After the War, He's Very Uncomfortable Having Taken a Side

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After the war, he's very uncomfortable being pro israeli. His lyrics are often resonate with jewish themes or quotes from prayers. He was not religious in the common sense ofth ase himself. But it's clear he was haunted by judaism in all his life. The craziest thing about for me, is i'm looking at the schedule for concerts to night when independence day starts.

In October 1973, an unhappy Leonard Cohen was listening to the radio on his Greek island home when he heard that Israel was at war. He headed to Tel Aviv, exchanging a personal and creative crisis for a national one. Absent a plan and even a guitar, Cohen wound up serenading Israeli soldiers at the front. Journalist Matti Friedman talks about his book Who by Fire with EconTalk host Russ Roberts and explains how a songwriter and a nation were transformed in the crucible of war.