Please join us for an evening with Comedian, Educator, and Writer Benji Lovitt, where he takes us on the journey through his new book – “Israel 201: Your Next-Lev­el Guide to the Mag­ic, Mys­tery, and Chaos of Life in the Holy Land”

How did Jerusalem’s cat prob­lem spur reli­gious debate? Why are Israelis so blunt, even when the truth hurts? From shomer Shab­bos car insur­ance poli­cies and ancient mar­riage laws to Arab Israeli stand-up com­e­dy, Druze high schools, and LGBTQ activism in the IDF, Israel 201 goes beyond the typ­i­cal intro­duc­to­ry “101” course to show read­ers the real Israel, behind the head­lines. Based on the authors’ own expe­ri­ences liv­ing in Israel for a com­bined twen­ty-five years and inter­views with Israeli experts like Fau­da co-cre­ator Avi Issacharoff, Olympian Yael Arad, and oth­ers, Israel 201 is a behind-the-scenes look at the mag­ic, mys­tery, and, yes, the chaos of one of the most fas­ci­nat­ing and least under­stood coun­tries on earth.

Ben­ji Lovitt

Since immi­grat­ing to Israel in 2006, Texas-native Ben­ji Lovitt has deliv­ered stand-up com­e­dy and cul­tur­al pre­sen­ta­tions for audi­ences around the world. His per­spec­tives on Israeli soci­ety and cul­tur­al dif­fer­ences have been fea­tured on Israeli tele­vi­sion and radio and in media out­lets such as USA Today, BBC Radio, Time Mag­a­zine, The Atlantic, and The Times of Israel.

This literary event was made possible with the generous support of the Jewish Book Council, Books&Books, and The Betsy Writers Room @thebetsyhotel