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Rise And Kill First: On The Reputable Institute in Tel Aviv
I have this on my TBR and I am glad it is as good aa I was thinking it sounded.
Mod
:D
Feliks wrote: "Fine writing there, in your review--Samuel oul' son. Mighty dexterous use of vocabulary. :D"
Felix... your vocab isnt so bad either.
You had to know I would respond to Samuel's review, and then some :)
Mod
Yea... may be so...but Samuel writes from passion and conviction; whereas I write from dissolution, drink, and dissipation. He's the Charles D'arcy to my Sidney Carton!
:D
Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than their bumbling goody two shoes gentile counte..."Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than their bumbling goody two shoes gentile counte..."
Samuel- your review is outstanding; I would expect nothing less.
You wrote the most sincere review I have read in a long time., and you left nothing out.
You told me I would love this book. I did, just 30 pages left.
Thank you.
As I am familiar with this theme, it's easy for me to compartmentalize all the players including their respective "groups and titles".
I had to smile when thinking how confusing it may be for a reader who- understanding this is the real deal, thinks they are picking up a commercial spy/assassin book.
Yes, I know that most read the synopsis first :)
In my opinion only-----
The history of Israel is the easier part.
When history is coupled with politics, it can get confusing comprehending why the Israelis fight each other, yet collectively fight an enemy- while recognizing the survival of the state of Israel was their ultimate goal.
This author wrote a fascinating book and did do an outstanding job putting all the pieces of a puzzle together.
While "Mossad" is as well known as Gabriel Allon- have you ever typed in the word Kidon or Sayaret on Amazon looking for books?
They respond with ..did you mean Kiddon -and - we cant find find anything with the word Sayaret. :)
Spell check is down.
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than their bumbling goody two shoes..."Thank you so much for the compliment Stacey. It's a fine book that made me appreciate on a deeper level the jaw dropping level of hard work that goes into protecting Israel. Fiction only captures part of it, while this masterpiece of non fiction journalistic historical reporting fills in the blank spaces.
And yeah, you point out that one thing where titanic personalities and legends may dislike each other and get into immense rows, but are united in that end goal of keeping the country they love standing.
For me, one of the affecting moments of the book I'd have to say was a deeper explanation of just how Meir Dagan ended up with the photograph he put up in his office.
Quite the guiding star and the ultimate reminder of what his work, and that of his compatriots at the institute and at the other organizations is in service of.
Making sure his fellow Israelis whom he defended throughout his life never had to suffer what his Grandfather did and the anguish I presume his father felt when seeing that photo.
5-8-18Hi Samuel,
What a thoughtful review. As an author I appreciate the details--especially of a topic I know little about. That's how I came to dive into the NTSB's aircraft accident investigation techniques and ultimately took several of their aircraft accident investigation courses. Out of that came "Man of Honor". Thanks to you, I'll pick up on your recommendation for the "badass Isareli assassin".
All the best,
Chris Malburg, author
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than their bumbling goody two shoes..."Breaking News. Eli Cohen is about to get a biopic. The actor selected for the role is a most interesting choice, but a pretty good one as he'll be playing against type.
https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/sach...
Eliyahu Ben-Shaul Cohen.....the man who took the Golan Heights. With nothing but sketches and a suggestion to plant trees.......http://free.messianicbible.com/featur...
https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Cul...
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than their bumbling ..."I really hope they eventually make a biopic of Wolfgang Lotz......his story ran parallel to Mr Cohen's and his work was part of the intel that was used to build up the hand Israel played.
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than their bumbling ..."Samuel- you are certainly correct in saying the actor selected for the role of Eli Cohen is a most interesting choice :)
I was ready to disagree with you but just looked at his px in "Variety". I actually did a double take on that one. He really looks great- though he has big shoes to fill.
If asked, who would be your choice(s)?
I was thinking Rami Malek. Malek was chosen to play Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. From Queen to Spy; quite against type.
This is an excellent review! I admit I am one of those Gabriel Allon fans. I also think back to that movie which covered Black September events. I believe it was called Munich. It was an adaptation of those events. I cannot wait to read this book!
Hi. Yes, you are correct. There were two movies about the 1972 Summer Olympic massacre. One was "Munich", the other "One Day in September".
Rise and Kill First is great, but it isn't fiction. Nothing like Daniel Silva's novels.
Or... just dawned on me- are you referring to reading Our Man in Damascus?
I also admit I am one of those Gabriel Allon fans as well.
Let me know if or when you read "The Other Woman".
Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than ..."Did you read either of his books??
Stacey wrote: "Hi. Yes, you are correct. There were two movies about the 1972 Summer Olympic massacre. One was "Munich", the other "One Day in September".
Rise and Kill First is great, but it isn't fiction. Not..."
Alas, no I am behind in the Gabriel Allon series. I am currently listening to Portrait of a Spy. Did Rise and Kill First read more like a novel or biography?
LadyTechie wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Hi. Yes, you are correct. There were two movies about the 1972 Summer Olympic massacre. One was "Munich", the other "One Day in September".
Rise and Kill First is great, but it isn..."
It reads as a biography, but has some mossad etc stories in it. It is non-fiction.
It has been a long time since I read historical non-fiction and that was mostly the history of different companies which were pretty good actually.
LadyTechie wrote: "It has been a long time since I read historical non-fiction and that was mostly the history of different companies which were pretty good actually."Same for me- I need a page turner, edge of my seat novel.
But... if you love Gabriel and his mossad, this book will give you the history of of those groups and how they came to be.
This was only the third biography I have read in a year and a half.
I love Daniel Silva and have this book on my TBR.
Rachel wrote: "I love Daniel Silva and have this book on my TBR."My favorite!!
His new book comes out next month!
LadyTechie wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Hi. Yes, you are correct. There were two movies about the 1972 Summer Olympic massacre. One was "Munich", the other "One Day in September".
Rise and Kill First is great, but it isn..."
I myself found RAKF was like a inter - generational epic.
It's a story about a group of people, how they came to be, how they went about their profession, and how they evolved and changed with each new decade and threat that faced them all, and how well they coped with all of this.
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, more stylish than ..."Breaking news! Fresh on the Fauda TV show, the upcoming Eli Cohen Biopic, the biopic on Ashraf Marawan, we now have this announcement......
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/Ne...
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more professional, mor..." I wonder who will play Meir Dagan and Ariel Sharon?
https://deadline.com/2018/06/mossad-r...
Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more pr..."One thing I'd love to see is them adapting the chapters with Otto Skorzeny. Would be great if they could portray how the Nazi commando proved surprisingly adapt at intelligence gathering (with a helping hand from Mossad who provided the listening devices) and manipulating his fellow post - war fascists with superb skill.
Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More cunning, more pr..."Thank you for the two articles.
As you saw by my comment re Sasha Cohen, I would make a horrible casting director.
I think choosing an actor to play Ariel Sharon is easier than Eli Cohen.
Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More c..."I would like to see how they portray those chapters as well. Something tells me if they include it, it will be skimmed.
Im having a hard time getting my arms around the fact that Skorzeny, a devout Nazi, would work for Mossad. It doesnt make sense, so I took a shot and looked up that part of his history in the 50's. The info that came up said that when he was "recruited" , he may not have known who he was working for.
Again, I find that hard to believe with his history.
Cant wait for this series. I hope the adaptation will represent the accuracy of the book.
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imagination. More c..."It would be great for them to adapt the chapter where Meir Dagan first appears. Walking towards a mobile rocket launcher, in the middle of a minefield and then disabling it with absolutely no bomb disposal training.
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imag..."Well, Mr Rafi Eitan said life, without fear makes for a strong motivation. Skorzeny had gone from king of the hill to becoming a fugitive who would have done anything to stay out of jail or just stay alive. So old fashioned grubby opportunism would have most likely kicked into play and overrode whatever shred of "ideological loyalty" to his old masters whom he outlived, that he still had left in the post war era.
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to the public imag..."I think Michael Harari will probably be included. The very urbane and charming amateur painter and opera lover who was the closet thing one could get to the real Gabriel Allon. Quite the character and despite not becoming the one in charge, the legacy he left in the form of the Kidon teams still endured long after he had left the institute.
You make a good point.He was, in Argentina- I assume he had some "buddies hiding there, as they protect each other.
Don't know if Eichmann was caught first so he thought they were coming for him shortly after. Your point works with that scenario I just made up as well. :)
As the translation of the title Rise up and Kill... says from Talmud....
"If someone comes to kill you, rise up, and kill them first.
Love that!!! I must have missed that in the book.
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "The Badass Israeli Assassin....this is an archetype that has glued itself to ..."Is it me, or does Mossad attract people with old school, classical hobbies? Harari and Dagan were both painters.
No- not you. Peter Malkin ( actual mossad agent who grabbed Eichmann)
was also a painter. His works are in NYC.
Stacey wrote: "No- not you. Peter Malkin ( actual mossad agent who grabbed Eichmann)
was also a painter. His works are in NYC."
Gabriel Allon is an icon, a great artist and restorer, but he doesnt have the charm of Dagan or the late Malkin.
Harari, Dagan, Eitan did leave brilliant legacies, quite relevant-tweaked being used today.
Does history repeat itself?
Samuel- do you paint? :)
Stacey wrote: "Rachel wrote: "I love Daniel Silva and have this book on my TBR."
My favorite!!"
I just ordered this book and I'm anxious to read it. Everyone seems to love it.
My favorite!!"
I just ordered this book and I'm anxious to read it. Everyone seems to love it.
Stacey wrote: "Stacey wrote: "No- not you. Peter Malkin ( actual mossad agent who grabbed Eichmann)
was also a painter. His works are in NYC."
Gabriel Allon is an icon, a great artist and restorer, but he does..."
Alas no Stacey, I lack the hand - eye coordination for such a fine, delicate craft.....
I just remembered, Rafi Eitan was quite the sculptor.
Stacey wrote: "Stacey wrote: "No- not you. Peter Malkin ( actual mossad agent who grabbed Eichmann)
was also a painter. His works are in NYC."
Gabriel Allon is an icon, a great artist and restorer, but he does..."
Intriguing. Peter Malkin is about to get a biopic of his own.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07Y4_...
The American accent of the Guatemalan Oscar Issac who is playing Malkin is far too jarring.
They did at least do right in their choice of Ramsad. Lior Raz as Isser Harrel
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "Stacey wrote: "No- not you. Peter Malkin ( actual mossad agent who grabbed Eichmann)
was also a painter. His works are in NYC."
Gabriel Allon is an icon, a great artist and restor..."
Wow. Where do you find these facts?
Stacey wrote: "You make a good point.He was, in Argentina- I assume he had some "buddies hiding there, as they protect each other.
Don't know if Eichmann was caught first so he thought they were coming for him ..."
Good news! Now all we need is Yossi Cohen to get the body back.
https://t.co/YK5NZseBGx
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "You make a good point.He was, in Argentina- I assume he had some "buddies hiding there, as they protect each other.
Don't know if Eichmann was caught first so he thought they were ..."
Touche' . :)
The movie "Operation" Finale" comes out at the end of August.Ben Kingsley was cast to play Adolf Eichmann and Oscar Issac was cast to play Peter Malkin.
Im reserving judgement until after.....
I will have to read this book. Thank you Stacy for bringing it to my attention. I also write fiction about MOSSAD. I'll confess though, I've primarily stuck to fictional sources for my depiction of it. Of course, I've read works like Gideon's Spies too, but it's really, really hard to get a non-fiction source on the modern MOSSAD that isn't by a disgruntled ex officer or agenda driven journalist. My biggest influences have been Daniel Silva and Fauda.
I'm adding this book to my wish list ASAP. Thank you!
The name of the book is "Eichmann in My Hands" by Peter Malkin. After that operation in Buenos Aries, many of the team wrote books
about how "they" were the one who grabbed him from the street into the car.
I had the honor of meeting him bf he passed away in NYC.
You met him? Wow, that's incredible. Thank you for the title. I also added the Kill First title. Looking forward to reading.
Stacey wrote: "The name of the book is "Eichmann in My Hands" by Peter Malkin. After that operation in Buenos Aries, many of the team wrote books
about how "they" were the one who grabbed him from the street int..."
And filming begins. Mr Baron Cohen is fluent in Hebrew and I hope the showrunners will at least let him show off some of that knowledge.
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2018...
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "The name of the book is "Eichmann in My Hands" by Peter Malkin. After that operation in Buenos Aries, many of the team wrote books
about how "they" were the one who grabbed him from..."
Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "The name of the book is "Eichmann in My Hands" by Peter Malkin.
After that operation in Buenos Aries, many of the team wrote books
about how "they" were the one who grabbed him from..."
Thank you.
Looking forward to the series.
Stacey wrote: "Samuel wrote: "Stacey wrote: "The name of the book is "Eichmann in My Hands" by Peter Malkin. After that operation in Buenos Aries, many of the team wrote books
about how "they" were the one who g..."
First full trailer to the Little Drummer Girl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_c46...
As a rule magicians never tell their secrets and prefer to die with them rather than loosen their lips. The same can be said for the Guardians of Israel who like any good spies, prefer misdirection, strategic exaggeration and the occasional modest downplaying to keep what really happened under wraps. Case in point the sometimes exuberant journalist Gordon Thomas whose Gideon's Spies has been shown to have quite a bit of exaggeration over the years.
This time however, the magicians have decided to tell more of the truth in a book that is set to be the seminal 2018 release, beating out Steve Coll's Directorate S for the most hotly anticipated non fiction history book of this year.
"Rise up and kill first". These are the words that the men who run Israel's paramilitary operations live and die by. Taken from the Babylonian edition of the Talmud, it's a reference to how Israel does not want to see another would be Hitler getting to that blood soaked finish line.
To achieve this end, whether it be a bomb sent by express delivery through an Iranian nuclear power plant or that trademark hail of .22LR lead fired from Italian made automatics, Mossad and Sayaret Matkal were finding, fixing and finishing people before Mitch Rapp and Scott Harvath made it cool.
This book is written by Ronen Bergman, the journalist in Israel who knows all the main players and has illuminated the pitch black dark spaces. At 900 pages it is the complete history of covert ops, intelligence gathering and assassination by those who defend Israel.
Starting from the humble days of the British Mandate era where Zionist militants were knocking off British Tommies and Ruperts, we then go on an odessy through the war against the Post Colonial Arab nations, the wave of PLO terrorism, the dark days of the Lebanese Civil War, both Infatadas and concluding in 2016 with the death of one of the greatest Middle Eastern spies in history, saying that there's a lot of detail in this book is like saying bullets go through flesh and blood.
A thousand anecdotes, a thousand battles on the never ending covert war that is the espionage game. Chronicling the greatest hits by letter bomb, car bomb, air force bomb, bullets and in one case, the worst dental hygiene product in the world.
Exploring the biggest defeats and setbacks which include the ones that they would have preferred to keep under wraps, this book is the warts and all portrait of the most idolized and demonized group of soldiers and spies in the world that in the age where facts are now irrelevant but feelings are in fashion is truly a welcome relief. This is proof that proper journalism is not dead.
The cast of characters is phenomenal and so are the little stories woven into the narrative. We have Mossad's founding fathers and how they got their first office (a group of Nazi loving German Protestants were in Tel Aviv and were removed from the vicinity permanently), their assets like Otto Skorzeny who proved to be an even better intelligence officer and manipulator than commando when Mossad hired him for a job, the seminal events like the formation of the Kidon team that has brought the fear of Allah to millions of terrorists from Paris to Beirut, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The material in this book would provide any spy series with enough information to go on for decades.
As I said above however, this is a true warts and all account. Some people you may admire do not come off well in this book. And some of the biggest mistakes stuff ups and some of the more mad "proposals" that were considered are recounted in detail that will leave you quite shaken even. But this serves in humanizing the people in the story. They're not Gods, but very human, trying to do the best they can in spite of what their job throws at them.
At the heart of this story however, is an analysis about the paramilitary side of the espionage game (aka the side of the business which the most beloved spy novels are drawn from). It shows you the planning, the hard work and sheer effort it takes to kill a man that you only see a third of in a thriller novel.
The men who developed the paramilitary capability as you'll learn in the book, are proud of their creation and rightfully so. But they understood that it can only bring short term tactical victories, but not the long term solution that they realize their country would need. And it's this tactical victory and strategic defeat dichotomy that you'll learn cuts to the heart of the utility of paramilitary operations in covert affairs.
To conclude. This is the book about the real Gabriel Allons and peels back the curtain to show you the time, effort and suffering they've had to do to create that "badass Israeli" legend that haunts the dreams of Palestinian Nationalists and Radical Islamists the world over.
For thriller fans, "Rise Up and Kill First" can leave you unsatisfied with many spy novels. For writers, this book is an amazing resource if you want to write about Mossad, Shin Bet and Amamn. And for those who want to learn something new and are tired about the same old portrayals, this is the book for you.