Shalom India Housing Society (Jewish Women Writers) [Paperback]

Esther David (Author), Jael Silliman (Afterword)

Book Description

Series: Jewish Women Writers | Publication Date: April 1, 2009

"Hilarious and heart-warming..."—Asian Age

“[Esther David’s] writing is a formidable work of literary art.”—Nissim Ezekiel, poet

“A poignant tale of a group never quite at home in its homeland.”—Nextbook

“Esther David perfectly portrays the individuals of the Bene Israel Jewish community in Ahmedabad, many of them torn between Israel's siren song and their own unique Indo-Jewish heritage.  Hers is a window into an all too human world, presided over by a comic though attentive Prophet Elijah.” —Janet M. Powers, author of Kites Over the Mango Tree: Restoring Harmony Between Hindus and Muslims in Gujarat

“A nice piece of social anthropology, with a good deal of heart thrown in.”—Sunday Business Standard, India

Over two thousand years ago, remnants of one of the lost tribes of Israel appeared on the shores of India. They became known in India as the Bene Israel and nothing has been the same since.

After religious riots break out in modern Ahmedabad, a handful of the tribe’s descendants band together to live in a communal housing complex: the Shalom India Housing Society. Nestled amidst their Hindu and Muslim neighbors, the residents of these charming apartments find ways to laugh (the laughing club meets every morning on the lawn) and love, whether it is a crush next door or an Internet date with a distant Israeli.

Writing with wit and an artist’s eye for detail, Esther David vividly portrays a resilient group who share a fondness for the liquor-loving Prophet Elijah and costume parties. These true-to-life stories depict the joys and conflicts of a people continually choosing between the Indian traditions of their homeland and their Jewish heritage.

Esther David was born into a Bene Israel Jewish family in Ahmedabad, India, and she grew up in a zoo created by her father. She is the author of six novels and is also a sculptor, art critic, and columnist for The Times of India.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a prelude to her problematic novel, David describes how important the prophet Elijah was for the Bene Israel Jews of India, and introduces Elijah as the novel's fun-loving protagonist. Unfortunately, both Elijah and the merriment disappear after the first chapter. After rioting in Ahmedabad in 2002, a small community of Jews whose ancestors had lived peacefully in India move into an apartment building to avoid the crossfire. Despite the intriguing setting and character sketches rich with possibility, the result is unpolished and unsatisfying. Vignettes are shaped around weighty themes of religion, love, infertility, death and prophesy, but the actors never become more than puppets manipulated with an obvious hand, undermining the sometimes powerful imagery and infrequently addressed topics—such as living as a secret Jew in Pakistan. David, who grew up in Ahmedabad and has written previously about the Bene Israeli, knows her subject well, but has not done it justice. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Built after the 2002 Ahmedabad riots, the Shalom India Housing Society is an eclectic community of the Bene Israel Jews of India and the setting that binds this assortment of abundant, if brief, vignettes. The collection opens with the boisterous Prophet Elijah on the first day of Passover as he visits and introduces the varied characters in the apartment complex. There is the timid, teenage Yael, who discovers her voice during the “fancy dress” competition, wrapped as a mummy, no less. The widowed Ruby, distraught with guilt over her husband’s death, questions her burgeoning desire for a Christian violinist. A passionate, youthful love affair between Ben Hur and Lolo illustrates the complexity of adolescence under the pressure of traditional and modern expectations. David is not afraid to tackle thematic giants—religion, cultural identity, parenthood, death, reckless love—while characters young and old grapple with their various torments. The concise, intersecting nature of the character’s tales can feel disjointed, though the nuanced portrayal of this diminishing community as a whole is quietly affecting. --Leah Strauss

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: The Feminist Press at CUNY (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558615962
• ISBN-13: 978-1558615960
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting Novel, August 28, 2009

By 

adamGhalib "TPV" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shalom India Housing Society (Jewish Women Writers) (Paperback)

Kaleidoscope - that's the best way to summarize this novel. The author intersperses several layers into this work be it at the emotional level, social anthropology level or the exploration of depth of personality of each of the characters involved.

Having grown up in India (and also having lived in Ahmedabad for a couple of years), I can relate to the day to day struggles that one faces. The El Dorado of escaping to better prospects in a better country (in this case Israel) is always there. However, to be honest, that trend is on the decline amongst the Indian professional classes in the post 2002 time period when this novel is set. Having said that, being a minority with the danger of getting trapped in riots, one can relate to the desire of the Bene Israeli community members to migrate.

At the same time, the characters are drawn to their Indianness and their Indian roots. Even those who migrated to Israel have nostalgic feelings for India. Two of them , Juliet and Romiel marry and migrate to Israel but eventually return to Ahmedabad (India) finding it difficult to manage their lives in Israel.

Almost all the characters belong to the Bene Israeli community and live in a fictional housing society called Shalom India Society. There are two apartment blocks - one is occupied primarily by the Jews and the other by other minorities (i.e. Christians). The novel weaves around the lives of the characters living in the society , explores their insecurities and aspirations and the relationships that they form. The author touches upon almost all aspects of human emotions that one faces in modern day living.

In some ways, one can find a reflection of Rohinton Mistry's "Swimming Lessons" in this novel in the sense that it is based on characters belonging to a very unique yet very Indian community. Mistry's book is based on characters belonging to the Parsi community whilst Esther's is based on the Jewish community. Mistry's novel has a male perspective of events but Esther's has a very distinct feminine one.

The novel starts with a supernatural event of Prophet Elijah descending to earth in his chariot to meet with people celebrating the Passover. The narration is lighthearted and witty but as the novel progresses the writer focuses more on the deeper aspects of human relationships across various age groups.

There is Leon , a teenager boy, who cross dresses and his mother is worried that he may turn out to be gay. Yael, a couple of years older than Leon, who fancies Leon but is unable to express herself to him and feels suffocated by the strict conservative dress code and regime prescribed to her widowed mother and spinster aunt. There is Salome who is childless and past her prime and ardently wishes for one. Contrast this with Sippora who is much younger and has two kids but finds herself pregnant with a third. She confides with Sippora that she plans to abort the child but changes her mind at the last moment on the operating table.

There is Ruby who is widowed and feels drawn to Franco (non Jewish) and is left contemplating whether she can marry him and how she could convince her grown up daughter about it. Then there is Rachel who finds an internet love with a boy in Israel who unfortunately dies in a blast. She is heartbroken at a young age and feels unable to express herself to anyone but finds comfort with Yacov. There is he case of Juliet who finds love in a non Jew Hindu boy who converts to Judaism to marry Juliet. Good for her! She goes with her heart. Brave girl. Eventually, they find acceptance.

There is the case of Ben Hur who falls in love with Lolo who is Hindu and has lost her mother. She deserts him to escape an oppressive and abusive step father. Ben Hur is heart broken. Diana to whom Ben Hur is matched up to marry by their parents at a very young age, refuses to marry Ben Hur after his relationship with Lolo. She makes it big in the fashion world and marries Manav a non Jew who was a trainer at a modeling agency. They fall in love and marry. There is Ezra who takes on the role of property manager. Ezel strives to find the right balance between his mother Malka and wife Tamar. His wife separates from him and leaves for Israel leaving their two kids with Ezel. After a year, she returns to pick up the kids. But something happens and they get together. Good for them!

There are a few more interesting characters....

A very welcome read. Will rate the novel PG 13 though and was bit surprised to learn about the promiscuity of some of the characters in the novel!

One is left with a palpable feeling of human richness after reading this work.

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