Ariel Sabar’s My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Family's Past is a very accomplished work, and shines a light on one of the most prominent aspect of Jewish life in the twentieth century: displacement.
Sabar’s father is a Kurdish Jew, and like most Jewish communities in the Arab world major social, political, and religious changes irrevocably altered life for the Kurdish Jews in the twentieth century. They were forced to leave Iraqi, and now live in Israel or America. This follows the wider trend of Jewish twentieth century demographic shifts: most Jews are either Israeli or American.
But this book is so much more than demographics. It is about a son growing closer to his father; his mature understanding of his father’s plight; the full drama of his family, contextualized; and how time takes a corrosive toll on us all. As such, this is a deeply Jewish book.
Sabar scratches and claws his way to recapture a dying past. In this book he leaves a lasting monument to the Kurdish Jews and their unique community that pulsates with life.
Sabar’s father is a Kurdish Jew, and like most Jewish communities in the Arab world major social, political, and religious changes irrevocably altered life for the Kurdish Jews in the twentieth century. They were forced to leave Iraqi, and now live in Israel or America. This follows the wider trend of Jewish twentieth century demographic shifts: most Jews are either Israeli or American.
But this book is so much more than demographics. It is about a son growing closer to his father; his mature understanding of his father’s plight; the full drama of his family, contextualized; and how time takes a corrosive toll on us all. As such, this is a deeply Jewish book.
Sabar scratches and claws his way to recapture a dying past. In this book he leaves a lasting monument to the Kurdish Jews and their unique community that pulsates with life.
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