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April 24, 2009
Absorbed into Israel
Novel introduces readers to seven new olim.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
All beginnings are hard. That's the message that Gila, a Hebrew teacher in the ulpan at Upper Nazareth, writes on the blackboard on the first day of class. Seven new olim (immigrants) will take a five-month intensive course with her before making their own way in Israel. Dvora Waysman's latest novel, In a Good Pasture, introduces us to their stories and, while fictional, it offers insight into why people choose to make aliyah – and why some don't succeed.
The seven new immigrants are Lee from America, Anna from Shanghai, David from South Africa, Freda from Australia, Lola and Ronald from England and Jose from Spain. They each have a very different history and diverse reasons for moving to Israel; each is coming to terms with their Jewish identity. Finding out a bit about each character and some of their struggles is part of the fun of reading In a Good Pasture, which seems more like an extended short story than a novel. It takes only a couple of hours to read its 136 pages but, while not challenging material, it is thought-provoking.
In a Good Pasture is set in the Galilee, at the absorption centre in Nazareth Illit, which is southeast of Haifa, west of the Kinneret. It takes place in 1971, the same year that Waysman and her family made aliyah from Australia. They, too, were sent to the mercaz klita (absorption centre) in Upper Nazareth and, in the author's foreword, Waysman remarks that she remembers the place with "affection and gratitude, along with friends we made there," mentioning one couple in particular. This appreciation comes out in Waysman's work, as does a keen insight into what makes people do the things they do. This is not surprising, as Waysman is a seasoned writer and most writers, by nature, are observant people.
Waysman, who lives in Jerusalem, is the author of many books, including a few for children. She is also a syndicated columnist – her articles have appeared the Jewish Independent – and a teacher of creative writing. This last aspect of her resume is likely what allows her to describe the seven students of In a Good Pasture so well. These are the most intriguing parts of the novel, which, in the latter half, suffers in a few places because of lengthy quotes from prayers and other liturgy, which, while beautiful and meaningful for some readers, don't add to the story line and slow its rhythm. A slightly more diligent editor would have cut down some of these passages and caught the odd typo that remains in the edition put out by Jerusalem-based Mazo Publishers in 2008.
These small criticisms aside, In a Good Pasture is a quick, interesting read that offers a glimpse into making aliyah, something which most Diaspora Jews have considered at various points in their lives. The novel may even make you check out www.aliyah.org to find out more about the process.
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