ISRAEL HAYOM
Book charged with ‘encouraging assimilation’ flies off shelves
by Omer Lachmanovitch, Gideon Allon and Dan Lavie
January 1, 2016

The controversial book “Borderlife,” about a romantic relationship between a Palestinian man and a Jewish woman, has become an overnight sensation following a ministerial directive to keep it out of school curricula. The demand for the book, written by Dorit Rabinyan, has overwhelmed Israel’s largest bookstore chains. Amid skyrocketing sales, the publisher has announced a second edition. The Education Ministry decided to prevent the teaching of the book in early December but the decision was reaffirmed on Wednesday following a lengthy review process that lasted about a month. The book, titled in Hebrew “Gader Haya” — literally “Hedgerow” but known in English as “Borderlife” — tells the story of Liat, an Israeli translator, and Hilmi, a Palestinian painter, who meet in New York and fall in love. Their love affair lasts until they both return to the Middle East, but to different parts — she to Tel Aviv and he to Ramallah. READ MORE