Of Lodz and Love.
Cohen, Leslie
Chava Rosenfarb. Of Lodz and Love. Translated by the author.
Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse University Press. 2000. 351 pages. $29.95. ISBN 0-8156-0577-3.
Of Lodz and Love, the sequel to Bociany, follows the lives of
Binele and Yacov as they approach adulthood and leave home. The two have
grown up together in the shtetl of Bociany. They were children of
religious families, and each lost a parent in early childhood. As they
matured, Binele and Yacov fell in love with each other.
The novel begins with Binele's arrival in Baluty, the
poverty-stricken Jewish quarter of Lodz, and her search for a means of
support. Meanwhile, Yacov has remained behind in Bociany, as a tutor for
a wealthy Jewish family. It takes several years before he follows Binele
to Lodz. Paralleling the adolescence of Binele and Yacov is the
Jews' never-ending search for their identity. The older generation
is portrayed as accepting a more or less traditional interpretation of
Orthodox Judaism. In contrast, the younger generation searches for
nonreligious solutions to the age-old problems of poverty and
anti-Semitism. They splinter into supporters of the various movements
that were forming during that era: Zionism, Bolshevism, anarchism, and
socialism.
The novel is set during World War I, a tumultuous period in which
Yacov feels the "world ... seemed to be falling apart
forever." Like many of the Jewish men of his generation, Yacov
lives in constant dread of conscription into the Polish army. The heated
political arguments between Yacov and his friends are at the heart of
the novel. But, while Yacov becomes deeply involved in the political
debate, Binele remains unwilling to affiliate, either politically or
emotionally. Finally, Yacov is drafted into the Polish army and Binele
returns to Bociany, having promised to marry him. She lives with
Yacov's mother, Hindele, while awaiting Yacov's return. In the
end there are two weddings. Binele and Yacov marry, according to plan.
Meanwhile, in a very unexpected development, the widowed parents of
Yacov and Binele also decide to wed. The epilogue takes place
twenty-five years later, in 1947, when the sole survivor of their joint
families finally leaves Poland.
While the portrayal of characters in Bociany is sympathetic and
offers the reader a deep insight into their most intimate feelings, Of
Lodz and Love treats the characters more as representatives of
sociological categories than as authentic human beings. There is so much
attention to the political crises that the life stories of the
individuals recede in importance. In addition, the characterization is
weak, especially in contrast to that of the first novel. In short, the
sequel is a disappointing continuation of the charming Bociany.
Leslie Cohen Kibbutz Ein Hashofet, Israel
