Partly Strong, Partly Broken, by Nathaniel Popkin

But when she returns to her synagogue, she faces a leak in the roof while an obstinate building manager feuds with the temple administrator. Worse yet, Rabbi Adinah learns that the young Syrian woman, Fami, whom she helped as a 12-year-old refugee, has been the victim of a hate crime and is fighting for her life in the hospital. Adinah believes it's imperative that she and her congregation help Fami and her community, but some members begin questioning and censuring the rabbi for her interest in non-Jewish populations. It’s the tip of the iceberg, as Adinah learns that deep fault lines exist in her own congregation about the meaning of Judaism, the role of Israel, and the meaning of community.

Meeting the moment

Popkin’s fourth novel is set at a time of deep schism in the Jewish community in the United States (and elsewhere, no doubt). Much of it is focused on the question of Israel and Palestine and the controversy of the war on Gaza. Certain words and symbols can cause people to become apoplectic. Criticism or condemnation of Israel or the Israeli government is often labeled antisemitic. No doubt these tensions are exacerbated by the increase in antisemitism in the past few years, a real threat to Jewish communities all over. (Even writing these words could result in a flurry of messages from both sides.)

Popkin’s book feels extremely timely as it shows the fragmentation of one congregation over its future and the expansiveness of community. Much of the story is told through the progressive rabbi’s point of view as well as the views of her harried administrator and the two idealistic teenagers who look up to her. To round out the perspectives, Popkin also populates the book with other Jewish characters including the right-wing newcomer, the more conservative and business-minded president, and a vocal left-wing congregant, to name a few.

Debates everywhere

Popkin captures how easily anything can become a heated political debate, from the plans to open a Hebrew Learning Center to organizing a vigil for the victim of a hate crime. We feel as helpless as Rabbi Adinah as she struggles to find a way through these flare ups, drawing on her rabbinical training and knowledge as a guide. But she too is flummoxed by the lines drawn between members in her own community as well as her fragile relationships with other local faith leaders. She’s also trying to figure out her relationship with her ex-girlfriend, a Palestinian woman living in Haifa.

Sometimes Adinah’s thoughts on scripture and scholarly work can be a little dense, but it makes sense in her development as a character. Of course a rabbi would be constantly drawing on her education to make sense of the world around her.

What makes a community?

A central theme to the book is the question of what makes up a community. Is it just the people in Rabbi Adinah’s congregation, or does it encompass other groups, specifically non-Jewish people like Fami and Iman Abdul? Rabbi Adinah has an expansive view of the community, placing significant value on her work with the Multifaith Coalition. But members of her congregation see it as a distraction or misplaced priorities when she should be focusing on her own people.

While I am definitely inclined to a more inclusive idea of community and reaching across to other faiths and people, I recognize that some of the criticism may derive from congregants' views that Jewish concerns are often put on the back burner. It’s an important detail that Popkin adds in, providing more context behind the sentiment but not excusing it.

Conversely, Popkin manages to bring in discussions of restorative justice and epigenetics, which the Cleveland Clinic defines as “the study of how our environment influences our genes by changing the chemicals attached to them.” He manages to simplify these complicated theoretical frameworks and hints that the way forward may be careful consideration and application through them.

Partly Strong, Partly Broken is an important read, especially right now as fault lines continue to fracture with the recent war on Iran.

Join Nathaniel Popkin in conversation with Kyle V. Hiller and authors Emma Copley Eisenberg, Ken Jaworowski, and Eshani Surya at the BSR Book Week Author Panel on May 20 at 6pm ET on Zoom. RSVP here.