Phoro by Co rrine Du fka

traditional Judaism, was granted access
own arrogance. He believes that, in
to many in the community, and Tuvia
part, the turbulence and pain in his
and his wife shared their lives with
brother's life — their parents' divorce
him.
and, within one year, the death of a
Moreover, he brings his experience
stepsister and two of his closest friends
as close witness to his brother's child-
— caused his brother to seek solace,
hood and adolescence to his attempts
and, later, comfort and meaning in
to understand the twists and turns of
fervent Orthodoxy.
his later life. But, at best, even a
Tuvia doesn't dabble in religious
brother can only speculate.
life; rather, he takes it very seriously.
The Hammer brothers grew up in a
In synagogue, he appears to pray in a
secular, sophisticated, liberal Jewish
more spirited way than anyone else,
home in Manhattan and, after their
achieving a state of rapture. His home
parents divorced, in Riverdale, N.Y. In
is filled with love, but his family lives
1981, both were in Israel and were
in near-poverty (although as the book
separately lured to experience yeshiva
concludes, there's a sense that the fam-
life at Ohr Sameyach in Jerusalem.
ily's financial situation is improving).
Joshua remained skeptical and left
His children are raised with little
after one day; Tony, who loved
acting and political activism,
wrote his mother that this was
"the most intellectually stimu-
lating experience" of his life.
In an interview, Joshua
explains one
of their dif-
ferences,
which has
been a theme
in their lives:
"I'm the
detached
observer.
He's the guy
who goes
deeply into
whatever pas-
sion he dis-
covers, with
no braking
mechanism."
After returning to the United
States and struggling over
— Joshua Hammer
whether to return to college,
Tony decided to study at the
yeshiva's branch in Monsey.
"Tony would never really come home
awareness of life in the outside world.
again," the author writes. He became
Joshua describes him as "a sort of
Tuvia, married Ahuvah, a returnee to
Chasidic free agent," following the
Judaism whom he met through an
teachings and advice of several rebbes.
arranged introduction, and devoted
At one point, to his wife's dismay and
himself to study and prayer.
eventual discouragement, he grew very
Baffled by Tony/Tuvia's choices,
close to Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans, who
Joshua and his father long viewed his
became well known when he was
lifestyle harshly.
accused and then convicted of kidnap-
Over the course of a year, Joshua
ping a non-religious child.
visited Tuvia and his family in Monsey
The brothers share moments of
eight times, experiencing a cycle of
intimacy, together attending services
holidays. Each chapter of Chosen By
and celebrations at various syna-
God is an exploration of the brothers'
gogues, immersing in the mikva, visit-
shared past, and Joshua's studied
ing rebbes, driving places together.
observations of Tuvia's life, going back
Joshua realizes that his brother is well
and forward in time.
respected, and also understands that
Joshua doesn't spare criticism of
many in the community hope that in
himself, his inability to reach out to
writing this book he too would
his younger brother when they were
become fervently Orthodox.
young; he's willing to recognize his
Eventually, he comes to see his

"For years my
brother's religious
transformation
filled me with a
rage and an
embarrassment
so profound
that even today
I struggle to
understand it."

•

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