Between the Lines: Perfect Enemy
Date: Mar 13, 2024
Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Sponsor: The Library
Location: Online
Category: Book Talks
Perfect Enemy
Part of Between the Lines: Author Conversations from The Library of JTS
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
1:00–2:00 p.m. ET
Online
In a covert laboratory under the streets of Tel Aviv, Akiva Cohen, an Israeli scientist, clones Hitler from old samples of his DNA. Akiva wants to change the world for the good; but he is betrayed by those who want to use this new Hitler for unimaginable terror. Akiva is plunged into a desperate struggle to stay alive and salvage his dream, leading to a trail of murders across the country, collaboration with Hamas terrorists, and the uncovering of a devastating conspiracy at the highest levels of Israeli society. Perfect Enemy is an exciting, suspenseful thriller that poses uncomfortable questions about trauma and revenge, the desire for peace, religious extremism, and the schisms of the Middle East.
About the Author
Alex Sinclair is chief content officer at Educating for Impact, and an adjunct lecturer at the Melton Centre of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has written and spoken widely on Jewish education, Israel-Diaspora relations, and Israeli politics, in both academic and popular contexts. He has worked or consulted for many of the finest Jewish educational and communal institutions in North America, Europe and Israel, including the Hartman Institute, the Schechter Institute, Hebrew Union College, and Hebrew College. Most notably, he served as a full-time or adjunct member of faculty for almost two decades at JTS. His first book, published in 2013, Loving the Real Israel: An Educational Agenda for Liberal Zionism, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award, and his debut novel, Perfect Enemy, was published in November 2023. He holds an MA(Oxon) and MSt from Balliol College, Oxford, and a PhD from Hebrew University. He lives with his wife and three children in Modi’in, Israel.
Praise for Perfect Enemy
“It presents a wide range of characters—a strong female lead character, a nuanced portrait of the main Palestinian character, and even a villain (who some readers might see as the hero) who is humanized and not presented as one dimensional . . . a fantastic and exciting read, an intelligent and suspenseful thriller. I highly recommend it.”
—Steve Sheffey, Pro-Israel Political Update, in the Times of Israel
“Perfect Enemy is a compelling read that drew me in and kept me involved throughout. It evokes the people and places of contemporary Israel skillfully and authentically, and I found myself engaged with the characters and eager to know how the story would end. It’s an intelligent thriller that gets the reader thinking about issues in Israeli society and politics that are all too relevant today.”
—Alan Hoffmann, former director-general and CEO of the Jewish Agency for Israel
