Moments in History - Bev Russell, Library Director
(This column appeared in the April 15, 2007, Star-Herald)
Today’s books, "The Collaborator of Bethlehem" and "Holy Week: A Novel of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising", are almost flip sides of the same coin. The first book, "The Collaborator of Bethlehem" is a mystery, set in Bethlehem. The second novel, "Holy Week: A Novel of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising" was written in 1945 and is a fictional account, relating to the 1943 Jewish uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto. Neither novel is written from the Jewish perspective; however, the persecution of the Jews, the Holocaust, as well as the founding of Israel are background dynamics to the two books."The Collaborator of Bethlehem" by Matt Beynon Rees is a new mystery series, featuring Palestinian history teacher Omar Yussef. Yussef teaches at the Dehaisha refugee camp, which is run by the United Nations. The Delaisha camp is on the outskirts of Bethlehem. A somewhat reluctant sleuth, Omar gravitates to this calling because of circumstances. When one of his former students George Saba, a Christian, is accused of murdering a Palestinian guerilla, Omar is convinced of his innocence. Later, Dima Abdel Rahman, wife of the murdered man and another of Omar’s former students, is also murdered. In spite of the danger to himself and his family, Omar feels he must solve the crimes and save George’s life.
Omar is not a brave man or a particularly compelling hero. He is a recovering alcoholic, who is middle-aged, out-of-shape, and losing his hair. He forces himself to do the right thing because of loyalty to his friends and because he is tired of living with corruption and fear. At the end of the book the reader believes that Omar will continue to strive for integrity in this degrading situation.
The mystery in this book is secondary to its setting. Needless to say, the Palestinian political situation plays a large role in the novel. The true powerbrokers in Bethlehem are not the governing authority or the police but the Aqsa Martyrs Brigade of gunmen—in reality a bunch of thugs with guns. Although the book is set in Israel, the Israelis play only a secondary role in the novel. Rees’ excellent first novel exudes a strong sense of place and a sense of the customs, traditions, and society of the Palestinian refugees. His book underscores the tenuous nature of life in the Palestinian Territories. A word of caution—this book does not end happily. However, a well-written piece of fiction sometimes informs as well as any nonfiction book, and "The Bethlehem Collaborator" does this.
"Holy Week: A Novel of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising" by Jerzy Andrzejewski is a work of fiction that brings a terrible historical epoch to life. What is especially fascinating about this book is that a Pole wrote it only two years after the Warsaw uprising when the episode was still raw. Because of this, the novel by itself is a historical document of some importance. Set in Warsaw during the week before Easter 1943 (hence the title), the book explores the culpability of ordinary Polish citizens in the persecution of the Jews.
The author views the Warsaw conflagration from outside the walls of the ghetto through the eyes of ordinary Poles. Jan and Anna Malecki are a young married couple, expecting their first child. While observing the ghetto fighting, Jan notices a young woman, standing alone and staring into the ghetto. To his surprise he discovers she is Irena Lilien, an old flame from a prominent Jewish family. On a whim he invites her to his home—later realizing he endangers himself, his wife and his unborn child by this action. He then must face the moral dilemma of whether to hide her or turn her out on the street in order to protect his family. The behavior of Andrzejewski’s characters range from collusion with the Nazis, to insensitivity, to voyeurism, to self-preservation and to heroism. As with Rees’ novel, "Holy Week" does not end happily. It is, however, a powerful statement, written when memory was fresh by someone who observed the events closely. These books are emotionally draining but recommended for the light they shed on significant issues.
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