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If You Awaken Love
What did I ask of you Iri - and why did you leave me? Shlomtzion has been haunted by this question for twenty-one years, ever since her beloved fiance Yair broke their engagement - and her heart. Fleeing her home in Jerusalem, and renouncing the deeply religious world they had so passionately shared, she recreated herself as an interior designer in secular Tel Aviv. Now, Shlomtzion is a single mother distraught because her daughter wants to enter the world she herself cast off. When Maya tells her mother she is engaged, she has no idea of the trauma she is unleashing. Her fiance is none other than Yair's son. On a fateful weekend when national tensions come to a head, Shlomtzion finds herself on the road to the settlement where Yair lives, not only to plan her daughter's wedding, but to confront, for the first time, her former love, the life she never had, and ultimately, herself.
229 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
December 30, 2020
This stunning novel recounts an Israeli woman's spiritual seeking and heartbreak . The book portrays the lives of deeply believing Israeli Jewish settlers who build towns in Palestinian areas, not people I have thought of sympathetically. Emuna Elon, the brilliant Israeli novelist whose Holocaust novel House on Endless Waters I have recently read, is secular and is stretching herself to understand her characters.
My background was Catholic and I know little about the details of Jewish spirituality, so I was glad to learn more. Shlomtzion, the protagonist, is the daughter of a less conservative university scholar of Biblical studies who is looked down on by the very Orthodox people she meets because he treats religious writings as a text to be analyzed, not as the word of God to be followed. In childhood, Shlomtzion becomes close to Zair, a boy from an Orthodox family. As she grows, their attachment deepens to love. She also becomes passionate about religion and Talmudic arguments, especially an argument that perhaps it would be better if God hadn't created people (I hope I'm referring to that correctly). She and Zair, believing that the very soil on which the Jewish people of old once stood is calling out for them to return, join the settler movement.
When the time comes for them to marry, a rabbinic scholar tells Zair not to marry her. She is heartbroken for the rest of her life and cannot accept love from another man. Eventually she becomes more secular and more critical of the settler movement, while Zair moves to a settlement.
I found this to be a brilliant, revealing book that increased my understanding. I strongly recommend it.
My background was Catholic and I know little about the details of Jewish spirituality, so I was glad to learn more. Shlomtzion, the protagonist, is the daughter of a less conservative university scholar of Biblical studies who is looked down on by the very Orthodox people she meets because he treats religious writings as a text to be analyzed, not as the word of God to be followed. In childhood, Shlomtzion becomes close to Zair, a boy from an Orthodox family. As she grows, their attachment deepens to love. She also becomes passionate about religion and Talmudic arguments, especially an argument that perhaps it would be better if God hadn't created people (I hope I'm referring to that correctly). She and Zair, believing that the very soil on which the Jewish people of old once stood is calling out for them to return, join the settler movement.
When the time comes for them to marry, a rabbinic scholar tells Zair not to marry her. She is heartbroken for the rest of her life and cannot accept love from another man. Eventually she becomes more secular and more critical of the settler movement, while Zair moves to a settlement.
I found this to be a brilliant, revealing book that increased my understanding. I strongly recommend it.
May 1, 2012
I enjoyed the book, though I never managed to warm up to the protagonist - Shlomzi - who really made all the mistakes a rather foolish person can make in love and in life. She obsessed over a person, and clung to himso firmly he probably barely had breathing room; if I were Yair, I'd run like hell.
She also completely misunderstands - and perhaps the writer is at fault here - the meaning of love, as it is supposed to be, and as Judaism really pushes for. Love that isn't some sort of ephemeral flame landing out of heaven, but something that grows in the ground. All those couples with their mystical, one-time-only and never-again loves, really bothered me a lot. Love is more prosaic than that, and more deeply rooted.
Shlomzi also really enjoys blaming God and the environment for her misfortunes, ditches everything and then tries to explain and excuse. All of her piety and emotional upheavals are built only skin-deep, because it really appears that, after a single disappointment, everything is dropped. They say, in the Pirkei Avot, that "love that is dependent upon a thing - when the thing is negated, so is the love". Shomzi's love for religion, country, even people, is totally dependent upon this one thing; her love for Yair. Once Yair is gone (and why didn't she just tell him she loves him, anyway? Or ask him?) her love is gone too. She only does these things to impress, but she failed to impress me.
Still I enjoyed reading a book that took the religious world from inside, rather than a sort of anthropological condescending research of an outsider who views secularisation as a sort of necessary act of self-determination and almost redemption. It was refreshing to read a book unafraid of a reference pool a little wider than two verses and a piece of Talmud. Besides, it also amused me and entertained me to see the familiar people and places Emuna Elon stuffed the book with: the rabbis, the settlements (is Tirza an allusion to Ofra or Beit El? Probably Ofra, considering the history and the Synagogue. Either way, hello, familiar haunts. I wave at you, there, in the book.) and the Jerusalem neighbourhoods. Very homey sort of book. Feels nice, like a well-worn sort of dress, which has its defects, but is comfortable and easy to slip into.
She also completely misunderstands - and perhaps the writer is at fault here - the meaning of love, as it is supposed to be, and as Judaism really pushes for. Love that isn't some sort of ephemeral flame landing out of heaven, but something that grows in the ground. All those couples with their mystical, one-time-only and never-again loves, really bothered me a lot. Love is more prosaic than that, and more deeply rooted.
Shlomzi also really enjoys blaming God and the environment for her misfortunes, ditches everything and then tries to explain and excuse. All of her piety and emotional upheavals are built only skin-deep, because it really appears that, after a single disappointment, everything is dropped. They say, in the Pirkei Avot, that "love that is dependent upon a thing - when the thing is negated, so is the love". Shomzi's love for religion, country, even people, is totally dependent upon this one thing; her love for Yair. Once Yair is gone (and why didn't she just tell him she loves him, anyway? Or ask him?) her love is gone too. She only does these things to impress, but she failed to impress me.
Still I enjoyed reading a book that took the religious world from inside, rather than a sort of anthropological condescending research of an outsider who views secularisation as a sort of necessary act of self-determination and almost redemption. It was refreshing to read a book unafraid of a reference pool a little wider than two verses and a piece of Talmud. Besides, it also amused me and entertained me to see the familiar people and places Emuna Elon stuffed the book with: the rabbis, the settlements (is Tirza an allusion to Ofra or Beit El? Probably Ofra, considering the history and the Synagogue. Either way, hello, familiar haunts. I wave at you, there, in the book.) and the Jerusalem neighbourhoods. Very homey sort of book. Feels nice, like a well-worn sort of dress, which has its defects, but is comfortable and easy to slip into.
October 13, 2018
The writer captures the religious and almost erotic fervor of the settlement movement in the 1970s. To someone like me who lived in one for two years back then, dated an Ulpana girl from Kfar Pines, and at least a couple of times animatedly read Rabbi Kook together in the Judean Hills, much of this book is recognizable as true. It is a sympathetic telling but full of sadness and ambivalence too and ultimately, as I read it, a damning take on the settler movement (surprising given the sterling Religious Zionist pedigree of the author). Of course, those who know some of my personal story know that I may not be the most objective reviewer on that count. It is though, in any case, a beautifully told human story that also captures the power and beauty of the settlement enterprise that far too few people know and understand - so a sad yet beautiful read on many levels - I recommend it highly. Note: I read the book in translation. Originally written in Hebrew, the Hebrew title is Simcha Gedolah Bashamayim.
March 8, 2017
One of my favorite books, I read it again every 1-1.5 years. Originally assigned to me to read in a Israeli Literature class in college, it engrossed me and remained on my nightstand long after that class ended. The love story engrossed me with the depth of the Shlomtzion has for Yair. Yes, she probably needs to move on but its also what makes the story so compelling. Its also a great portrayal of the differences between the religious community and the secular society in Israel - with a nice connection to how things were at the time right before Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated.
June 8, 2020
Knowing much of the modern history here as well as many of the locations noted, I found this story both appealing and interesting. The characters became real due to the author’s ability to evoke a sense of identification with them.
August 2, 2020
I just love this author
October 25, 2020
Beautifully written book about love
January 10, 2021
Using parallel stories of human love and love for G-d and land, Elon weaves a tale of heartbreak and betrayal, with each strand deepening the power of the other. The stories are so strong, and have such a ring of truth that I wondered if this was a bit of a roman a clef. While all fiction carries something of the author, I sensed it more here, than is common. I don't usually cry while reading, but I did this time. Curious about the author, I read that she grew up in the dati le'umi community, and from photos it seems that she's had her own journey of love and betrayal with G-d, and perhaps the community. I was intrigued to discover that one of her sons is involved with Shtisel.
While I love the classics, and there is something to be said about the universal story, so many of them really reflect a certain time, place, and culture. Reading this book filled a hole: the hunger for my own stories, for tales about people I know and recognize, about places I have seen and love, grappling with questions that have weighed on my heart and mind, too.
The euphoria of the Six-Day War, the promise of 'reishit tzmichat geulateinu' followed by the devastating betrayal of the Yom Kippur War, the longings for the land, revealed G-d, the "City of Prophets" -- all are feelings and experiences I've lived and relived.
Elon's conclusion was masterful, capturing the hope, ambiguity, and pain of an era.
While I love the classics, and there is something to be said about the universal story, so many of them really reflect a certain time, place, and culture. Reading this book filled a hole: the hunger for my own stories, for tales about people I know and recognize, about places I have seen and love, grappling with questions that have weighed on my heart and mind, too.
The euphoria of the Six-Day War, the promise of 'reishit tzmichat geulateinu' followed by the devastating betrayal of the Yom Kippur War, the longings for the land, revealed G-d, the "City of Prophets" -- all are feelings and experiences I've lived and relived.
Elon's conclusion was masterful, capturing the hope, ambiguity, and pain of an era.
November 22, 2024
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2018
If You Awaken Love, by Emuna Elon is a wonderfully written novel, dealing with rejection and acceptance, love and loss, and other underlying, issues, within the pages.
The story line takes place during turbulent times, a thirty year span from the Six-Day War up until the day Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated. Although politics is not the primary theme in If You Awaken Love, it is there, underlying the pages, difficult not to notice. We are given glimpses of life through those who lived in Israel before its statehood, glimpses of the Left and Right Wings, the Orthodox and the secular, the elderly and the young, the liberal and the staunch, and so on. The reader sees both sides of the spectrum within the vivid images that Elon depicts, from those Jews who are in favor of a dual land, and those who are more restrictive in their thinking.
On the surface, If You Awaken Love might seem to be a drab or unsaturated story or too dry for some readers. But, its’ beauty is within the illuminations that Elon so aptly and masterfully brings the reader. Her words are dynamic, strong, yet filled with a sensitivity to both sides of the issue. Elon uses biblical passages to enhance the story line, which make the novel all the more profound.
I applaud Emuna Elon for her endeavors in documenting history, combined with a story of love and war, in a compelling first novel.
The story line takes place during turbulent times, a thirty year span from the Six-Day War up until the day Yitzhak Rabin is assassinated. Although politics is not the primary theme in If You Awaken Love, it is there, underlying the pages, difficult not to notice. We are given glimpses of life through those who lived in Israel before its statehood, glimpses of the Left and Right Wings, the Orthodox and the secular, the elderly and the young, the liberal and the staunch, and so on. The reader sees both sides of the spectrum within the vivid images that Elon depicts, from those Jews who are in favor of a dual land, and those who are more restrictive in their thinking.
On the surface, If You Awaken Love might seem to be a drab or unsaturated story or too dry for some readers. But, its’ beauty is within the illuminations that Elon so aptly and masterfully brings the reader. Her words are dynamic, strong, yet filled with a sensitivity to both sides of the issue. Elon uses biblical passages to enhance the story line, which make the novel all the more profound.
I applaud Emuna Elon for her endeavors in documenting history, combined with a story of love and war, in a compelling first novel.
March 31, 2010
I'm going to subtitle this book: Wasting 21 years on what might have been.
Shlomtzion always believed she would marry Yair so when he breaks up with her, her life completely breaks down. Although she does marry and have a child, she also divorces that man as soon as possible and goes back to mourning her lost love. She must actively confront that love when her now adult daughter becomes engaged to Yair's son. Set in Israel between the Six Day War and Rabin's assassination, we go from Orthodox to secular to Haredi to secular and discover as Shlomtzion did that her life had no purpose because she gave it no purpose. She was a pathetic character and it's amazing that her daughter did so well for herself. Shlomtzi was a very successful interior designer, but I'm not sure how since she left her soul beyond with her childhook love. She had so many opportunities and wasted them all believing that Yair was everything. When we finally learn why exactly he broke it off, it was easy to see he was right to have done so. I didn't hate the book but neither do I think it has literary merit.
Shlomtzion always believed she would marry Yair so when he breaks up with her, her life completely breaks down. Although she does marry and have a child, she also divorces that man as soon as possible and goes back to mourning her lost love. She must actively confront that love when her now adult daughter becomes engaged to Yair's son. Set in Israel between the Six Day War and Rabin's assassination, we go from Orthodox to secular to Haredi to secular and discover as Shlomtzion did that her life had no purpose because she gave it no purpose. She was a pathetic character and it's amazing that her daughter did so well for herself. Shlomtzi was a very successful interior designer, but I'm not sure how since she left her soul beyond with her childhook love. She had so many opportunities and wasted them all believing that Yair was everything. When we finally learn why exactly he broke it off, it was easy to see he was right to have done so. I didn't hate the book but neither do I think it has literary merit.
December 30, 2008
A really interesting book. I am Jewish and know a little bit about what the author is writing about. I bought it for that very reason. Some of it was a bit over my head, and I did not know about the glossary until I finished the book. (It is in the back). The story is very good, but the religous references are tough, and if they are tough for me, I can only imagine what they would be like for a non-Jew.
A nice love story! A resounding theme of children living out their parents unfinished life....
A nice love story! A resounding theme of children living out their parents unfinished life....
May 7, 2009
I enjoyed everything about this book except the title. Interesting insights from a character who is out of the black hat world, then in, then out again and finally whose circumstances force her (somewhat) back. I thought her writing reminded me of the great Amos Oz and at the end she thanks her mentor -- Amos Oz.
December 23, 2015
I really thought this was a good book with a different type of story line. I thought the look at the different communities and people that make up Israel today and their different viewpoints was spot on! I didn't need the glossary at the end but thought that it should have been referenced at the beginning of the book for those who might need it.
All in all, a really good read.
All in all, a really good read.
November 2, 2009
In spite of the unfortunate title and cover photo I found this novel, about a woman confronting her past and her faith when her daughter becomes engaged to her ex-boyfriend's son, totally engrossing.
July 27, 2007
Beautiful novel. Story of unrequited love with an ironic twist. I learned a lot about radical Jewish life in Isreal from this book.
June 14, 2009
An amazing story that sucks you right in from page 1. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
January 7, 2010
A thoughtful look at the secular-religious divide in Israel, and also a love story. I was a bit let down by the ending.
December 6, 2013
A love story in a historical time Zionists can relate to.
January 8, 2014
Ended up being much more religious than expected. Though did appreciate insight into Israel, closed culture, and the portrayal of lov, loss, and how one deals with duisappointment.
September 3, 2014
I read about 1/4 of the book and then just never finished it. I could not get into it.
January 11, 2015
I could not put it down
May 15, 2016
Donated to Union.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews