The Jewish Priest

by Aaron Ben Shahar

“And the brooks of defense shall be emptied and dried the reeds and flags shall wither.” – Isaiah 19, 6

Three siblings find themselves on different sides of a family tragedy in a mesmerizing epic story of love and faith.

Though he was named after the legendary Hebrew king, David cannot help but feel like a constant second fiddle to his prodigy older brother Shmuel. Sons of a local community Rabbi, the book-wise Shmuel, the free-spirited David, and their sociable sister Esther live their days of youthful innocence among the pastoral scenery of northern Israel.

But innocence does not last forever. When tragedy strikes and the authorities come demanding their father’s life, David makes an inconceivable decision that shakes his faith in his religion, his God – and himself. His decision will not only alter the course of his own life – but that of his family’s legacy as well.

What unfurls is an unforgettable story, set against the backdrop of pre-emancipation Israel and the Jewish underground movement. Inspired by true events, The Jewish Priest elegantly flows through the broadest spectrum of prose, from heart-wrenching interactions to breathtaking intensity.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Paperback

Published October 2, 2022

Reviews

[Tom Gatliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imaginative but not particularly believable

The author seems quite versed in Jewish religious practice but not Anglican priestly formation. There is far more than simply saying I want to convert and become a priest. Aaron Ben Shahar presents a very superficial view of the process and the following initial assignment. However, that is not the full reason for the mediocre three star rating. The second, perhaps more cogent reason is that his story development become very fantastical through almost every chapter. Much of what he describes seems more wishful than realistic. It is a nice story in many respects but lacks realism in most others.

[ISABELLE M MANDANICI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would be a dicumentare

Very informative. I was amazed how the two brothers could switch from Jewish to Christians and back to Jews again.

[Anam Cara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not certain what I expected when I chose to read this book. The title intrigued me.

The prologue began with a priest being killed in an explosion in Jerusalem. This had to be sometime after WWII but before 1948 when Israel became a nation. We are not told the identities of the people who were at the King David hotel at the time of the bombing. We are left in the dark

We then are taken back in time to, I believe shortly before WWI. (It was very hard to follow the time line as there were few hints as to just how much time passed. Also the story was about three siblings and as each story was told, we'd seem to go back in time and then forward to the "present" we'd left off with the last sibling.) We learn about a village where this family lives with two boys and a girl all children of the village rabbi. They are raised in a traditional religious Jewish home.

The oldest is sent to study to become a rabbi. The second is rebellious and as fate would have it, he leaves Israel, goes to England and becomes and Anglican priest. (His parents are, of course, distraught.) When the oldest is sent to bring him home, he too converts and becomes an Anglican priest. The youngest, the daughter, is considered by the community to be unmarriageable because her brothers have converted to Christianity. She leaves home and gets a job working with Gentiles, to the dismay of her parents.

The descriptions of the locations, the everyday life of the people, the history of the area were all interesting. However, I reached a time when I just wanted to know what happened to everyone and skimmed some of the descriptions.

It was a very good book and should have 5 stars except for the problems of knowing the years when things were happening.

I cannot tell you the ending - last chapters - because that would e a colossal spoiler! Let's just say that you might suspect a few things, but the actual execution is surprising.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather fantastical story, full of grammatical errors and typos, centering around the family of a rural rabbi in N. Israel when it was still the British Mandate of Palestine. Both sons become Christians and Anglican priests for several decades, their motto that they were born Jews and will die Jews, but in the meantime they were Christian. This causes their younger sister to be ostracized, and, fed up with her boring job as a sewing instructor, she moves away to take a job doing floor sales at a large department store. She has a torrid affair with the manager, but he is transferred because that store is shutting down. He reveals he has lied to her and she begins to hate the British and works with the European, now European and Palestinian, Jewish resistance group the Irgun, with whom no one who is decent wants to work if you read other history books.
David - aka Dudi - was always the free spirited one, but he does something terrible to save his family, and that ends up being the crisis that throws him into being Anglican. For Shmuel, the crisis is that his parents are forcing him to stay stuck in yeshiva mode and have arranged his marriage to someone in whom he has no interest, so he feels trapped, and is suddenly liberated when he realizes he can stay in England and convert to Anglicanism, and be far from criticism and the box he has been shoved into at home.
The story twists and turns in fantastical ways, and doesn't seem realistic to me, though in our era anyone can become an Anglican priest and teach against the Bible, this was not the case in that era. Nor was that much promiscuity the case back then. Jewish couples were chaperoned until married, and that is not the case here. At the end of the story, 2 living members of the family are left, neither married.
Try again, author. Mistakes are highlighted in the notes for you.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jewish Priest is by Aaron Ben Shahar. This is an interesting book that is nothing like I thought it would be. It is much more compelling than I thought it would be. I could not put it down once I got caught up in it. It could easily be seen as controversial as it tends to blur the lines between religions. It takes us from Palestine to London to northern England and back to what is not Israel. It covers a period of over thirty years. The book is definitely thought-provoking as well as very emotional. I highly recommend this book.

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling story of one family of Jewish origin. Told in a very mechanical, matter-of-fact style, the plot unfolds as a study of each of the members of the family, those who love them, and those whom they love. Though fiction, it treats the subject matter as clearly as if it were a history, and without explicit bias. The reader is free to assign moral value to the actions of each individual.

WELL worth the read. Minor editing errors (in one spot, Dudi is referred to as Didi, while he's Dudi throughout the rest of the book) that could easily be cleaned up.

[Nina Mintzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I understood the premise of this novel but still found it difficult to read. The brothers were sad then happier ultimately sad again.Their choices in life were so extreme yet their basic religion seemed to always be an under current. I felt the ending was going to be poignant which partly it was, but was a bit surprised at Esther's role.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I failed to get very far with this story. Whilst there are some lovely descriptions of buildings and scenery, I failed to see how the different characters would interact in the story. I probably didn't give it a fair try, but I wasn't enjoying it.
Nothing against the author, but I find I can't keep reading a book if I'm not enjoying it.

[dalia pelleg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the plot interesting but the book "lacks luster" and I think it has to do with its translation from Hebrew to English. I read other translated books in these languages and found them much better. Sorry.

[Susan Sherwin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of "The Jewish Priest" was interesting. Set against history, time and place much seems fantastical. However, what was off-putting to this reader was the uneven writing style, perhaps because of the translation.

[Penina Reichenberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not continue reading this book

I did not complete the book. Perhaps it could be a good story, but there are too many typos, which bother my reading tremendously.
I am an editor/translator by trade.

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to plod through this. Fractured story line and poorly written. Waste of time in my opinion.

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not an easy read. I believe the first third of the book would be better if it were condensed. The storyline is not believable.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting compelling book. The storyline about a family and the choices the members take will surprise you. The book had several surprises that kept my interest. Highly recommend.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about 2 brothers and a sister born and raised in a Jewish environment in Israel, father a Rabbi, and how their lives and their faith intertwined during their teenage years and 30 years later. The book cover and title appealed to my reading.

[Rita · Rating 1 out of 5]

very dissappointing

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The stars were aligned…’ A thoroughly engaging novel

Israeli author Aaron Ben-Shahar gained his training at Hebrew Reali School's Israel Defense Forces Junior Command Preparatory School and served as an officer at Golani Brigade and at the IDF Armored Corps, and his education in International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and in law at Tel Aviv University. He served in Israel's General Security Service before establishing his own law practice. His experience and insider knowledge adds to the visceral reality of his novels – A MINISTER IN A BOX, DEADLY TIES, and now THE JEWISH PRIEST.

Having now read all three of Aaron’s books, this reader finds that each novel excels the last – and that most assuredly is true of THE JEWISH PRIEST. The author’s ability to create visual scenery and characters that leap off the pages makes his novels vibrantly alive. The story is set against the backdrop of pre-emancipation Israel and the Jewish underground movement, and has been condensed on the book’s back cover as follows: ‘Though he was named after the legendary Hebrew king, David cannot help but feel like a constant second fiddle to his protégé older brother Shmuel. Sons of a local community Rabbi, the book-wise Shmuel, the free-spirited David, and their sociable sister Esther live their days of youthful innocence among the pastoral scenery of northern Israel. But innocence does not last forever. When tragedy strikes and the authorities come demanding their father’s life, David makes an inconceivable decision that shakes his faith in his religion, his God – and himself. His decision will not only alter the course of his own life – but of his family’s legacy as well.’

As the author notes, ‘Two shocking events form the base of this tale. On the one end, it is a story of a young Jewish boy who, following a deep personal tragedy, travels to England where he confronts questions of faith and purpose. His brother, sent to retrieve him, eventually follows in his footsteps. The personal tragedies, the inner conflicts, and the deep relationships between Judaism and Christianity pushed me into this unique story which ties the Galilee hillside with the coal mines of northern England.’

A frequent comment on novels of this genre is ‘couldn’t put it down,’ and that most assuredly describes the fast paced, brilliantly executed writing of this latest Aaron Ben-Shahar opus. Very highly recommended on many levels.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book