Israel's Edge

The Story of the IDF's Most Elite Unit - Talpiot

By: Jason Gewirtz

Narrated by: Shlomo Zacks

How will Israel keep its strategic edge over an increasingly dangerous Iran? Israel has been preparing for this day by creating a special and secretive IDF unit called Talpiot.

Instead of being trained to fight, the few soldiers each year selected for Talpiot are taught how to think. In order to join this unit they have to commit to being in the army for 10 years, rather than the three years a normal soldier serves.

Talpiots are taught advanced level physics, math, and computer science as they train with soldiers from every other branch of the IDF. The result: young men and women become research and development machines. Talpiots have developed battle ready weapons that only Israel's top military officers and political leaders know about. They have also dramatically improved many of the weapons already in Israel's arsenal.

Talpiot has been tasked with keeping Israel a generation ahead of a rapidly strengthening and technologically capable Iran. Talpiots contribute to all of the areas that will be most important to the IDF as Iran becomes even more powerful including missile technology, anti-missile defense, cyber-warfare, intelligence, satellite technology and high powered imaging. Talpiot soldiers have also been a major factor in the never ending fight against Israel's other enemies and many have left the R&D lab to fly fighter planes, serve in the field as commanders of elite army ground units and at sea commanding Israel's fleet of naval ships.

After leaving the army, Talpiots have become a major force in the Israeli economy, developing some of Israel's most famous and powerful companies.

Israel's Edge contains dozens of interviews with Talpiot graduates and some of the early founders of the program. It explains Talpiot's highly successful recruiting methods and discloses many of the secrets of the program's success.

©2016 Jason Gewirtz (P)2017 Jason Gewirtz

lots of good detail, some of the predictions at the end are scarily spot-on in the light of Oct 7 attack.

it was too dry. often repetitive. the book lacks a story line. too many times a chapter referred to a previous chapter for more info... the reader cover that 20 minutes ago, no need to refer him back...

educational and intriguing but not masterpiece

I'm a Christian, American, engineer so this book had several compelling attractions for me. i wish it were more of a coherent story instead of a collection of success stories. it started off as a chronology but became back to back examples of talpiot success stories. no struggles reported other than resource struggles.

but great for putting Americans in the mind of the Israelite who is 50 and under. great also for inspiring leaders to build ELITE tech leader programs.

Ok

No more no less. My son serves in Talpiot this is why I chose to listen.

Very interesting book good narration

Very informative interesting stories I have read 2 of ronen Bergman's books and this is just as good

Fantastic Journey

This was a fantastic journey into the inner workings of Talpiot. I never knew it existed, but I often wondered how the Israelis were able to keep ahead of the curve when surrounded by their enemies. Now I know. Well done Jason Gewirtz. The hardest part in writing this was accessing those who know and gaining their confidence that in telling their story, you have not diminished in any way, the power, attraction, and valor of those who continue to vie for entrance into Israel's most elite corps.