THE BEACH BOY VOLUME II, ALIYAH

BY WILLIAM SEMENOW ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 30, 2024

An important book even (or perhaps especially) for goyim that offers a glimpse into the everyday rigors of the Orthodox...

Volume 2 of Semenow’s memoir begins with Aliyah, the family's spiritual homecoming to Israel.

After the author initially describes the madness of customs at the airport upon arrival in Israel, we soon see the family beginning to settle into their new environment. This is the fulfillment of a dream nurtured since Semenow began to get serious about Judaism back in Cleveland while a law student. He is a convert of sorts, with a convert’s zeal: He even performs the bris on his own son. Then there is the learning of Hebrew, no small task for one whose neural pathways are pretty much set. The Semenow kids—three daughters and a son—pick it up much faster than their middle-aged dad. Speaking of kids, the author stresses the importance of finding challenging, reputable schools, and he devotes a chapter to each child’s education. (As it turns out, American-born kids are often looked down upon by their classmates as not spiritually serious.) But the kids learn to deal with the pressure and come out stronger for it. The author then tells of his several stints as a teacher of religion and then as a matchmaker—an important job among Orthodox Jews. Another essential task he takes on is that of schnorrer (Yiddish for “beggar”), raising funds for the yeshiva, the rabbinical school. He is sent around the world to do this and comes back not just with copious charitable donations, but also with a wealth of engaging stories. Semenow’s excitement throughout the memoir is infectious. He clearly loves anecdotes and revels in telling compelling stories not only about people who found religion as he did, but also about heroic Holocaust survivors. The penultimate chapter—the last is in awed praise of Jerusalem (the “center of the universe” as he describes it)—reveals his conservative political views. When Semenow is not schmoozing, he is exulting his faith and happiness, and as his Orthodoxy grows, the glossary of terms in the first book proves woefully inadequate.

An important book even (or perhaps especially) for goyim that offers a glimpse into the everyday rigors of the Orthodox Jewish experience.

Pub Date: May 30, 2024

ISBN: 9781804399330

Page Count: 250

Publisher: Olympia Publishers

Review Posted Online: July 31, 2024

Review Program: KIRKUS INDIE

Categories:

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | PHILOSOPHY & RELIGION | GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

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