This is a brilliant, fascinating book about an Israeli, observantly Jewish journalist's spiritual journey. he spends a year observing the holidays and daily rituals with various religious Muslims (primarily Sufi) and Christians. He does all this without ever losing or questioning his Jewish faith - what he is searching for is the interfaith common language and belief structure for all three religions. And he finds it - even if plenty of fundamentalist Muslims, Christians, and Jews would deny it is there.

This was a beautiful book. The author's descriptions of the people he meets and places he goes and his honest reflection and expressions of his feelings and fears was just captivating. If he and the people he befriends in this book were in power, we could have peace. Insha'Allah - Keyn Hehi Ratzon.

This is an important book for anyone interested in ecumenical issues. Halevi tells of encounters with similarly ecumenical minded Muslims and Christians. None seem to be mainstream.

Interestingly, he finds some "ecumenical" Muslims espousing a position that includes Jews but not Christians and some Christians including Jews but not Muslims. He keeps seeking broader inclusivity.

He fears and finds some who claim ecumenical interest but continue to consider theirs the only right and true; some even proselytize.

The encounters are well told; the players are vividly described.

Halevi seeks to put religion into the Israeli/Palestinian discussion, something he claims is usually omitted. He ponders if religion could be a gateway to reconciliation. At the end, politics has overcome whatever religious rapprochement might have accomplished, had it gone mainstream.

Written before the second intifada and before 9/11, this book should seem dated. I found his journey and experiences still quite relevant, both from a religious and political perspective. As an Orthodox Jewish Israeli raised in Brooklyn by Holocaust survivors, he certainly has an interesting background. His journey to find solidarity with Muslims and Christians in prayer and worship is fascinating. His ambitious mission could come across as naive Kumbaya-type exploration, but his deeply held religious beliefs -- and prejudices -- keep the narrative to veering off into lala land. As a journalist, he is unafraid to ask questions of the people with whom he interacts, and those questions and the answers he receives give insight to the individuals, their faiths, and their political beliefs. It's also worth noting that the people he chooses to worship with--and reciprocally, who allow an Orthodox Israeli to worship with them--are a very certain (and fairly small) subgroup, and I think he acknowledges this. He's not claiming that the Muslims he interacts with represent all Muslims in the middle east. He seeks out and finds Sufi mystics who are also interested in dialogue with Jews. He does not find a secret to the divides that separate the Abrahamic faiths, but his journey is definitely worth reading.