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The Covenant
Living in Jerusalem, Elise Margulies fears for the lives of her husband and daughter every day. Then comes the day when her worst fears come true. Cancer specialist Dr. Jonathan Margulies drives his young daughter home from her ballet recital. His bullet-ridden car is found empty on the side of the road hours later. Elise, in the last stages of a difficult pregnancy, desperately calls her grandmother Leah in America for help and unknowingly revives a decades-old oath. Over five terror and hope-filled days during which ordinary people join the front lines against terrorism, the ties that bind two generations form a powerful alliance against contemporary evil.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
65 people are currently reading
1256 people want to read
About the author
Naomi Ragen
19 books580 followersNaomi Ragen is an American-born novelist and playwright who has lived in Jerusalem since 1971. She has published seven internationally best-selling novels, and is the author of a hit play. Naomi also publishes a regular column that deals with Jewish subjects, especially Israel.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/naomir...
http://us.macmillan.com/author/naomir...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 173 reviews
August 5, 2025
This is a novel based on the reality faced by the people of Israel , a reality which a prejudiced and biased media will not tell you about.
. The reality of a people living in the shadow of Arab terror , relentless , brutal terror aimed at driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland.
It also brings us face to face with the ugliness of the international media , in their campaign to prepare the world for the genocide of the Jews in Israel.
The reaction of British journalist to the murder of a Jewish baby by an Arab sniper encapsulates the callous hatred of the British media towards Israel's Jews too well " Oh , a settler's brat got herself shot and then the IDF went in and demolished someones house'.
It is 2002 and pregnant Elise Margulies receives the news that her husband , Dr Jonathan Margulies , a cancer specialist at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, and their five year old daughter Illana have been kidnapped by Hamas. The evil organization , epitomised by the psycopathic monster Marwan Bahama , threatens to execute both of the hostages unless their insane demands are met.
When her 'Bubbee' Leah in Brooklyn , hears about this she gathers together three of her old friends , all survivors of Auschwitz , to fulfil an oath they made in the death camp, to always act as one.
Also in play are the British media, featuring self-hating Jewish journalist Julia Greenberg , , who sees Arab terrrorists as dowtrodden noble savages , and blames their own Jewish victims , and who manages to slant even this cruel act , to show more pro-Palestinian propaganda , so typical of the British media today, which would make Josef Goebbles proud.
The Covenant is a story of how the People of Israel love life -theirs and those of others (such as the many Arab patients treated by Dr Margulies) .
It is a portrait of reality.
It is a portrait of the strength of the Nation of Israel.
The Jewish Nation has survived many enemies - the Egyptians , Amalekites , Phillistines , Babylonians , Greeks , Romans , Spanish Inquisiotrs , Russian and Polisg pogromchiks and the Nazis , and will also triumph over the terror network of Hamas , Islamic Jihad , the PLO et al and their international supporters in the media and universities.
It highlights the indestructible spirit of the Jewish and Israeli people:
As Menachem Begin states : "If we learn and remember, we shall overcome our enemies, They will never succeed in enslaving us again. Never. Even if they overwhelm us we shall throw off their yoke...They will not break us.'
Those engaged in the current campaign to destroy Israel , should remember those words.
Merged review:
This is a novel based on the reality faced by the people of Israel , a reality which a prejudiced and biased media will not tell you about.
. The reality of a people living in the shadow of Arab terror , relentless , brutal terror aimed at driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland.
It also brings us face to face with the ugliness of the international media , in their campaign to prepare the world for the genocide of the Jews in Israel.
The reaction of British journalist to the murder of a Jewish baby by an Arab sniper encapsulates the callous hatred of the liberal media towards Israel's Jews too well " Oh , a settler's brat got herself shot and then the IDF went in and demolished someone's house'.
It is 2002 and pregnant Elise Margulies receives the news that her husband , Dr Jonathan Margulies , a cancer specialist at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, and their five year old daughter Illana have been kidnapped by Hamas. The evil organization , epitomised by the psycopathic monster Marwan Bahama , threatens to execute both of the hostages unless their insane demands are met.
When her 'Bubbee' Leah in Brooklyn , hears about this she gathers together three of her old friends , all survivors of Auschwitz , to fulfil an oath they made in the death camp, to always act as one.
Also in play are the British media, featuring self-hating Jewish journalist Julia Greenberg , who sees Arab terrorists' as downtrodden noble savages , and blames their own Jewish victims , and who manages to slant even this cruel act , to show more pro-Palestinian propaganda , so typical of the British media today, which would make Josef Goebbels proud.
The Covenant is a story of how the People of Israel love life -theirs and those of others (such as the many Arab patients treated by Dr Margulies) .
It is a portrait of reality.
It is a portrait of the strength of the Nation of Israel.
The Jewish Nation has survived many enemies - the Egyptians , Amalekites , Philistines , Babylonians , Greeks , Romans , Spanish Inquisitors , Russian and Polish pogromchiks and the Nazis , and will also triumph over the terror network of Hamas , Islamic Jihad , the PLO , Hezbollah et al and their international supporters in the media and universities.
It highlights the indestructible spirit of the Jewish and Israeli people:
As Menachem Begin states : "If we learn and remember, we shall overcome our enemies, They will never succeed in enslaving us again. Never. Even if they overwhelm us we shall throw off their yoke...They will not break us.'
Those engaged in the current campaign to destroy Israel , should remember those words.
. The reality of a people living in the shadow of Arab terror , relentless , brutal terror aimed at driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland.
It also brings us face to face with the ugliness of the international media , in their campaign to prepare the world for the genocide of the Jews in Israel.
The reaction of British journalist to the murder of a Jewish baby by an Arab sniper encapsulates the callous hatred of the British media towards Israel's Jews too well " Oh , a settler's brat got herself shot and then the IDF went in and demolished someones house'.
It is 2002 and pregnant Elise Margulies receives the news that her husband , Dr Jonathan Margulies , a cancer specialist at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, and their five year old daughter Illana have been kidnapped by Hamas. The evil organization , epitomised by the psycopathic monster Marwan Bahama , threatens to execute both of the hostages unless their insane demands are met.
When her 'Bubbee' Leah in Brooklyn , hears about this she gathers together three of her old friends , all survivors of Auschwitz , to fulfil an oath they made in the death camp, to always act as one.
Also in play are the British media, featuring self-hating Jewish journalist Julia Greenberg , , who sees Arab terrrorists as dowtrodden noble savages , and blames their own Jewish victims , and who manages to slant even this cruel act , to show more pro-Palestinian propaganda , so typical of the British media today, which would make Josef Goebbles proud.
The Covenant is a story of how the People of Israel love life -theirs and those of others (such as the many Arab patients treated by Dr Margulies) .
It is a portrait of reality.
It is a portrait of the strength of the Nation of Israel.
The Jewish Nation has survived many enemies - the Egyptians , Amalekites , Phillistines , Babylonians , Greeks , Romans , Spanish Inquisiotrs , Russian and Polisg pogromchiks and the Nazis , and will also triumph over the terror network of Hamas , Islamic Jihad , the PLO et al and their international supporters in the media and universities.
It highlights the indestructible spirit of the Jewish and Israeli people:
As Menachem Begin states : "If we learn and remember, we shall overcome our enemies, They will never succeed in enslaving us again. Never. Even if they overwhelm us we shall throw off their yoke...They will not break us.'
Those engaged in the current campaign to destroy Israel , should remember those words.
Merged review:
This is a novel based on the reality faced by the people of Israel , a reality which a prejudiced and biased media will not tell you about.
. The reality of a people living in the shadow of Arab terror , relentless , brutal terror aimed at driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland.
It also brings us face to face with the ugliness of the international media , in their campaign to prepare the world for the genocide of the Jews in Israel.
The reaction of British journalist to the murder of a Jewish baby by an Arab sniper encapsulates the callous hatred of the liberal media towards Israel's Jews too well " Oh , a settler's brat got herself shot and then the IDF went in and demolished someone's house'.
It is 2002 and pregnant Elise Margulies receives the news that her husband , Dr Jonathan Margulies , a cancer specialist at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, and their five year old daughter Illana have been kidnapped by Hamas. The evil organization , epitomised by the psycopathic monster Marwan Bahama , threatens to execute both of the hostages unless their insane demands are met.
When her 'Bubbee' Leah in Brooklyn , hears about this she gathers together three of her old friends , all survivors of Auschwitz , to fulfil an oath they made in the death camp, to always act as one.
Also in play are the British media, featuring self-hating Jewish journalist Julia Greenberg , who sees Arab terrorists' as downtrodden noble savages , and blames their own Jewish victims , and who manages to slant even this cruel act , to show more pro-Palestinian propaganda , so typical of the British media today, which would make Josef Goebbels proud.
The Covenant is a story of how the People of Israel love life -theirs and those of others (such as the many Arab patients treated by Dr Margulies) .
It is a portrait of reality.
It is a portrait of the strength of the Nation of Israel.
The Jewish Nation has survived many enemies - the Egyptians , Amalekites , Philistines , Babylonians , Greeks , Romans , Spanish Inquisitors , Russian and Polish pogromchiks and the Nazis , and will also triumph over the terror network of Hamas , Islamic Jihad , the PLO , Hezbollah et al and their international supporters in the media and universities.
It highlights the indestructible spirit of the Jewish and Israeli people:
As Menachem Begin states : "If we learn and remember, we shall overcome our enemies, They will never succeed in enslaving us again. Never. Even if they overwhelm us we shall throw off their yoke...They will not break us.'
Those engaged in the current campaign to destroy Israel , should remember those words.
January 30, 2012
I'm not sure where I got this book, if someone gave it to me, I found it at a book sale somewhere, or what, but it came up to the top of the bedside pile when I finished the last book, so I thought I'd give it a go. I just stopped reading a bit short of halfway through this book. It is poorly-written, poorly-conceived, pure pro-Israeli, anti-Palestine schlock. Everything Israeli is portrayed as glowing, lovely, beautiful, open and loving (even to Palestinians) - those horrible Palestinians just become terrorists to hurt the poor well-meaning Israelis - oh my. It is so completely contrived and transparent in its political/personal message, I couldn't stand reading it. Yuk, yuk and yuk!
December 1, 2009
Never before have I encountered such a book that moved me so deeply. But, then again, I have not read a book where I cried for the last 25 pages straight. The whole land of Israel has become a tragedy and this book, not only strengthened my firm opinions of Israel, but also made me see more clearly. I do not want to start a political discussion, but when Ragen discusses how the Palestinians hide behind children and shoot, I could not reflect on the current situacion in Israel where Palestinian terrorists shoot thier missles from children schools.
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August 5, 2012I am stopping on page 101. Shame on Naomi Ragen! Her writing in "The Covenenat" is a mockery of every possible point of view or any belief system that could be held by any character in this book or by anyone reading this book. So many events and peoples from history long past and some not long past and the present have been tainted by the meandering "Holywood-ization" of so much that is sacred and vile and human - it makes me want to laugh, scream, cry, punch a bag, and more! If I could talk to her I'd say exactly what I've written and more. Going to see if there is a way to contact this author. Naomi Ragen CHOSE to create what I consider to be no less than a mockery of people's lives and what all, no matter how much they may hate and or love, hold sacred. I've read books by this author before and have thought that they were more than worth my time and I've recommended them. Not this one. Ragen can write whatever she wants but I don't have to read it. Fiction is fiction, but even fiction should not play the games that this author plays with real life here!
November 14, 2013
Wordy, schmaltzy, and sometimes really stupid!
May 12, 2011
The emotions of this book are overwhelming. I woke up in the middle of the night after I had read some of this before sleep, with an awful sense of dread. I spent several heavy-heart-beating minutes trying to track the source of my apprehension and finally realized it was being in the middle of this book.
I loved the interweaving of two generations' story, going back and forth between a group of Holocaust survivors and one of their granddaughter's living in present day Jerusalem, whose family has been kidnapped by terrorists. I wished that the author would have spent more time explaining the relationship between the survivors themselves, but there was a hesitant feel to that part of the book, as if she was afraid she would offend actual survivors.
Throughout the book, I found beautiful passages about God, faith, and life itself. One of my favorites, when the granddaughter asks the grandmother how she went on after losing everyone she loved in the camps:
"By loving life. And - in spite of everything - by loving God. By having enough faith to start over again and again; enough faith to risk having our hearts break all over again. That the true meaning of faith. It's the deepest kind of heroism."
Amen.
I loved the interweaving of two generations' story, going back and forth between a group of Holocaust survivors and one of their granddaughter's living in present day Jerusalem, whose family has been kidnapped by terrorists. I wished that the author would have spent more time explaining the relationship between the survivors themselves, but there was a hesitant feel to that part of the book, as if she was afraid she would offend actual survivors.
Throughout the book, I found beautiful passages about God, faith, and life itself. One of my favorites, when the granddaughter asks the grandmother how she went on after losing everyone she loved in the camps:
"By loving life. And - in spite of everything - by loving God. By having enough faith to start over again and again; enough faith to risk having our hearts break all over again. That the true meaning of faith. It's the deepest kind of heroism."
Amen.
January 27, 2009
I think Ragen's intended theme was the power of survivorship and sister/brotherhood (and how well they've served the Jewish people as a people). I think she may accidentally have erred toward the potentially counterproductive "Jewish people really do secretly rule the world via a network of strings they're just waiting to pull" theme, which made her story of Holocaust survivors battling a terrorist act from the four corners of the globe (not unlike octogenarian Power Rangers) uncomfortable as well as implausible.
September 22, 2008
Althought interesting from a historical perspective, I found the story too contrived to be believable. Good beach-bag reading.
September 25, 2015
A tale of friendship under siege, of loyalty entangled in politics, of humanity marred by media feeding frenzy.
The kindness of the physician who treats his Arab patients in an Israeli hospital is met with terrorism when he and his young daughter are being abducted by Palestinians. Into this picture enters the friendship of three aging women living in different continents. Unwavering in its commitment this friendship sends its powerful fingers across time and distance to connects the women again at a time of crisis.
This is the story of Israel today. It is the story of the forces that come together to try to break its will, that deny the right of its citizens to defend themselves. It is the story of ignorant outsiders--the biased international journalists and other "do gooders" who see only the sufferings of the terrorists, not of their victims--and who manipulate events at the cost of human lives.
In this captivating novel, Naomi Ragen again has woven a can't-put-it-down story that is as engaging as it is educational.
The kindness of the physician who treats his Arab patients in an Israeli hospital is met with terrorism when he and his young daughter are being abducted by Palestinians. Into this picture enters the friendship of three aging women living in different continents. Unwavering in its commitment this friendship sends its powerful fingers across time and distance to connects the women again at a time of crisis.
This is the story of Israel today. It is the story of the forces that come together to try to break its will, that deny the right of its citizens to defend themselves. It is the story of ignorant outsiders--the biased international journalists and other "do gooders" who see only the sufferings of the terrorists, not of their victims--and who manipulate events at the cost of human lives.
In this captivating novel, Naomi Ragen again has woven a can't-put-it-down story that is as engaging as it is educational.
January 31, 2011
I loved being plopped right in the middle of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict...I learned so much about the terror the Israelis live with every day. So good to read something that eschews all the "Hamas as freedom fighters or activists" crap...they are terrorists and kill innocent people. Can I just say how much I hated the British journalist, Julia Greenberg, in this book? She represented everything that is wrong with the majority of the media today. Fast moving thriller, poignant Holocaust memories, beautiful/loyal family and friend relationships and wonderful writing make this a great book!
August 29, 2010
The intertwining of the bond between four Holocaust survivors and the kidnapping of an Israeli Dr. and his daughter was compelling, although some of the subplots were just too contrived for my liking. While Ragen's POV is clearly pro-Israeli, I found much of her writing too preachy.
August 2, 2008
I read this a while back and honestly can't remember what it was about or if I finished it.
July 6, 2017
I picked up this book not knowing what to expect. The topic of Jerusalem and the Holocaust has always interested me and this book promised a lot of insights. I was very interested in the story of four women who are Holocaust survivors and became friends while in Auschwitz when they were very young. Their memories are recounted as flash backs within the modern times of the Israel/Palestinian conflicts of today. These women made a Covenant to help each other survive the evils of Auschwitz no matter what. Now in their late 70s or 80s, the women come together again to help the granddaughter of one of them, whose husband and five-year old daughter were kidnapped by the Hamas.
The premise of Judaism that no matter what happens you have to keep on living for the future generation is profoundly described throughout the book. The four women are an inspiration to all in the sense that their strength permeates the story and helps the character of the granddaughter deal with the tragedy of having her husband and daughter kidnapped by terrorists.
The author placed these women within a context of power and political connections that helped tremendously to develop the plot and eventually the climax of the book. At times it was a bit incredible that these women had such connections such as their ability to "hire" their own search and rescue team of mercenaries, connect with dignitaries in Russia, infiltrate Hamas, the Israeli police and even influence the Saudi Royal Family; however, it is not "WHAT" you know but "WHO" you know what gets you places! That in a nutshell is how these women got to be where they are now and to do what they did!
I felt that the historical background was believable and well researched and added to the emotional sentiment towards the characters. I identified with the characters whether Jewish or Muslim within the story and therefore felt that the author integrated a sense of balance to the characters. Some regular citizens whether Palestinians or Israelites are simply caught in the antisemitism cross-fire when they really are just neighbors and want to act just like neighbors. I identified with the sense of hatred towards radicals and terrorism and also with the sense that most human beings are intrinsically good and will strive to do the right thing by their fellow human beings.
This was a very powerful story about family, mothers and daughters, friendship, allegiance, survival, sacrifice, loss and renewed hope! I would recommend it wholeheartedly!
The premise of Judaism that no matter what happens you have to keep on living for the future generation is profoundly described throughout the book. The four women are an inspiration to all in the sense that their strength permeates the story and helps the character of the granddaughter deal with the tragedy of having her husband and daughter kidnapped by terrorists.
The author placed these women within a context of power and political connections that helped tremendously to develop the plot and eventually the climax of the book. At times it was a bit incredible that these women had such connections such as their ability to "hire" their own search and rescue team of mercenaries, connect with dignitaries in Russia, infiltrate Hamas, the Israeli police and even influence the Saudi Royal Family; however, it is not "WHAT" you know but "WHO" you know what gets you places! That in a nutshell is how these women got to be where they are now and to do what they did!
I felt that the historical background was believable and well researched and added to the emotional sentiment towards the characters. I identified with the characters whether Jewish or Muslim within the story and therefore felt that the author integrated a sense of balance to the characters. Some regular citizens whether Palestinians or Israelites are simply caught in the antisemitism cross-fire when they really are just neighbors and want to act just like neighbors. I identified with the sense of hatred towards radicals and terrorism and also with the sense that most human beings are intrinsically good and will strive to do the right thing by their fellow human beings.
This was a very powerful story about family, mothers and daughters, friendship, allegiance, survival, sacrifice, loss and renewed hope! I would recommend it wholeheartedly!
September 19, 2014
Four remarkable women become friends during one of the darkest times in history –The Holocaust. Leah, Ester, Ariana, and Maria made a Covenant to help each other survive the evils of Auschwitz, and they do survive. Now in their 70s and 80s, these women come together again to help Leah’s granddaughter, Elise, whose husband and five-year old daughter have been kidnapped by the Hamas. Decades after Auschwitz, the members of the Covenant revive their promise to preserve life above all.
Ester is now a New York cosmetic’s multimillionaire. Ariana owns an upscale nightclub in Paris. Maria is a Polish political activist. Their connections to Russian dignitaries, the Saudi Royal Family, money, and mercenaries, come into play to help Elise’s family. They "hire" their own search and rescue team of mercenaries, infiltrate Hamas, the Israeli police and even influence the Saudi Royal Family!
This was a very powerful story about friendship, survival, sacrifice, loss and renewed hope! The suspense builds at every turn of the page. The headlines in every-day-news are brought into a story full of espionage, contra-terrorism, Islamic radicals, family allegiances and unforgettable characters. This thriller will have you turning page after page not able to put it down!
Also by Naomi Ragen:
The Tenth Song
The Saturday Wife
The Covenant
Chains Around the Grass
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes
The Sacrifice of Tamar
Sotah
Jephte s Daughter
Play - Women’s Minyan
For more information about Naomi Ragen and her books, visit http://www.naomiragen.com/
Reviewed by Loanis Menendez-Cuesta, Reference and Young Adults Librarian. TAB@DBPL Advisor
Ester is now a New York cosmetic’s multimillionaire. Ariana owns an upscale nightclub in Paris. Maria is a Polish political activist. Their connections to Russian dignitaries, the Saudi Royal Family, money, and mercenaries, come into play to help Elise’s family. They "hire" their own search and rescue team of mercenaries, infiltrate Hamas, the Israeli police and even influence the Saudi Royal Family!
This was a very powerful story about friendship, survival, sacrifice, loss and renewed hope! The suspense builds at every turn of the page. The headlines in every-day-news are brought into a story full of espionage, contra-terrorism, Islamic radicals, family allegiances and unforgettable characters. This thriller will have you turning page after page not able to put it down!
Also by Naomi Ragen:
The Tenth Song
The Saturday Wife
The Covenant
Chains Around the Grass
The Ghost of Hannah Mendes
The Sacrifice of Tamar
Sotah
Jephte s Daughter
Play - Women’s Minyan
For more information about Naomi Ragen and her books, visit http://www.naomiragen.com/
Reviewed by Loanis Menendez-Cuesta, Reference and Young Adults Librarian. TAB@DBPL Advisor
July 31, 2012
The Covenant is one of those rare books that you can't put down and don't want to end. Naomi Ragen does a wonderful job of linking the tragedy suffered by the Jewish people (focusing on women survivors) during WWII and the terrorist attacks suffered by the Jewish people in the State of Israel today. Four women who became friends while at Auschwitz formed a Covenant... that they would be there for each other then and forever. When one of their granddaughter's husband and young daughter are captured by Hamas they spring into action and beginning calling in favors to find where Hamas are holding their captives. The suffering of the Jewish people at the hands of Islamic terrorist is no different from the suffering the Jewish people suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Palestinians and Jews have lived in harmony in Israel until the terrorist create problems. The Jewish have suffered since their existence and yet they always survive. There is a reason for that. So much bloodshed and suffering could be eliminated if their right to the Promised Land would simply be recognized. This is well written and researched book. I highly recommend it.
June 29, 2015
This story had some interesting context being set in Israel at a time with major Palestinian insurrection and it's impact on a family of young Jewish settlers as well as hose connected to them. I found the writing somewhat shallow but was reading this on a trip so got though the story quickly which helped
me give it a '3'.
me give it a '3'.
January 21, 2009
This is a great book to read to gain appreciation of the human elements involved in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestians, including the holocaust as historical backdrop. Although it is a novel about a terrorist incident, it is one that conceivably could have happened.
September 20, 2012
I love all of Naomi Ragen books. Good reads and engrossing. Let's you see what life would be like in a situation that's totally unlike my own. Helps me to appreciate other beliefs and lifestyles.
August 16, 2008
This book is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I really enjoy the writing style of this author.
August 26, 2010
I LOVED this book especially the holocaust survivor Leah!
October 15, 2011
It was interesting for the most part. Good history lesson and it brought to life the fear with which many of the world's people live day in and day out.
February 20, 2012
This was a great book. Honestly I was more intrigued by the way the book portrayed how people live in Israel and Saudi Arabia. Made me appreciate the freedoms we have in the US.
October 6, 2019
This was the next book in a pile of books I’ve had for years and never read. Much more political than I would have expected. Couldn’t stand the Julia character and most of the characters were more “types” than well-developed characters. I’m intrigued to read her other books but probably wouldn’t recommend this one.
December 8, 2024
The best way to summarize this book is - life in Israel in a nutshell.
Synopsis: This story packages up all the headlines we read every day, the heart-wrenching reality of modern life, where terrorists reign and average citizens find themselves at the pivot of politics and history. Living in Jerusalem, Elise Margulies fears for the lives of her husband and daughter every day. Then comes the day when her worst fears are realized - Jonathan Margulies drives his young daughter home from her ballet recital and his bullet-ridden car is found empty on the side of the road. Elise desperately calls her grandmother Leah in America for help and unknowingly revives a decades-old oath that transcends both time and place. Over the course of five terror and hope-filled days during which ordinary people join the front lines against terrorism, the ties that bind two generations forge a potent alliance against contemporary evil.
This book was written 20 years ago - but every situation highlighted throughout this book has taken place (again!) over the last few months. I constantly had to remind myself that although this book was obviously written based off of true events, it was a work of fiction.
Ragen beautifully weaved together so many important stories, highlighting the complicated nature of what it means to be 'Jewish' and what Jews, and Israeli's, deal with regularly.
Synopsis: This story packages up all the headlines we read every day, the heart-wrenching reality of modern life, where terrorists reign and average citizens find themselves at the pivot of politics and history. Living in Jerusalem, Elise Margulies fears for the lives of her husband and daughter every day. Then comes the day when her worst fears are realized - Jonathan Margulies drives his young daughter home from her ballet recital and his bullet-ridden car is found empty on the side of the road. Elise desperately calls her grandmother Leah in America for help and unknowingly revives a decades-old oath that transcends both time and place. Over the course of five terror and hope-filled days during which ordinary people join the front lines against terrorism, the ties that bind two generations forge a potent alliance against contemporary evil.
This book was written 20 years ago - but every situation highlighted throughout this book has taken place (again!) over the last few months. I constantly had to remind myself that although this book was obviously written based off of true events, it was a work of fiction.
Ragen beautifully weaved together so many important stories, highlighting the complicated nature of what it means to be 'Jewish' and what Jews, and Israeli's, deal with regularly.
March 18, 2015
Such a good book! I've had this book for a while and now I have no idea why I waited so long to read it. I ended up reading the whole thing in three days. This is a powerful book about how the Jews in Israel live their daily lives amidst commonplace terrorism. It never fails to impress me that they are such a strong and courageous people who still love life. This book could be pulled right from the headlines today as the story has not changed and Palestinians as well as ISIS and many others threaten constantly to wipe Israel off the map. Elise Margulies is in bed at home waiting for her husband and daughter to return when she gets the news that they have been kidnapped by Hamas terrorists. Elise ends up in the hospital and her grandmother, an Auschwitz survivor, goes to action calling her fellow Auschwitz survivors. Their story is parallel to Elise waiting for news of her husband. I loved how Ragen wrote a backstory on even seemingly insignificant characters - like the granddaughter of one of the Auschwitz survivors who married an Arab and tries to live 6 months in Saudi Arabia and 6 months of the year in America. I was as interested in these characters as I was in the main story itself. I also appreciated that Ragen frankly talked about how the media so often sympathizes with the Palestinians and even compared it to Poland after WWII - invaded and persecuted first by the Nazis and then 'liberated' by the Russians who persecuted and occupied them until the 1960's. But you didn't see the Poles becoming terrorists and vowing to wipe Germany and Russia off the map and you don't see Israelis strapping bombs to their chests and going into Palestine to blow up innocents. I'm glad someone finally said this - even if it is in the midst of a novel.
February 20, 2017
This is the book you want to read if you feel a need to better understand terrorism and its motivations. It's also the book you need to read if you want a fascinating study in the value of promises made and kept and the transcendent nature of friendships that defy borders and ideologies.
Elise and John Margulies are Americans who have emigrated to Israel. He is a well-loved cancer specialist who insists on treating Arabs and Jews with the same respect and dignity when they are patients in his practice. Elise is confined to bed as a result of a difficult pregnancy, and John agrees to pick up their older daughter from an activity on his way home from the hospital. Ever mindful of the fear of terrorism, John turns down a narrow road, aware that he could be in danger. And indeed, he is. He and his daughter are ambushed and drug from their car. Thus begins a five-day harrowing experience for a nation and a family forced to confront the horrors of terrorism head-on.
Elise makes a call to her grandmother back in the states, and that call activates a powerful covenant made among four survivors of the Nazi death camps. The four aging women come together to do what they can to help John and his daughter survive.
The book looks unblinkingly at some of the tactics used by anti-Israeli reporters to support Palestinian causes. But it is also a book that exquisitely demonstrates the strength of friendships and relationships that remain heart-touching and beautiful despite propaganda and hatred that exists in so many varieties. Above all, it is a well-written reminder of the resilience of the spirit and the eternal nature of covenants made in adverse situations that get kept decades later.
Elise and John Margulies are Americans who have emigrated to Israel. He is a well-loved cancer specialist who insists on treating Arabs and Jews with the same respect and dignity when they are patients in his practice. Elise is confined to bed as a result of a difficult pregnancy, and John agrees to pick up their older daughter from an activity on his way home from the hospital. Ever mindful of the fear of terrorism, John turns down a narrow road, aware that he could be in danger. And indeed, he is. He and his daughter are ambushed and drug from their car. Thus begins a five-day harrowing experience for a nation and a family forced to confront the horrors of terrorism head-on.
Elise makes a call to her grandmother back in the states, and that call activates a powerful covenant made among four survivors of the Nazi death camps. The four aging women come together to do what they can to help John and his daughter survive.
The book looks unblinkingly at some of the tactics used by anti-Israeli reporters to support Palestinian causes. But it is also a book that exquisitely demonstrates the strength of friendships and relationships that remain heart-touching and beautiful despite propaganda and hatred that exists in so many varieties. Above all, it is a well-written reminder of the resilience of the spirit and the eternal nature of covenants made in adverse situations that get kept decades later.
June 3, 2015
Really, having finished "The Covenant", I can only say that I think that this would have been an AMAZING book if Naomi Ragen had outlined the events, created the characters and then let the late Judith Krantz write the actual novel.
"The Covenant" is jam-packed with characters and places, set around a complex multi-generational plot. Four elderly women, 'camp sisters' who survived Auschwitz together, set events in motion across the globe, from the United States to Europe, to Israel to Saudi Arabia, as they rally their resources and their descendents to rescue the husband and child of the granddaughter of one of their sisterhood. It's gripping, it's terrifying for any parent, it's tendentiously Zionist, it's a love-song to the Jewish people, and at times it's just plain over the top. And it's just too short for the amount of emotion and action and history clashing around inside its covers.
Judith Krantz could have turned this into a six-hundred page sprawling beach read, and given due leisure to developing the Covenant's background, their subsequent lives, those of the children and grandchildren mobilized by their pact, and described the clothes of every character involved in lavish detail. Think "Mistral's Daughter" with terrorism and the Middle East. That book I would have loved. This one was merely likable.
"The Covenant" is jam-packed with characters and places, set around a complex multi-generational plot. Four elderly women, 'camp sisters' who survived Auschwitz together, set events in motion across the globe, from the United States to Europe, to Israel to Saudi Arabia, as they rally their resources and their descendents to rescue the husband and child of the granddaughter of one of their sisterhood. It's gripping, it's terrifying for any parent, it's tendentiously Zionist, it's a love-song to the Jewish people, and at times it's just plain over the top. And it's just too short for the amount of emotion and action and history clashing around inside its covers.
Judith Krantz could have turned this into a six-hundred page sprawling beach read, and given due leisure to developing the Covenant's background, their subsequent lives, those of the children and grandchildren mobilized by their pact, and described the clothes of every character involved in lavish detail. Think "Mistral's Daughter" with terrorism and the Middle East. That book I would have loved. This one was merely likable.
August 3, 2008
Overall, this is a touching story about how four women (three Jews and one Christian,) survived Auschwitz together and made a pact to help each other lifelong called "the covenant." When one of their granddaughter's has a husband and small child who are captured in Israel by terrorists, they spring into action in order to save lives.
The idea of the story is engaging, but I found the writing to be occasionally off-putting. Naomi Ragen introduced a variety of characters with vastly different views on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but I felt that sometimes her own opinions strained on the part of her impartial narrator. As for the minor subplot involving another granddaughter converting to Islam and marrying a Saudi Arabian prince, I found the whole premise (and explanatory chapters) to be unbelievable. But most "convenient" to the larger plot, as hubby has ties to Hamas.
And still, I cried at the end (especially given the terrorist attack in Jerusalem today- 7/2/08.) This story gives voice to the oft-overlooked daily struggles of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and their struggle for peace amidst neighbors who would sooner torture and kill. I felt strongly for those protagonists, and give the author kudos.
The idea of the story is engaging, but I found the writing to be occasionally off-putting. Naomi Ragen introduced a variety of characters with vastly different views on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but I felt that sometimes her own opinions strained on the part of her impartial narrator. As for the minor subplot involving another granddaughter converting to Islam and marrying a Saudi Arabian prince, I found the whole premise (and explanatory chapters) to be unbelievable. But most "convenient" to the larger plot, as hubby has ties to Hamas.
And still, I cried at the end (especially given the terrorist attack in Jerusalem today- 7/2/08.) This story gives voice to the oft-overlooked daily struggles of Israeli settlers in the West Bank, and their struggle for peace amidst neighbors who would sooner torture and kill. I felt strongly for those protagonists, and give the author kudos.
April 28, 2014
I've never read a book that covers so much of what is going on between the Palestinians and the Israelis so I was very intrigued about the subject matter as well as how it all affects the victims in the Holocaust and how they still feel like they are fighting for their rights. I did learn much about the situation that really opened my eyes, however I did rate this book lower due to the fact that there were so many characters being constantly introduced that I felt it distracted from the story. I felt that the novel started really intense and had a very gripping ending but again I would of liked to have more depth in the story and less introduction to new characters. I did enjoy the book because of what I learned.
In the novel the main character asks her grandmother how she went on living through the concentration camps and after? How did she have the desire to live anymore? She answers "By loving life. And-in spite of everything-by loving God. By having enough faith to start over again and again; enough faith to risk having our hearts break all over again. That's the true meaning of faith. It's the deepest kind of heroism."
I love that quote! Words to live by, I mean haven't we all felt that way at some time?
In the novel the main character asks her grandmother how she went on living through the concentration camps and after? How did she have the desire to live anymore? She answers "By loving life. And-in spite of everything-by loving God. By having enough faith to start over again and again; enough faith to risk having our hearts break all over again. That's the true meaning of faith. It's the deepest kind of heroism."
I love that quote! Words to live by, I mean haven't we all felt that way at some time?
July 3, 2018
This is the second book I’ve read by Ragan and now I am blown away by her exquisite writing and intricately woven plot. It’s a beautiful piece of literary fiction combined with history, politics, and even a little Gabriel Allon subterfuge. When Leah’s granddaughter’s husband and child are kidnapped by Hamas, she invokes a Covenant made between her and three other Auschwitz survivors. Each of the four women who owe each other their lives contribute to remedying the unfolding crisis in Israel. It was like Auschwitz grandma squad to the rescue.
On a more serious note, there is plenty of commentary on terrorism and Israel versus Palestine, but I found this the most profound: “A child did not become a hate-filled fanatic, a terrorist, without entire elaborate structures of educational institutions, training camps, expensive weapons and the backing of legitimate national support. It was a gargantuan beast, and it had spread its tentacles throughout the world.” The tone of the whole novel felt like a contemplation of why people hate and kill one another when there is so much beauty to behold in this life.
On a more serious note, there is plenty of commentary on terrorism and Israel versus Palestine, but I found this the most profound: “A child did not become a hate-filled fanatic, a terrorist, without entire elaborate structures of educational institutions, training camps, expensive weapons and the backing of legitimate national support. It was a gargantuan beast, and it had spread its tentacles throughout the world.” The tone of the whole novel felt like a contemplation of why people hate and kill one another when there is so much beauty to behold in this life.
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