Tuvia Book, at The Blogs

Jul 9, 2025, 9:55 AM

The uneven burden of Military service in Israel

Wounded IDF soldier being medivaced to safety. Photo ©️T. Book , 2025

There are those that do and give, and those that don't and take. My name is Tuvia Book. I am a reservist in a combat medical extraction unit (Palmar) on the Gaza front. I've served now hundreds of days of...

Jul 5, 2025, 10:08 PM

Reflecting on Reserve Duty. Twenty-One Months on the Gaza Front

My IDF Palmar unit medivacing a wounded soldier from Gaza. Photo ©️ T. Book, 2025

As I reflect on my reserve duty, twenty-one months on the Gaza front, the weight of time and sacrifice hangs heavy in the air. What began as a commitment to serve as a combat medic in the IDF, despite...

Jul 4, 2025, 11:41 AM

From King David to Gaza: ‘Jewish Journeys: The First Temple Period’

The author with his latest book "Jewish Journeys, The First Temple Period" (Koren: 2025). Photo ©️ T. Book, 2025

In the heart of the tumultuous Gaza Strip, amidst the chaos and challenges of military life, this soldier scholar embarked on a remarkable journey of discovery and connection with my Jewish heritage. "Jewish Journeys: The First Temple Period," the...

Jun 29, 2025, 6:02 PM

The Hate of Haaretz and its blatant lies against the IDF

Throughout my extensive IDF service, I have never received an illegal order and always avoided harming civilians. I served in Lebanon, in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. I was a soldier in a front-line combat unit. I have served...

Jun 17, 2025, 8:20 PM

Operation Rising Lion: A Modern Day Miracle

Fighter jets from the IAF's F-35 squadron, the Lions of the South, fly over southern Israel. (©️Israel Defense Forces)

In a meticulously orchestrated operation, approximately 200 Israeli Air Force jets, including advanced F-35 fighter jets with stealth capabilities, carried out coordinated strikes across Iran's military nuclear infrastructure. The targets included key nuclear installations such as Natanz and Arak,...

Jun 15, 2025, 11:48 PM

IAF Female Fighter Pilots and Navigators participate in airstrike on Iran

Maj. Shin, a female navigator in the Israeli Air Force, is pictured alongside her fighter jet in an undated photo released for publication on June 14, 2025 (©️Israel Defense Forces)

The Israeli Air Force requires grit, determination, commitment, and sometimes a court case that prescribes gender equality An Israeli Air Force female combat navigator, Major “Shin” took part in this weekend’s unprecedented airstrikes on Iran in “Operation Rising Lion.” She...

Jun 9, 2025, 6:36 PM

IDF Female Fighters in the ‘Swords of Iron’ War

A quarter of my IDF Palmar combat medical extraction unit serving on the Gaza front are women. It's a very different IDF to the one I first enlisted back in the late 1980s. Despite being the only military in...

Jun 8, 2025, 4:46 PM

Day 610: The Motivation Level of the IDF Troops in Gaza

Me (left) and members of my IDF combat medical extraction unit (Palmar) inside Gaza. Photo ©️ 2025, T. Book.

Dr Micah Goodman observed that the army is still just as strong and united and focused now as it was at the beginning of the war. He also stated that the people of Israel are amazing. If you look at...

Apr 28, 2025, 6:06 PM

The almost unbearable price for our freedom – Yom Hazikaron 2025

Mt Herzl memorial ceremony. Photo (c) T Book, 2025

To paraphrase T.S. Eliot“October is the cruellest month.” This past October was the heaviest month for military casualties since October 7. Since the war started by our enemies, I have had the honour to serve as a combat medic...

Apr 25, 2025, 1:51 PM

Yom Hazikaron 2025, Remembering Alex

On Yom Hazikaron, Israel commemorates the lives of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism - those who sacrificed everything from the earliest days of Zionism to today’s conflicts. A powerful piece often recited during these memorials is Natan Alterman’s...

About Me

Tuvia Book has a doctorate in education and is the author and illustrator of the internationally acclaimed Israel education curriculum; "For the Sake of Zion; A Curriculum of Israel Studies" (Fifth edition, Koren), "Jewish Journeys, The Second Temple Period to the Bar Kokhba Revolt, 536 BCE-136 CE," (Koren), "Moral Dilemmas of the Modern Israeli Soldier" (Rama) and “Jewish Journeys, The First Temple Period, 1000 -586 BCE” (Koren). Dr. Book is a licensed tour guide and has been working in the field of Jewish education, both formal and informal, for many years. Tuvia has lectured throughout North America, Australia, Europe, and South Africa. Dr Book has served in reserves (Milluim) in the IDF in the current “Swords of Iron” war since October 2023 in a medical combat search and rescue unit (Palmar) and is the recipient of a prestigious IDF battalion award for his outstanding contribution to the unit. He has been featured on “Call me Back” and Times of Israel’s “What Matters Now” podcasts.