Led by BJ members Rabbi Carole Balin and Jennifer Sylvor, the Israeli Authors Discussion Group takes us on a journey of rich and thought-provoking Israeli literature. This month we will read The Bridesman, by Savyon Leibrecht—one of the most important voices in contemporary Hebrew literature.

The Bridesman is a gripping story of a reunion between two family members that brings back a long-forgotten past and reveals secrets that will change their lives forever. Micha, an Israeli expat in Los Angeles working as a ghostwriter, receives an unexpected invitation. Adella, married to his beloved uncle, has bought him a ticket to Israel and booked a boutique hotel so that he can return home and meet with her.

Years before, Micha was the bridesman at Adella’s wedding. He remembers her as a rebellious young woman, an orphan, and an outsider, who his close-knit family of Persian Jews mocked. Micha is stunned by the Adella of today–poised, confident, with nothing of the uneasy woman he remembers from the past. When Adella finally reveals the true story of her life, powerful memories resurface in Micha, although nothing can prepare him for the surprise she has in store for him.

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