Among The Living

Jonathan Rabb has brought to the forefront an interesting comparison between the survivors of the Holocaust who immigrate to the United States after the war and the African Americans who have just recently be awarded freedom in the Jim Crow South.  This is a story of understanding identity and belonging.  It looks at the relationships of blacks and whites and what happens when someone who doesn't follow those established rules responds differently.  It also looks at the idea that the Holocaust survivor was also in a different position than the American born Jew.

In Among The Living, Yitzhak Goldah has come to America to live with distant relative in Georgia. This last remaining relative, Abe Jesler, owns a shoe store and employs members of a black family both in the store and as domestic help in his home where he lives with his wife, Pearl.  They are members of the shul, which is where the conservative Jewish members of the town observe the holidays.  As Goldah learns his way around the town and his newfound freedom, he also learns the distinction between the shul and the temple where the reform Jews attend services.  For Goldah having survived the concentration camps, these differences and disagreements seem trivial.  He also finds love for the first time, with a member of the reform community, to the Jeslers dismay.  This novel presents the story of life in America during that time period and the uncomfortable feelings of American Jews as they confront the Jewish immigrants coming to join their communities.  There are uncomfortable discussions as they ask questions and make insensitive comments.

To add suspense to the plot, Jesler is involved with some black market business dealings and a woman from Goldah's past comes to town creating conflict in Goldah's new relationships.  Goldah has to choose between living in the past or moving into the future.