“DISENGAGEMENT is more than just the story of one fictional settlement. It’s about what it means to disengage – from home and surroundings, from friends, neighbors, and family, from opinions and deeply held beliefs. An it’s about how listening to one another and learning from unexpected encounters can help us become connected again.” (cover)
This novel was sent to me by the Zegarek PR group and my first reaction was concern about reading 4 Jewish stories in a row, did I even want to read it, or should I take a break? Well, it is the 75th anniversary of the release of people from Concentration Camps and WWII, so I should be a better sport. I read the cover and was totally engaged in the premise. There are many characters from all walks of life who are being affected by the turmoil which surrounds their lives. The characters are struggling with faith, loss, jealousy, hope and this contributes to the divide they find themselves confronting each life. And then the Israeli government orders all Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip destroyed. A fictional community is the focus of the struggle and all the characters come together as the military begins the disengagement.
I got out a three by five card and began writing down the characters names. I made notes of their connected folks, such as children. As each story unfolded, I added the subject that they were struggling with and then how that struggle was disconnecting them from their own truth. Fascinating to work at figuring out how each of the folks would come together and hear the stories – listen.
Daniella Levy says:
The greatest trauma of the disengagement, from my perspective, was not that people last their homes, but that we lost the ability to really talk to each other and empathize with each other. It was our disengagement from each other, not from the land, that was the real tragedy.
Israel called this crisis THE DISENGAGEMENT
This story speaks to current events and is about an important event in our history and in our understanding. I would place this book on High School reading lists for sure.
Daniella Levy is a mother of three, rabbi’s wife, writer, poet, self-defense instructor, bridal counselor, black belt in karate, and certified medical clown – and she still can’t decide what to be when she grows up. She is the author of BY LIGHT OF HIDDEN CANDLES and LETTERS TO JOSEP: An Introduction to Jewish Life. Born in the USA, she moved to Israel with family as a child, and now lives at the edge of the Judaean Desert with her husband and three sons. Levy has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.
Related:
The Lemon Tree
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
The Moment Before
