Call us crazy, but sometimes we enjoy these three-day yontifs. There’s something almost indulgent in three days stretching before you, with very little on the agenda apart from praying and eating. For us, one of the perks is having loads of free time to catch up on all our reading. So here’s our holiday reading list for you – a mix of memoir and fiction – which should keep you engaged on those long afternoons!
Out of the Depths (2011, Sterling): The autobiography of Israel’s former chief rabbi, Israel Meir Lau, is an incredibly moving story of survival and achievement. Lulek, the illiterate boy who when liberated from Buchenwald knew virtually nothing about Judaism, grows up to become one of Israel’s most respected figures. He came from a dynasty of rabbis spanning 37 generations, and his story made us wonder about yichus. How much does where one comes from determine where one will go? This isn’t to downplay Lau’s story; but he received much support and acknowledgement along the way because of his ancestry. Was it the same for other survivors? Just a thought.
We found the first half of the book particularly good, where Lau chronicles his childhood during the Holocaust and his early life in Israel. We were struck but how modest Lau comes off; he credits wholly his brother Naftali (Tulek) with his survival and his appreciation of his brother is palpable. Unfortunately the tenor changes in the second half of the book; as Lau’s career progresses and he becomes more prominent, his tone becomes more self-important.
But like the first half, the second half is also packed with fascinating and moving anecdotes, especially those about the Holocaust and reflecting different modes of survival – both during and after the war. And because Lau arriving in Haifa on the first boat of Holocaust refugees, his is also the story of the earliest days of the Jewish state. All in all, a biography we highly recommend, especially for those interested in history and religious life.
The Innocents (2012, Voice): If you’ve read The Age of Innocence, you’ll probably be able to figure out where this book will end up, but that doesn’t make the journey any less fun. For us Americans, Francesca Segal’s novel is particularly fun, because it’s a window on one of London’s quintessential Jewish neighborhoods, somewhere most of us know little about. The Jewish life in Hampstead Garden Suburb seems to resemble 20th century traditional Judaism, which has all but died out in the US. The services are Orthodox and the rituals very traditional, yet none of the characters are strictly observant Jews. It’s a model of Judaism still prevalent in Europe, but much less so in the US.
The story revolves around a young newly-affianced Adam and an unwanted relative, Ellie, who throws a spanner in the works. Ellie’s arrival back in London after some time in New York, makes some of the characters grapple with their allegiance to their way of life and their fellow community members, whether it be friends or loved ones.
The third book on our list, Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English (2010, Regan Arthur Books), is an combination of the previous two books: It’s a British novel with a Holocaust angle. But it’s a very different type of Holocaust story to Lau’s. First of all, the title character is a Holocaust refugee. And second, he’s hell bent on assimilating into British society. We’ve just started reading this one, but so far it’s a quirky and intriguing read. We’ll let you know how this one turns out!
Have you read any of these books? What was your opinion? Let us know!
