The PTSD novel that captured Israel’s wounded society

It is real life Fauda. Under the cover of darkness, an IDF special ops unit proceeds on its mission in the West Bank. A shot rings out – and to his horror, Yishay Ishi Ron discovers he hasn’t shot a terrorist but a team member. 

The incident happened 35 years ago, but for Ron, it’s as stark as if it happened today. The IDF veteran recounts that night as one of the triggers of his decades-long struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

Israel’s security situation has made PTSD a widespread problem. A study published in The Lancet after October 7 estimated 30% of the population now suffers from the condition, which manifest in persistently reexperiencing the trauma, hyperarousal and emotional and physical distress. 

Ron's novel Dog, drawn from his experience of PTSD, struck a chord so widely in Israel that it became a bestseller and was nominated for the Sapir literature prize. An English-language version has now been published, and a film adaptation is in the works. Ron will visit Australia this year for Melbourne Jewish Book Week. 

Speaking to The Jewish Independent, the Israeli author, former soldier and father of three recalls the incident the shooting of his comrade. “I saw him fall and realised I shot him. It was only seconds, but it felt long, drawn out. The wound looked bad. Would he lose his knee? I went to the hospital with him. He was continuing to bleed very badly. He survived but had to undergo many operations.” 

Ron was given a debrief with a superior officer, but it did not address the potential for PTSD. There was a calm recitation of facts, his commander wrote down something, then walked away.