Jerusalem

IT IS ONE YEAR AGO this week that Ariel Sharon’s political career was cut short when he suffered a second major stroke. Even so, the old soldier and politician, who still lies unconscious today, continues to grip Israelis with nostalgic longing.

Bookshop windows throughout Israel abound with tomes about his legacy in both English and Hebrew. There’s Ariel Sharon: A Life, by Yedoit Aharanot editor Nir Hefez and his assistant Gadi Bloom; Sharon: A Life in Times of Turmoil, by former Israeli ambassador Freddy Eytan, and Ariel Sharon: An Intimate Portrait, by Uri Dan, the journalist known as “Sharon’s confidante.” These books have sold amazingly well and have also provided a crutch for those who miss the man who fought in the War of Independence and lived the history of the state from its first day.