The Best Place on Earth

The Best Place on Earth is a collection of short stories that explores aspects of the Israeli experience from an insider’s perspective. Set against a backdrop of war, conflict, and the army service, these stories deal with themes of home, family, displacement, love and loss. The protagonists in the collection—mainly Israelis of a Mizrahi background (Jews of North African and Middle Eastern descent)—are confronted with questions of faith and ethics, grapple with issues of identity and marginalization. Cultural clashes, often within romantic or family relationships, are a recurring theme. Some stories take place during important events in Israeli history such as the Gulf War, the Lebanon War, and the Intifada. A sense of anxiety, tension and contention is threaded throughout the book.