The Shovel and the Loom - Hardcover

Friedman, Carl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0892554088 ISBN 13: 9780892554089

Publisher: Persea Books, 1996

Synopsis

Chaya, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, lives in the old Jewish quarter of Antwerp, Belgium. Twenty years old, a philosophy student (and nonbeliever), she takes care of the children of an Hasidic family by day. At night she stays up reading - Nietzsche, Einstein, the Baal Shem Tov. The more she reads, the less she seems to understand. Does God exist? What does it mean to be a Jew? Chaya questions the reasons for anti-Semitism, the role of women in Judaism, the reasons for suffering. Mr. Apfelschnitt, an old friend of her father, tells Chaya that Creation is a masterpiece, that Science can't replace God or the Torah. But her father advises her to study physics. Then he goes back to his old maps of Antwerp, looking for the spot to dig, to recover the two suitcases he buried during the war. Trying to put her Auschwitz past behind her, Chaya's mother obsesses over baking, tea, and weaving. Her advice to Chaya: go out dancing. Finally, it is Chaya's love for Simeha, the three-year-old boy in her care, that provides the key. She clashes with his tradition-bound father, then propelled by a tragic accident, learns just how much she is tied to her people and her faith.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Chaya, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, lives in the old Jewish quarter of Antwerp, Belgium. She is twenty years old, a philosophy student, and a nonbeliever. During the day, to support herself, she takes care of the children of an Orthodox family. At night she stays up reading - Nietzsche, Einstein, the Baal Shem Tov. But the more she reads, the less she seems to understand: "Was a divine father or a slimy amoeba at our cradle? Why do we live? And if we truly aspire to good, how is it that we cause so much misery?" Chaya questions the reasons for anti-Semitism throughout history, the role of women in Judaism, the reasons for suffering .... Mr. Apfelschnitt, an old friend of her father, tells Chaya that creation is a masterpiece, and that Science cannot replace God or the Torah. Her father advises her to study something more practical, like physics. Then he goes back to his old maps of Antwerp, trying to locate the exact spot where he buried two suitcases during the war. Chaya's mother wants her to go out dancing. Always trying to put her Auschwitz past behind her, she compulsively busies herself with cake-baking, tea, and weaving. Finally, it is Chaya's love for the three-year-old boy in her care that provides the key. Chaya clashes with his tradition-bound father, confronts an anti-Semitic concierge, and then, propelled by a tragic accident, learns just how much she is bound up with her people and faith.

About the Author

Carl Friedman was born in 1952, the daughter of Holocaust survivors. She lives in Amsterdam

Jeannette K. Ringold has translated a number of literary novels from Dutch, including Anna Enquist s "The Masterpiece" and "The Secret".

About this edition

• Publisher: Persea Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0892554088
• ISBN 13: 9780892554089
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176