What happens in a country where security is of such paramount importance that a doctor willingly participates in a murder plot because she believes she is defending her homeland? Would high-ranking Israeli politicians or military officials protect a member of a minority against mere suspicion of treason? Questions like these are explored by Eva Illouz in her essays about Israel. Drawing on current political developments and personal experiences, she paints a stark picture of Israeli society: the increasing identification with ethnicity and religion, she argues, threatens to undermine its liberal character. Illouz's widely noted and controversially discussed texts in Israel combine sharp analyses with an uncompromising plea for an open society - a much-needed voice from a time marked by extremism.