The Sacrifice Of Tamar Book Review

Life is full of difficult choices. Sometimes, we make a difficult choice and we hope for the best.

In Naomi Ragen’s 2010 novel, The Sacrifice Of Tamar, Tamar Finegold has it all. She is a happily married newlywed whose husband is gaining respect in their insular ultra-religious Jewish community.  The only thing that would make her life complete would be a child.  Then she is raped and discovers that she is not pregnant by her husband, but by the man who raped her.  Deciding not to go to the police, Tamar does not know that the decision she makes will have a lasting impact on her family a generation later.

I found this book, among all of the books of  Ms. Ragen’s that I have read, to be the most riveting. To be a young newlywed in Tamar’s shoes, to experience what she went through and than have to make a decision with severe consequences no matter what you choose is heartbreaking.

I absolutely recommend it.

 

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Why?

A young boy, not even 5 years old, lies dead on a beach in Turkey. His family, escaping from the  massacre and destruction in Syria, hoped that Turkey would provide the safety and security that was lost in their homeland. He was not the only member of his family to lose his life in the flight for freedom. He is not the only person who has died in their quest to freedom and security,  especially considering the volatile political and social environment in the Middle East.

The true tragedy of the current situation is that human beings are being used a social, political and religious pawns by their fellow human beings.  Life is no longer sacred, something to be cherished and respected.  The basic right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness has been replaced with my or the grave.

My heart is broken, not just for this young boy, who did not have even the opportunity to live, but for the many innocent people who have lost their lives in pursuit of safety and security.

In the midst of this death and destruction, the UN remains silent. The noble and honorable mission of the UN’s founders have been replaced by cowards and hypocrites.

Why?