal here. It's about mutual respect and willingness to ask and listen and support. We are more powerful together than divided. <3