In Brief: Bent Toward Justice

By Steven R. Feldman. Rand-Smith Books, 2024. 218 pages. $20/paperback; $9.99/eBook.

Characters in this novel are relatable and emotionally authentic. The plot centers around Rabbi Matt and Murray Schwartzman, a Holocaust survivor, who are part of the same synagogue congregation. The two men educate children getting ready for their bar and bat mitzvahs and discuss the synagogue’s annual youth trip to Israel. They accompany young people on a bus trip to Washington, D.C., to visit congresspeople and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

At the beginning of the novel, they respond to the news of a Palestinian attack on an Israeli village. Although no one was killed in the attack, Schwartzman, whose Holocaust memories date from age nine, worries about how the bombardment will traumatize the village’s children. “What kind of a future would these children have, and all children for that matter?” Schwartzman asks himself.

The pair react to a letter to the editor critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Rabbi Matt schedules a debate with the letter writer, and Schwartzman finds the author’s arguments surprisingly compelling. Schwartzman’s perspective on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict evolves when he visits Palestinian villages as part of a service trip to volunteer at Ramallah Friends School and meetinghouse. The trip also included a visit to the Mar Elias School, founded by Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Arab Israeli Christian pastor; the school educates both Muslim and Christian students. Schwartzman’s revised opinions bring him into conflict with the rabbi’s family and other members of the synagogue.

Friends seeking a compelling and compassionate portrayal of Jews in the United States and their views on the Israel–Palestine conflict will appreciate this book.

Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly identified Bent Toward Justice as a self-published title. In fact, it was published by Rand-Smith Books.

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