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A review by bekkabergamot
Once More with Chutzpah by Haley Neil
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Before I go into my review, I am just going to take on a few of the largest complaints against this book.
1) This book is not about a Birthright trip; the main character goes on an exchange trip arranged through her synagogue.
2) Jewish people are indigenous to Israel. I am not going to argue to argue over politics, government, violence, etc. This point is specifically to articulate that Jewish people have known a diaspora and that Israel is the return to the holy land and home for us.
Haley Neil explores what Israel means to her interfaith Jewish-Catholic American MC: “My great-grandparents escaped the Holocaust by moving here. Most of their family members who stayed in Poland did not survive. Without this land, my family probably wouldn’t be alive.
Israel is the only place in the world with a Jewish majority. Some believe this is important to give a voice in the global and political sphere to a whole group of people who have historically been persecuted. For some, it comes down to safety.
But the truth is, many people don’t have such kind feelings toward Israel. And I get it.
Last year, I took a current events class for my history requirement. We had a whole unit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I tried to imagine Safta and her family, where they were, what their lives looked like, as I read about the historical fights. When we got to modern day, though, it seemed so divorced from anything I heard my family talking about. I mean, as an American, it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with a government making policies that are completely opposed to everything I believe in. Palestinians struggle to find basic necessities, health care, and job opportunities. I find many of the recent Israeli government policies toward them horrifying, and I imagine many Israelis feel the same way.”
Important note: this section of the book goes on to look at the horrible reality that Palestinians are facing. I chose to end the quote there as the whole section is long. I wanted to include the long quote that I did because I think one of the important functions of <i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is how it explores what Israel means to the interfaith American MC. It’s interesting that Haley chose to have an interfaith MC for this book, but I think that it sheds light on some old prejudices that still run deep in the Jewish community: concepts of one not feeling Jewish enough. At one point in the book, the MC reflects upon the fact that her father’s side had family members murdered for being Jewish during the Holocaust but she still doesn’t feel Jewish “enough.” This feeling of insecurity over one’s Jewish identity is a symptom of the diaspora, I believe. While there are so many beautiful Jewish traditions from around the world, we are scattered across the globe and no where outside of Israel are we a majority. I think this creates a feeling of inferiority that I know I have experienced.
<i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is a story about coming to terms with loss, sexuality, growing up, and self-acceptance. At the core of the story, Tally and her twin brother are reeling from a traumatic accident. Their visit to Israel exposes intergenerational traumas and offers some healing to occur for Tally. This book fluctuates between light hearted banter, young romance, and silly teenage high jinks with serious reflections on religion, government policies, and ultimately death. I recommend this book to those interested in exploring a Jewish American perspective on Israel – please note: it’s just one perspective, but I do think that it is a fairly popular viewpoint on the issue, not to say that there aren’t other viewpoints. This book does not condone anything. But this book does showcase why Israel matters not only to the Jewish people who live in it but around the globe. If you do not want to read a book set in Israel, I implore you to read a different book about the Jewish diaspora.
1) This book is not about a Birthright trip; the main character goes on an exchange trip arranged through her synagogue.
2) Jewish people are indigenous to Israel. I am not going to argue to argue over politics, government, violence, etc. This point is specifically to articulate that Jewish people have known a diaspora and that Israel is the return to the holy land and home for us.
Haley Neil explores what Israel means to her interfaith Jewish-Catholic American MC: “My great-grandparents escaped the Holocaust by moving here. Most of their family members who stayed in Poland did not survive. Without this land, my family probably wouldn’t be alive.
Israel is the only place in the world with a Jewish majority. Some believe this is important to give a voice in the global and political sphere to a whole group of people who have historically been persecuted. For some, it comes down to safety.
But the truth is, many people don’t have such kind feelings toward Israel. And I get it.
Last year, I took a current events class for my history requirement. We had a whole unit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I tried to imagine Safta and her family, where they were, what their lives looked like, as I read about the historical fights. When we got to modern day, though, it seemed so divorced from anything I heard my family talking about. I mean, as an American, it’s not like I’m unfamiliar with a government making policies that are completely opposed to everything I believe in. Palestinians struggle to find basic necessities, health care, and job opportunities. I find many of the recent Israeli government policies toward them horrifying, and I imagine many Israelis feel the same way.”
Important note: this section of the book goes on to look at the horrible reality that Palestinians are facing. I chose to end the quote there as the whole section is long. I wanted to include the long quote that I did because I think one of the important functions of <i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is how it explores what Israel means to the interfaith American MC. It’s interesting that Haley chose to have an interfaith MC for this book, but I think that it sheds light on some old prejudices that still run deep in the Jewish community: concepts of one not feeling Jewish enough. At one point in the book, the MC reflects upon the fact that her father’s side had family members murdered for being Jewish during the Holocaust but she still doesn’t feel Jewish “enough.” This feeling of insecurity over one’s Jewish identity is a symptom of the diaspora, I believe. While there are so many beautiful Jewish traditions from around the world, we are scattered across the globe and no where outside of Israel are we a majority. I think this creates a feeling of inferiority that I know I have experienced.
<i>Once More with Chutzpah</i> is a story about coming to terms with loss, sexuality, growing up, and self-acceptance. At the core of the story, Tally and her twin brother are reeling from a traumatic accident. Their visit to Israel exposes intergenerational traumas and offers some healing to occur for Tally. This book fluctuates between light hearted banter, young romance, and silly teenage high jinks with serious reflections on religion, government policies, and ultimately death. I recommend this book to those interested in exploring a Jewish American perspective on Israel – please note: it’s just one perspective, but I do think that it is a fairly popular viewpoint on the issue, not to say that there aren’t other viewpoints. This book does not condone anything. But this book does showcase why Israel matters not only to the Jewish people who live in it but around the globe. If you do not want to read a book set in Israel, I implore you to read a different book about the Jewish diaspora.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Antisemitism, Grief, and Car accident