October 21, 2010
American Jews looking for trouble in Israel
About midway through Joan Leegant‘s new novel, Wherever You Go, the plot starts to look predictable.
But, let me reassure you, gentle reader: the book ends in a way you would not have guessed.
It’s a wonderful narrative that explores disparate threads of Jewish extremism in Israel, weaving together a cautionary tale that illuminates the psychology, motivation and consequences of political violence. Leegant is a gifted writer who creates memorable characters that connect to the reader through natural yet emotionally-textured dialogue.
The undercurrent of novel is about how our pasts shapes who we are. Each of the characters is struggling with the past in some form. Some are wrestling with the weighty influence of Jewish history, both ancient and 20th century. Others have equally daunting personal histories involving past drug-use, regrettable sexual encounters and broken family ties.
Leegant first introduces us to Yona Stern, a single, 30-something American woman who has come to Israel in a bid to reconcile with her estranged sister, Dena. Dena is married with five children and she’s devoted her life to the radical West Bank settler movement. The two of them have not spoken in some time, ever since Yona slept with Dena’s boyfriend who Dena planned to marry and live with in Israel. After they broke up, Dena eventually found her cause in the settler movement and married a like-minded Israeli, Aryeh Ben-Tzion.
Next is Mark Greenglass, a single, 30-something American man who teaches Talmud in Jerusalem. He embraced Orthodox Judaism in his 20s as a means of escaping from the drug addiction that plagued his life. But, he recently lost the verve he once felt for religion. He is not sure why.
The third main character is Aaron Blinder. He is in his 20s, confused and yearning for attention. While attending college in upstate New York, he went on a year-abroad program in Israel but dropped out after a few months. Adrift in the undergrad culture of Jerusalem’s American ex-pats, Blinder moves to a West Bank outpost run by a militant Kahanist. He receives some deference and respect from the people he meets because his father is a famous author. But, while many people say nice things to Aaron’s face, he knows that others accuse his father of churning out Holocaust stories that are maudlin, sensationalistic and emotionally-inflammatory.
While the novel is in some ways an indictment of Jewish extremism and its potential to destabilize the state of Israel, the book also provides some answers derived from Jewish wisdom. Mark may no longer be practicing as an Orthodox Jew but the wisdom he gained from studying Talmud provides him with comfort in his darkest hours. Similarly, Yona uses her knowledge of Judaism to rebut Dena’s beliefs during a confrontation they have towards the end of the book. In certain ways, this is a novel that presents unique Jewish answers to unique Jewish problems.
I should note here that throughout the novel Leegant displays a deep knowledge of Judaism, modern Israel and its Jewish-American admirers. She’s a native New Yorker and a former lawyer who has taught writing at Harvard University and now spends six months out of every year living in Tel Aviv. In Israel, she teaches at Bar-Ilan University in the writing program there. Her earlier collection of short stories, An Hour In Paradise, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. Wherever You Go is her first novel.
The book’s title comes from the Book of Ruth in which Ruth the Moabite declares her loyalty to Naomi and the Jewish people, telling her: “Entreat me not to leave you, or to turn back from following you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried.”
Ruth willingly relinquishes her past in order to care for her widowed mother-in-law and to remain loyal to the Jewish people. The novel’s connection to the Biblical work is somewhat obvious: Wherever You Go explores the consequences of attaching oneself to a cause. But more importantly, it examines our motives for doing so.
Obviously, there are many American Jews who have attached themselves to Zionism and Israel. It is, indeed, a worthy cause. Some American Jews, however, have come to this point for the wrong reasons. They may not even understand why they’ve become so enamored with the Jewish state but they know they want to do something to help the cause.
That’s when things can get really dangerous.
The novel ends on a redemptive note, though. Just not in the way you might have guessed.
Wherever You Go is published by W.W. Norton & Company. 253 pages.