Book Review: The Covenant by Naomi Ragen

Esther, Leah, Maria and Ariana survived Auschwitz and made a covenant to always be ready to help each other. When the husband of Leah's granddaughter and their daughter are kidnapped by terrorists belonging to Izzedim al-Qassam terrorists in Israel, the four ladies reunite both their prayers and their connections and financial resources to save the two innocent lives.

There are many ways one can read The Covenant by Naomi Ragen, probably one of the best books I've read by this author so far: as an international thriller involving international actors; as a book about the torments of Jewish life in Israel and abroad; as a book about frienships cemented during terrible times. All reading are correct, in my opinion and it makes the book interesting and entertaining. Personally, I've read it in one sitting, curious about how the kidnapping case will evolve, as well as about the human interactions in time of crisis. 

The covenant uniting the four women, not all of them Jewish, is what separates humanity from lack of it, fear from the risk taken of never being helpless. It has to do more with human understanding and unity against evil, wherever it comes, regardless its justifications.

In the end, what kept me passionately reading this book was its obvious sparkle of humanity.

Book Review: Seven Blessings by Ruchama King

There is more than one question that those who did not marry young will ask, regardless if religious or not: what does it make it a good match? What can you do - besides being blacklisted by matchmakers - when no one is good enough for you?

The characters in Seven Blessings - allusion to the sheva brachot celebrated in the weeks after the wedding - are faced with difficult questions about love, relationships and trust, while looking for that life partner projected by the religious family model. It applies to both women and men, most of them in their late 30s, with different religious/observant backgrounds. They belong to the so-called 'Anglo' communities - English-speaking professionals that made aliya.

Being religious doesn't make the choices easier compared to the secular world and the deep questioning of the characters applies easily to the non-religious dilemma. 

The religious world itself changed tremendously and admirably Ruchama King is featuring women deeply involved in the study of the Torah, that besides a job and a busy family life are able to put aside a couple of hours for learning the holy texts. Although limited mostly to the modern communities, it is a tremendous change unheard of a couple of years ago.

The story as well as the characters has many tensioned moments which takes the book out of the relatively limited from the literary point of view - read boring, bland - of religious novels shelf for adding it to the largest range of quality literature. The search for love, the difficulties to accommodate desire with intelligence and many other complex inner monologue singles of any age are elaborating is relevant to anyone looking for a partner, regardless the geographical location and the religious denomination - or lack thereof.

About the Fate of Jews in Muslim Lands

Very often, one may heard that compared to the situation in Europe, Jews living in Islamic countries had a significantly better fate. The fact that they were allowed to pay a tax in exchange for their independence saved them from pogroms and forced conversions, some say.

The reality is in fact more complex and complicated than this wishful thinking. Being a Jew in diaspora rarely brought the gift of comfortable life. For those who did not have the chance to listen to stories of people that used to live in those countries, a book like The Jews of Islam by Bernard Lewis may help to have a better picture.

The book covers globally the main trends and historical events regarding the situation of Jewish communities in predominantly Muslim countries, starting from the early days of Islam. The landscape resulting is very diverse, including within the same region at different periods of time, depending on what interpretation of Islam prevail and what group - religious, tribe - was in power.

The obvious influences traded between Christians, Muslims and Jews, including in the field of religious practices are part of the co-existence. The significant influence on the Ottoman Empire Jews had in diverse fields as textile industry, arts and printing, is also noteworthy. However, these influences did not avoided pogroms or discrimination practices, especially in Shi'a dominating lands.

Although the focus is predominantly global - and I was curious about various specific cases -  The Jews of Islam offers a comprehensive picture of the ethnic landscape. Acknowledging the historical contexts is an important part in better understanding the specificities of each Jewish communities and Lewis' book can contribute to dissipating the stereotypes and ready-made interpretations about this region and the realities of religious interactions.