THE SECRET OF REDEMPTION

A Jewish family explores their faith in Gale’s novel.

Patriarch Rabbi Levin, the head of the Rodef Tzedek synagogue in New York City, prepares for a Kristallnacht observance and, later, a seder. His son, Greg, is studying German and is visiting concentration camps in Germany while living in Berlin. Rabbi Levin’s daughter Bracha’s journey is explored in more detail as she studies Arabic in Israel and confronts the Israeli-Palestinian conflict head-on. There is not much of a conventional plot; the story simply observes the Levin family as they navigate the intersection of their faith with real-world issues, such as Bracha’s fight for the rights of Palestinians even as she is surrounded by advocates of Zionism and discussing nationalism with the friends she meets in Israel. Rabbi Levin oversees bat mitzvahs in Manhattan and attempts to get the synagogue involved in “social action projects.” Later, Rabbi Levin and his wife, Tova, travel to Israel to visit Bracha. The novel feels thoroughly researched, and the author makes a concerted effort to showcase the varying opinions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, the author’s tendency to meticulously contextualize nearly every conversation between the characters with historical information and exposition often leads to dialogue that, while informative, reads as cluttered and unrealistic. For example, when Rabbi Levin is speaking to a friend, he says, “In 1954, in the landmark case of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court ruled that separate was inherently unequal…Through white flight, red-lining, blockbusting, and gentrification, also known as urban renewal…” These are important issues to examine through fiction, but the execution could flow better and feel less like the characters are speaking in formal essays. Another (albeit smaller) problem is the shifting chronology, which can be a bit confusing. Despite these issues, Gale’s story is worthy and takes great pains to explore Judaism and Zionism in a comprehensive and honest way.

An engaging and exhaustive look at Zionism and Judaism through a fictional lens.