Yair Lapid Relives Father’s Turbulent Life
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Book Review

Yair Lapid Relives Father’s Turbulent Life

Tommy Yosef Lapid’s positions against the ultra-Orthodox and commitment to the Shinui party lead to his fame and support among a new generation of Israelis.

Sarah Moosazadeh

Sarah Moosazadeh is a staff writer for the Atlanta Jewish Times.

Tommy Yosef Lapid is viewed as one of Israel’s most controversial figures, mostly because of his secular, leftist views. Readers can learn who the Israeli politician, journalist, and television and radio presenter really was in “Memories After My Death” by Yair Lapid.

Yair Lapid writes the chronicle of his father’s life in the first person. As readers flip through the pages, they receive a glimpse of Tommy Lapid as a young child as he struggles to survive in a ghetto during the Holocaust. With only each other to rely on, he and his mother escape World War II and travel to Israel, where a new life awaits them.

Without his father by his side, however, Lapid must learn how to make it in the world and remember the lessons his father taught him.

Memories After My Death
By Yair Lapid
Thomas Dunne Books, 336 pages, $27.99

After forgoing an opportunity to become a taxi driver, Lapid decides to try his hand at writing, which inevitably leads to a three-decade career in journalism. While stationed in London, he covers countless stories and makes a name for himself as an author, playwright and poet.

Yet his most notable memories arise from his life as a politician while serving as the deputy minister of justice in the 16th Knesset. Lapid’s resounding positions against the ultra-Orthodox and commitment to the Shinui party lead to his fame and support among a new generation of Israelis seeking a government they can rely on.

Each chapter reveals Lapid’s struggles in life, his unforeseen tragedies and his moments of happiness as he recounts family vacations, political achievements and journalistic accolades.

It’s no surprise that “Memories After My Death” has become Yair Lapid’s latest best seller and is one of the best-written books I have read in a while.

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