Are Jews still “the people of the book”?

What does it even mean to be “The people of the book”?

This is the question we took to beloved Israeli writer Etgar Keret to kick off the latest episode of Israel Story, a Tablet-sponsored mini-series of the popular Israeli radio program Sipur Israeli. Keret is a steadfast believer in the transformative power of books, but seems resigned to the possibility that many Israelis don’t see things that way.

During the rest of the episode, we set out to prove him wrong. We’ve got three stories, all revolving around people who rescue books, chase after books, or otherwise allow books to determine their destiny—from a Yiddish book collector based in the Tel Aviv central bus station to a lonely college student in Dimona to bibliophiles in search of the lost fragments of the Aleppo Codex. Some say this is our best episode so far — give a listen and decide for yourself.

Listen to the podcast at Tablet Magazine