THE MOROCCAN
By
The Perils of Judah Biton make for a snappy Mideastern comedy-intrigue. A Tel Aviv slum dweller prejudged as ""basically shiftless, lazy, irresponsible, and unambitious,"" Judah finally settles down with Ilanit, a lusty army sergeant he seduces into a shotgun wedding. A supermarket clerk (given to shoplifting baby food), garbage collector, and black market courier thereafter, Biton finds himself pressured into joining the Israeli security services (""Don't act like a super secret agent. . . . Act like a schlep. That's why we picked you""). His knowledge of Syrian Arabic comes in handy when he's ordered to blow up an ammo dump in Damascus. However, infiltrating the PLA requires more than mere sehmuck's luck. Fresh and funny, so light seven candles and start reading.