YA Novel with a Jewish Theme: Once More With Chutzpah by Haley Neil

 

It is not so easy to find a good YA novel on a Jewish topic therefore I was delighted to read - in one long setting - Once More with Chutzpah, the debut novel by Haley Neil. The book is interesting for more than one reason - of, let´s say from the point of view of the topic. 

Checking up the usual list of topics interesting to include in a YA novel - grief, coming out of age, coping with dramatic events - the book also has particular elements pertaining to the Jewish topic. Max and Tally are two American twins, embarked on a summer project - not Taglit - to Israel, their first time abroad. Originary from Massachusetts, their father is Jewish - with an Israeli grandmother - while the mother is Catholic. From the very beginning, there is a non-Orthodox take and this covers other topics as well, including regarding the political situation in Israel and the Palestinian issue. Unfortunately, those topics sounded very much just a copy-paste from the ´to do list´ of perspectives usually associated with the liberal American Judaism. 

Fortunately, there are other complex layers that do make the story interesting in the end, both from the specific Jewish character(s) of the book and for the character and narrative development in general. For instance, the diversity of Israel, and the various accepted degrees of observance, as well as a glimpse into the everyday life which is much normal than we may see it portrayed in the media. Additionally, trying to integrate a non-religious Jewish experience as an identity mark, may also bring a diverse view on being Jewish, although this resonates with a certain American experience of it. Antisemitism in the classroom, although gently put in the book, is nevertheless present at a certain extent.

Moreover, the characters, especially Tally and her brother, are experiencing complex situations, dealing with the loss of a dear friend and the survivor´s complex, as well as panic attacks. Therefore, there is already created a net of circumstances the characters are part thereof and most often should find themselves a solution, even though temporarily. From this perspective, the book has a solid coordinated structure.

Once More with Chutzpah is an interesting YA novel with a Jewish topic, although the Jewish part is liberally approached. On one hand it matches a certain experience of Jewish teens in interreligious families, on the other hand, it offers a story with relatable young characters requested to find their own pattern of reaction in situations common to their age and experience. Looking forward to explore more Jewish YA characters, hopefully soon.

Rating: 3.5 stars

The Case for Avital Gerstetter

The recent case of the first German woman Cantor Avital Gerstetter, fired by the Judische Gemeinde after writing an article in Welt criticizing Jewish conversions, although generously spread salt on the wounds of the problematic German identity of Jewish communities, still does not deal with the system disfunctionalities that made possible this situation.

Shortly, Gerstetter, born in West Berlin to an Israeli mother and a German - Jewish convert father - mentioned, among others, how the big number of Jewish conversions, some of them Germans with a brown family past, is altering the structure and in the end, the ´Jewishness´ of the everyday practice, including the regular synagogue service itself.

There are a lot of nuances regarding the motives of conversions, that Gerstetter noticed, and there are also individuals differently changed and challenged by their new identity. There are many people who are converting for the sake of a spouse, for having Jewish children, although shortly after the conversion they may give up any trace of practice. They are many belonging to the ´contingent Jews´, those who emigrated from the Soviet Union, with a Jewish father, who may want to convert according to the Jewish Orthodoxy. Some used to celebrate their whole life Jewish holidays and are familiar with the Jewish values therefore the conversion is just an official confirmation of their belonging.

However, there are situations when, unfortunately, situations when exhaustive knowledge about Jewish practice does not help to build the community spirit that connects Jews no matter their background, orientation and level of kashrut. There are those situations when someone who knows very into depth the rules of kashrut or tzniut may make you feel like a second class Jewish citizen because displaying 1 mm more of collarbone that they learned about during the giur classes. That patronizing attitude that, ´puah, they call themselves Jews but look at them, enjoying their plate full of seafood!´/not fasting on Yom Kippur, never coming to the Shabbes service, driving on Shabbes etc.etc.

Reminding someone where is he/she coming from in terms of original religious practice may not be allowed, but what about keeping in mind that it is wrong to make distinctions between Jews, humiliate someone in public, doing lashon hara etc.?

Who are those people learning with for their giur classes? Who are the persons in charge with their giur? What about the rabbis responsible for their giur?

And what about the trauma of the persecutions and the relationship with the state of Israel as the ultimate place of refuge for a persecuted Jew? 

In some cases may be that people who went through the years of the conversion process themselves supported the new converts. Before the accused article was published leading to her abrupt redundancy, Gerstetter used to sing in the synagogue in Oranienburger Straße whose rabbi herself is a convert, born in a Protestant family. Another convert actively ´converting´ other people, whose case made less waves that the remarks by Gerstetter, Walter Homolka is accused of being part of a network of sexual abuse created by his husband. 

Some may ask why Gerstetter haven´t addressed those issues in the Jewish media that used to generously host Homolka´s achievements? Maybe some of the answers are already stated in the article for the smart and informed readers to figure out by themselves.

In the end, what was not (yet) frontally touched upon is the cause of this problem, mainly a system - not necessarily ´liberal´ or ´reform´-supported - that for very non-religious related reasons allows some conversions instead of others. It´s largely unclear how far this discussion will go, but maybe it was about time to happen, even just for the sake of the historical mentions.

(Hopefully) to be continued...

Moses Mendelssohn: ´We Dreamed of Nothing but Enlightenment´

There is a bitter irony that struck me when I visited the very well documented interactive exhibition dedicated to Moses Mendelssohn at the Jewish Museum in Berlin: Although his whole life he pledged the cause of a liberal Judaism for the sake of diminishing persecutions and antisemitism, for the cause of the integration into the mainstream German society, Nazi actually hated and demonized Moses Mendelssohn. His Jewish Enlightment process, that lead that his children even converted to Judaism being eventually burried in a Christian cemetery while bearing very heimishe names, failed from the point of view of the clear aim endeavoured: to take upon Jews the stigma of being targeted for their religion and religiosity.

The exhibition We Dreamed of Nothing but Enlightment/Wir Träumten von Nichts als Aufklärung, hosted by the Jewish Museum in Berlin, until the 11st of September is however an important journey into the intellectual roots of Mendelssohn, his life benchmarks as well as the complex context of his times (including the economic development of Prussia, requiring qualified and skillful workforce which lead to allow more Jews to be part of the larger society). This was my first visit at the museum under the new direction, and although I grasp that there is a relatively similar (liberal) orientation, at least in the case of this exhibition, it pays more attention to the historical facts and less to the ideological background.

Mendelssohn lifestory and intellectual statements can be read in many ways and mine is just one of them. Well integrated Jews are not safer from antisemitism than the visible self-aware Jews. It may offer a temporary invisibility and illusory safety but a full acknowledgment of being the ´part´ of the majority will never happen. The fate of the Jews from the Soviet Union who gave up every bit of their identity to be Soviet, but ended up being marked as Jews in their passports is another example.

But without knowledge it is impossible to make right choices and the exhibition at the Jewish Museum in Berlin offer enough food for thought for a (sad) meditation of the tragical ending of the Haskala Jews.

Disclaimer: I visited the exhibition free as a journalist but the opinions, as usual, are my own.

Jewish Memoir Book Review: Since Sinai by Shannon Gonyou

´Everything builds slowly and beautifully´.

A practicant Catholic by default, involved in various social and outreach projects, practicing attorney Shannon Gonyou and her husband decided to convert to Masorti Judaism. Since Sinai. A Convert´s Path to Judaism is her memoir documenting the journey in a very considerate, honest and meaningful way.

This book helps not only anyone looking to build up his or her Jewish journey but equally brings understanding of the spiritual process and the decision making to those who may wonder why someone will take the - difficult, in Jewish terms - decision to convert. 

´Mostly though, I recognize that it´s incumpent upon me to build Jewish history with my family today, even if I can´t change the fact that my family´s ancestry and the ancestry of the Jewish people is not one and the same´. As Shannon, her husband and daughter are looking to create their own Jewish stories, they change places and getting to meet a wide range of people - Chabad, from the ´Orthodox´ type, as well as various reform brands of Judaism. The decision to convert was a quest and a journey, without being made under pressure - for marriage purposes, for instance, and Gonyou has a clear and lucid voice documenting her experiences.

People who convert may usually deal with different levels of mistrust and discrimination, but the Masorti choice and the fact that both of them were already married, diminished the occurence of such encounters. I really loved her voice and honest writing, covering issues beyond her search for a Jewish home, such as sexual experiences and eating disorder during her Catholic young years, as well as her personal story with her biological mother.

Since Sinai is one of those books revealing windows into stories that cannot be known otherwise than by direct testimonies. ´The persuasion price of this narrative is that converts can, and do, find a meaningful home in Judaism, and I´m an example of one of those converts´. I wish there will be more such testimonies that will bring more clarity and knowledge about choices some people do, no matter the risks and the challenges, for achieving a higher spiritual everyday life. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review