The Seventh Day

Henry Near's "The Seventh Day: Soldiers' Talk About the Six-Day War" stands as a remarkable document of introspection and moral reflection emerging from the crucible of military conflict. Published shortly after the June 1967 war between Israel and its neighboring Arab states, this collection captures conversations among young Israeli soldiers and kibbutz members grappling with the implications of their swift and decisive military victory.

The book's genesis lies in a series of recorded discussions held at kibbutzim across Israel in the immediate aftermath of the war. These conversations brought together soldiers, many of whom had just returned from combat, to process their experiences and confront the moral complexities of what they had witnessed and participated in. Near compiled and edited these raw, unfiltered exchanges into a volume that preserves the authenticity and emotional weight of the moment.

What distinguishes this work from conventional military histories or战争 memoirs is its focus on ethical questioning rather than triumphalism. Despite Israel's dramatic military success in capturing the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem within six days, the soldiers featured in these discussions express profound ambivalence about the costs of victory. Their conversations reveal young men wrestling with having taken lives, witnessing destruction, and confronting the human consequences of armed conflict.

The participants speak with striking candor about their psychological and moral struggles. Some describe the dissonance between the elation of survival and victory and the horror of killing enemy soldiers. Others reflect on encounters with Palestinian civilians and the ethical implications of occupying territories inhabited by Arab populations. The discussions capture a generation of Israelis raised on socialist ideals and humanistic values attempting to reconcile these principles with the brutal realities of warfare.

Near's editorial approach preserves the conversational nature of these exchanges while organizing them thematically. The voices range from those of hardened paratroopers to kibbutz members serving in reserve units, offering multiple perspectives on shared experiences. This polyphonic structure allows contradictions and disagreements to stand without resolution, reflecting the genuine complexity of the issues under discussion.

The historical context surrounding these conversations adds significant weight to the material. The Six-Day War marked a turning point in Middle Eastern history and Israeli society. The rapid territorial expansion fundamentally altered the regional landscape and initiated debates about occupation, security, and peace that continue to resonate decades later. Capturing these immediate reactions before political narratives hardened provides invaluable insight into the initial moral and emotional responses to these transformative events.

The book's exploration of the psychological impact of combat offers particularly compelling material. Soldiers describe the adrenaline of battle, the fear of death, and the aftermath of killing. Some express guilt and questioning; others defend the necessity of their actions. These testimonies provide a human dimension often absent from strategic analyses of the conflict, revealing how individual soldiers processed experiences that would shape their lives and their society.

Contemporary readers may find the discussions especially relevant given ongoing debates about military ethics, occupation, and the moral responsibilities of soldiers in complex conflicts. The questions raised by these young Israelis in 1967 about the relationship between military necessity and humanitarian values remain pressing concerns in modern warfare. The book demonstrates that moral reflection and military service need not be mutually exclusive.

Near's role as compiler and editor remains largely invisible, allowing the soldiers' voices to dominate the narrative. This editorial restraint serves the material well, though readers seeking contextualization or historical background may need to supplement their reading with additional sources. The book assumes familiarity with the basic events of the Six-Day War and focuses instead on personal responses to those events.

"The Seventh Day" occupies an important place in the literature of modern warfare and Israeli history. Its value lies not in providing answers but in documenting the questions that arose when military victory confronted moral consciousness. The soldiers' willingness to engage in difficult conversations about their actions and their implications reveals a commitment to ethical reflection that transcends national boundaries and speaks to universal concerns about war, violence, and human dignity. For readers interested in the human dimensions of conflict, the moral complexities of warfare, or the social and psychological impact of the Six-Day War, this collection offers profound and thought-provoking material that remains relevant well beyond its immediate historical moment.