THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, July 29, 1983
`Saadiah Weissman' and 'Hidden From View'
For light summer read-
ing, "Saadiah Weissman"
by Benzion Firer (Fel-
dheim) and "Hidden From
View" by William Gellin
(Shengold) are two books
worthy of consideration.
Though each can stand on
its own merit, there are just
enough similarities and dif-
ferences to challenge the
reviewer and add interest
for the reader by offering
them as a package.
The books complement
one another. Each is easy
reading and both are under
200 pages. Each is set in
New York City and Israel
and on an airplane connect-
ing the two locale. Both
spin simple but compelling
plots which deal with
mainstream, ordinary
characters, many of whom
are either troubled, flawed
or have had an amazing ex-
perience.
The difference between
these works is not only that
one is a novel and the other
a series of short stories, but
in the authors' approach.
Rabbi Firer, our novelist,
intrudes his own point of
view in contrast to Gellin
who, though his stories are
personal, maintains a dis-
tance from his material.
Each author is effec-
tive. The rabbi's method
has a charm that is dis-
arming and contributes
to his purposes. Gellin's
approach suits his work
as well.
"Saadiah Weissman" is a
short novel. A simple but
compelling story, it touches
upon a number of
philosophical Jewish issues
which are both contempor-
ary and timeless: the
stratification in Israeli life
between the Ashkenazim -
and the Sephardim and the
burning issue of breaking
with religious tradition.
These and other ques-
tions are presented. But the
reader is not left to grapple
with them. No attempt is
made to camouflage the
author's bias.
For example on the ques-
tion of Yordim, Rabbi. Firer
says, "If there are any fear- -
ful Jews in the world, it is
only because they are in the
Diaspora and the Diaspora
instills fear in one's heart."
Nonetheless, I found
Rabbi Firer's undis-
guised opinions refresh-
ingly straightforward.
His Orthodox back-
ground is never far be-
neath the surface of the
tale.
For example, Israel's vic-
tory in the Six-Day War is
attributed to an old
fashioned miracle from
Heaven. When describing
the taking of the Wall, Firer
says, "It was a Monday, the
26th of Iyar, 5727 since the
creation of the world. Dur-
ing the ensuing six days, a
piller of fire went before Is-
rael, raining flames and
brimstone on the
destruction-bent nations,
and igniting the earth be-
neath their feet so they
could not escape.
Even though this fire
sprang from natural
sources, all could see that it
was mingled with fire from
Heaven."
However, Rabbi Firer
does allow his readers one
question with which to deal,
and this is what the story is
really about. Is it better for
a child to be brought up in a
home of means by adopted
parents, or by his natural
parents who are poor and
uneducated?
The book flap provides
this background. Follow-
ing the "Flying Carpet"
immigrations after -1948,
Yeminite children were
in fact unaccountably
reported to have disap-
peared. Our author picks
up on this unresolved
mystery from Israel's hi,
tory and develops an
engrossing story filled
with Shakespearean-like
dreams which portend
events. .
It is a delicately-written
story about a Yeminite
baby, Saadiah Tam, son of
Miriam and Yaakov, who is
abducted at birth, while
still in the hospital, by
Breindel and Motke
Weissman, a childless
Ashkenazi couple. The
nurse; Zahavah, plays a key
role in the abduction, and
this novel is her story as
well as the story of Saadiah
and his two families.
In the end, the reader
knows all there is to know of
Saadiah's story but the pro-
tagonist himself does not.
As a young man, he is still
trying to find himself.
Like a song with its final
chord unresolved, the
author refuses to finish the
tale to this reader's satisfac-
tion. Nonetheless, the novel
made for good reading and I
can recommend it.
I
can
also
enthusiastically recom-
mend "Hidden from View
and Other Stories."
These stories make per-
fect nightcaps. Short
enought to finish when
one is too tired to get into
a novel, most of these
stories can be read in five
to 10 minutes. Besides,
there is a certain magic'
about a collection of
short stories by the same
author when they are
well done and especially
if a theme connects them.
If one insists upon a
theme, one could go to the
author's own words. He
calls his book "a construc-
tion of memories — though
in no sense a memoir."
What ties them together is
not so much the subject
matter but the mood: the
author's simple handling of
the story line, the nostalgic,
bittersweetness they evoke.
The reader is made to feel
a witness to a very personal
moment in time for the
characters . . . and the char-
acters are us.
The stories take place
either in New York City on
the lower East Side or in Is-
rael and are a result of the
author's own first-hand ex-
perience. In each story he is
either a character or an ob-
server.
Unlike our first book,
"Saadiah Weissman,"
where the author's point
of view is not "hidden
from view," Gellin's style
of writing invites the
reader to bring his or her
own feelings and experi-
ence. to bear upon the
story.
Although all the stories
set in Israel are very touch-
ing, I preferred the ones de-
picting the lower East Side
earlier in this century. Here
the author succeeds bril-
liantly in , evoking this ear-
lier time through a series of
vignettes.
It is difficult to select a
favorite from among these
gentle stories. If pushed,
however, I have two: "Av-
ram the Glazier" is a tender
tale relating the kindness
shown an uneducated
tradesmen by the leader-
ship of the Monroe Street
Shul. Those with sentimen-
tal taste will not be disap-
pointed in this story. The
sentimentality is handled
well, the characters are
finely drawn, the setting is
lower east side, turn of the
century.
Likewise, Gellin man-
ages to evoke both sadness
and humor in his'tale called
"Itke's Lament." This bit-
tersweet story haunted me.
Though simple in narrative
style, the pathos is both
compelling and unforgeta-
ble. I will always remember
Yudei Levy, the sewing
machine operator, not quite
five feet tall, with a boom-
ing voice and a "pushka" in
which he deposited a penny
or two and as much as five
pennies before Rosh
Hashana.
Memorable, also is
Itke, his wife, who was
even shorter in stature
and whose voice was
even louder. They were a
childless couple making
Itke fearful that with no
children to look after
them, they would be poor
in their old age.
So Itke became a compul-
sive saver. She horded a few
coins here and a few coins
there, eventually ac-
cumulating quite a large
savings. Poor Itke was ob-
sessed by her savings — af-
raid to bank it, always
counting it. She moved her
bundles of money from one
hiding place to another.
Even Yudel did not know
where they were.
When disaster strikes,
the money is nearly lost.'In
the end Yudel deposits the
money in the bank, Itke
overcomes her obsessive/
compulsive behavior and
the story ends. When she
becomes normal, after all,
there is no more story to tell.
Both of these books have
stuck a responsive chord in
me. What I liked best about
them is that they are Jewish
in flavor and spirit as well
as in subject matter.
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