In the ancient world, for a long time Jews were thought of as warriors. 

Their second unsuccessful rebellion against Roman rule changed that. Huge numbers of them were massacred; most of those left fled to other countries, changed from an oral culture to a written one, and became "the people of the book".

Now, in Israel, they can have both military prowess and literary skill. The former is greatly respected in the region; let's hope that if and when the Israelis win this war, there will be peace for a long time.