Coming Home to Jerusalem: A Personal Journey

In the tradition of Under the Tuscan Sun and Peter Mayle's popular portraits of Provence, an American woman recounts her five-year stay in Israel with candor, wit, and a keen eye for the cultural and political undercurrents of her adopted home.

Wendy Orange and her family settled in Israel in the 1990s, and, despite language barriers, household dramas, homesickness, and a difficult job search, Orange eventually found herself at home. Coming Home to Jerusalem is the story of the world she discovered, the people behind the politics, and the deep-seated ideals obscured behind divisive ideologies.

Her sojourn brings her into contact with famous authors, obscure artists, Evangelical teachers, American-Israeli housewives, and citizens weary of the turbulent life Orange finds so fascinating. As a reporter for an American magazine, she travels to remote parts of Israel and into the Palestinian territories, adventures that give her a broader picture of the age-old conflicts that inform the opinions of peaceniks and young soldiers, downtrodden refugees and elite politicians on both sides of the cultural divide. Her portraits illuminate everyday lives lived in extraordinary circumstances with stunning immediacy.