The honour of being the last Jew

In the middle of the crisis, strong personalities decide to take the challenge and continue to keep their principles. Even though the stubbornness is only of the heart, while the need for survival might send a different message, not giving up means more than claiming loudly a statement to the world. 

Suddenly today, out of nowhere, I had the realization that maybe we are living today one of the best times in the Jewish history: there are many situations when our life is in danger, but compared to the life as a Jew in the Spain during the Inquisition or the WWII Germany, we are living freely and without fear. Maybe because now we have a state to defend us?

With so much cruel reality around, I am very reluctant to read historical fiction, but Noah Gordon's Last Jew caught me faster than expected because: 1) I had for a while the unluck to be forced by circumstances to keep my Jewishness secret; 2) it offers a certain historical introduction to the later discussions about the possibility to get back the Spanish citizenship for the Jews expelled from Spain. In the second case, I also tried to think from a personal perspective: one of my grandfathers was one of them and even was speaking ladino. But how can I bring the documents from 5 centuries back, from a time when citizenship wasn't existent and not even the precious IDs or other clear archives ?

Yonah Toledano, the hero of Gordon's book, is able to keep his promise of remaining a Jew in an epoch when even the most fervent baptized Jews that were eventually accepted as part of the clergy were not considered 'pure' enough and burned at stake. Through hard work and discretion and a sense of the danger, he succeed to become a trustworthy surgeon when the Jews where not allowed to be in such positions, without being baptized or making a loud 'faith' show. What kept me awake till the end of the book was the authenticity of the story and the similarity with situations I've heard, read and was told about. More than being a work of historical fiction, the book has that pint of reality that kept me interested. 

The sad story is that such situations repeated over and over again. Even now, being a Jew in France or Hungary or in the Arab lands might present a certain level of risk. The good news is that we were able to survive and even more, to return to faith despite all the terrible things that happened to us. And there are so many true stories waiting to be told that are much better than any historical fiction. 

Another BT story goes wrong

Just another BT story who goes wrong. From a very intricate juridical story, that is the most entertaining and suspense part of the book, my selective attention focused on the ways in which two people apparently in love fell apart due to misunderstandings around religion.

After her husband dies, Isabelle decides to make aliya after a short visit to Eilat. A couple of months after, she moves first to Ra'ana and after to Tel Aviv, while facing the local bureaucracy and trying to get used with the daily life. 

Complaining about the 'bureaucratic otherness' of Israel is a common complain in many books and statements of people moving to Israel from US or Western Europe. It may look at a completely different reality, but looking a bit into the history and recent social issues facing a relatively young country, there is obviously an explanation for the gap. Israel is not a perfect country and part of moving from a country to another is facing a different culture and reality.

After a while, Isabelle is getting married with a handsome man who's becoming more and more religious. She is not and never intended to be one and this decision, that seems unilateral according to the book, but adopted without too much discussions, it seems, will set them apart. This is the part which interests me a lot. Obviously, during the BT process, there are always problems, especially if starting from a completely secular background. The first temptation is to start being 'frum' in only a couple of hours or days, as there is a miraculous pill that will delete from your mind and behavior the whole years of non-religious life. But hopefully, there is not and the 'return' takes many years and even many more mistakes. The husband, who's somehow 'famous' in Tel Aviv for being the roller skating bearded man, started the teshuva process with Chabad - not the right moment to express now what I think about it, involving his wife through various programs for women. 

After receiving the get - she is introducing the procedure in the book, but omit to mention that compared with other countries, in Israel is easier to get it compared to, for instance, America - afraid that her soon will be forced to follow a religious education, she kidnaps the kid and pays a significant amount of money for getting the boy out of Israel. 

Five years after intensive trials, the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg decides that she can keep the kid. At least for now, there is the end of the story. She cannot go back to Israel unless she will face 20 years of prison, he cannot see the boy. The boys grows up in Switzerland. 

I am not sure if I understood properly that the father doesn't contribute at all financially to the education of the kid. He also had apparently some violence outbursts and was shortly married once again, before getting married a third time. 

There are a lot of gaps in the story and many questions regarding the ways in which the religious change took place. Some big or small failures on the way may explain the dramatic outcome. 

Movie review: Bethlehem

After lots of mental struggles and hesitations and cons, many cons, I finally watched 'Behlehem' today. And although I think that it was my right to refuse to watch it, despite the fact that I did not read any reviews or interviews and listen to opinions of friends, I think it was worth doing it.

Let's finish first with the superficial bad impression. I was afraid, but so afraid, that it is just another pathetic movie when we need to cry on the poor Palestinian's shoulders and introduce 2-3 angry leftist activists longing for peace. 

But movies, like people, should not be judged before getting to know them. 

Bethlehem explores the complicated relationship between Razi, an Israeli secret agent, and one of his Palestinian informant, Sanfur. One is looking for information that may prevent to save the life of innocent people, the other is interested in money and probably a little bit of adolescent adventures. Sanfur was recruited when he was 15, as a guarantee for his father's freedom. The conversation switches from Arabic - when it is about creating a special communication - to Hebrew, for the important, professional communication. 

But despite the working relationship, Razi is taking care of the boy, finding him a treatment place after he was shot in a bullet proof jacket part of a children's game. But blood connections are stronger and the talented Israeli operative miss an important detail about his protege: that he is bringing Hamas' money to his brother who planned an murderous attack in Jerusalem. And when he finds it out, Razi sends him to Hebron instead of using him to catch the brother.What, the Israeli secret agents do have a heart? He is even more than that, losing his life by the hands of Sanfur whom he is meeting alone, after weeks of silence following the death of his brother and his contacts with various groups, all equally dangerous and toxic. 

The documentary part of the movie, showing the dissent between various Palestinian groups is accurate and reflects a state of mind in Bethlehem and other places of people using the conflict as a way of getting rich, and avoiding to take adult's responsibilities. Confused children are driven into the example of lazy warriors cleaning their guns and playing cards before the next suicide attack. 

A strong movie for perverse times.