In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist

Read In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist Storyline:

An eczema-riddled, middle-aged former Lower East Side haberdasher, Isaac Markowitz, moves to Israel where he becomes, much to his own surprise, the assistant to a famous old rabbi who daily dispenses wisdom (and soup) to the collection of seekers gathered in his courtyard. It is there that he meets Tamar, a young American woman on a mission to live a spiritual life with a spiritual man, and who sees Isaac as that man long before he sees himself that way. Into both of their lives comes Mustafa, a devout Muslim, deformed at birth, unloved by his own mother, a janitor who works on the Temple Mount, holy to both Muslims and Jews. When Isaac, quite by accident, runs into the crippled custodian going about his work and suggests that he is, by cleaning this holy site, like a Kohain, a Jewish high priest, Mustafa is overcome: This Jew is the first person in his life who sees him as someone worthy. In turn, Mustafa sees Isaac as someone wise who can help him. When Mustafa finds an ancient shard of pottery that may date back to the first temple, he brings it to Isaac in gratitude.  That gesture sets in motion a series of events that land Isaac in  the company of Israel's worst criminal riff raff, put Mustafa in mortal danger, and Tamar trying to save them both. As  these characters - immigrants and natives; Muslim and Jewish; prophets and lost souls - move through their world, they are never sure if they will fall prey to the cruel tricks of luck or be sheltered by a higher power.Review"A beautiful novel that coils the history and mystery of Jerusalem into a private and vivid tale of personal dignity, ownership, love-- and the overlap of all three, the space we call the soul." --Dara Horn "The unlikely friendship of an intellectual New York Jew and a working-class Jerusalem Arab drives Feuerman's evocative second novel...This friendship is all the more unlikely because it occurs in the divided city of Jerusalem... The city itself emerges as a character: its climate and topography are depicted with a lyricism that contrasts with the area's political tension. [The] story unfolds as a belated coming-of-age tale....[written in a] quiet, lovely mood." -- Publishers WeeklyFrom the Publisher“In The Courtyard Of The Kabbalist is a beautifully written, emotionally evocative novel enriched by fascinating characters and an unparalleled portrait of the magical city that is Jerusalem.” — Jonathan Kellerman “The unlikely friendship of an intellectual New York Jew and a working-class Jerusalem Arab drives Feuerman’s evocative second novel…This friendship is all the more unlikely because it occurs in the divided city of Jerusalem… The city itself emerges as a character: its climate and topography are depicted with a lyricism that contrasts with the area’s political tension. [The] story unfolds as a belated coming-of-age tale….[written in a] quiet, lovely mood.” — *Publishers Weekly * "A beautiful novel that coils the history and mystery of Jerusalem into a private and vivid tale of personal dignity, ownership, love-- and the overlap of all three, the space we call the soul." — Dara Horn "In her irresistible novel In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist, Ruchama King Feuerman writes with such contagious affection for her characters that they're likely to supplant your own family until you finish the book. Her Jerusalem, riven though it is by tensions between the sacred and profane, remains an intoxicating place, where diffident lovers inhabit an atmosphere as romantically charged as "The Song of Songs." — Steve Stern, author of The Wedding Jester and The Angel of Forgetfulness "How do people get along when they have been taught they can't? Who do ancient artifacts belong to -- the person who unearths them or the people who valued them in the past? This is just one of the story lines in this lively, witty, and entertaining novel. Ruchama King writes with a light touch and great insight. This book is hard to put down." — Alice Elliott Dark, author of In the Gloaming and Think of England Praise for Seven Blessings, also by Ruchama King Feuerman: "Ruchama King herself is a great matchmaker – between the sensual and the ethereal, between subtle storytelling and startling revelation. Her novel moves with a grace I have not yet encountered. What a loss it would have been to have never read it, or for her to have never written it." — Stephen Dubner "A talented insiders’ insider… [Feuerman]captures the subtlety and magic of [the Torah’s] traditions…" — New York Times Book Review "Her characters jump off the page and into the hearts of her audience….charming, spiritual tale." — Library Journal "A page-turner…laces a mystical charm throughout." — Jerusalem Post "A tender, enlightening debut that…reads like a comedy of provincial manners. King then seems like a Jewish Jane Austen…" — Kirkus Reviews "Seven Blessings is a wonderful literary alchemy that combines Malamud's 'The Magic Barrel' with Potok's The Chosen. " — Thane Rosenbaum