Dialogues of Love and Fear: A Rabbi’s Daughter, a Kes’s Son, and Hope for the Future

by Sharon Zewde Shalom

Dialogues of Love and Fear is a work of imagination and insight that addresses fraught issues of our times in new and refreshing ways. The author, whose own dramatic life journey has taken him from shepherd to professor, from refugee to IDF officer, and from student of a kes (religious leader) to rabbi of an Ashkenazi synagogue, brings the many facets of his identity into dialogue in these brilliantly imagined conversations between two characters. Through them it provides a window into the world of Ethiopian Jewry, their challenges, and the deep questions that every complex relationship carries with it. Covering a huge breadth of topics, this heart-warming, optimistic book offers a transformative perspective that is tolerant, accessible, and committed to Jewish tradition.

292 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2022

Reviews

[Perlie]

This reminded me a bit of Sophie’s World or Letters to Talia, both of which use the conceit of a correspondence to address philosophical questions and religious dilemmas. In the case of Letters to Talia, it was a religious solider and an irreligious kibbutz girl who was seeking truth. In this book, it's a dialogue between the son of an Ethiopian kes (rabbi) and the daughter of a Swiss rabbi who end up marrying. The content was thought provoking and eye-opening. I was hoping for some more biographical information, photos, or to hear their actual voices. Despite that, a worthy read.