Castle of Concrete, Book Review

Castle of Concrete by Katia Raina is an amazing and well-written novel about life in the late twentieth 20th century during the fall of the USSR and how it affected a Jewish teenage girl and her family. To be honest, I think it's a mistake to market it as Young Adult fiction. The genre of Castle of Concrete is really much broader.

I'm far from a young teenager in age, and I found Castle of Concrete fascinating. During that very same era, we had hosted and "adopted" a number of Soviet Jewish immigrants to Israel, not that much older than the characters depicted in the book. The young men who spent a lot of time with our family had finished military service in the USSR, and some had even begun university studies before making their homes in Israel. Not all were happy about their family's decision, but staying alone in the deteriorating and collapsing Soviet Union wasn't an option. I could see similarities with Sonya, Katia Raina's main character.

We meet Sonya as she reconnects with her rebellious mother, after spending most of her childhood in the care of her Jewish grandmother in Siberia. Sonya has to make a new life for herself, and in the process she tries to reinvent herself from the quiet nerdy, always good girl, to a daring, rebellious attention-grabbing teenager. Sonya is Jewish from her mother, though she inherited her non-Jewish father's looks. Soon she'll have the option of choosing which nationality to put on her identity card.

Castle of Concrete follows Sonya as she experiments with different identities and behaviors in her new life in Moscow with her mother. Instead of being the conscientious student, Sonya begins to rebel and get interested in boys. She has to decide whether or not to identify as a Jew, especially since her boyfriend is a Russian nationalist and antisemitic. In the background to the usual teenage angst we are made aware that her mother is hoping to be able to move with Sonya to New York, where they can have a better life.

I enjoyed reading Castle of Concrete, which is very nicely written and sincerely hope that Raina's writing a sequel in which we'll follow Sonya and her mother in their next new life, this time in New York.

• Publisher: Young Europe Books (June 11, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0999541633
• ISBN-13: 978-0999541630

Lieberman versus Likud in a Nutshell

I listened very carefully to Avigdor Lieberman's press conference. As much as don't like the man, either he's a totally amazing actor, or he revealed his real dilemma, if you listen carefully.

Bibi learned how to stress his love of the Bible
and keep a kippah handy.

There is something very basic that holds Leberman back from fully assimilating into the world of Israeli Right wing politics. Unlike your typical Likudnik, Avigdor Lieberman is an avowed securlarist. He comes to his Rightist policies devoid of religion, spirituality and sentiment.

Lieberman is the product of Soviet Society and values. His discomfort and can we call it hatred of the chareidim is most like the Labor Zionists of old, the ones who assigned young religious new immigrants to secular boarding schools and proudly served ham on Yom Kippur.

voting for new 2019
Knesset Elections

voting for new 2019
Knesset Elections

The biggest difference between Lieberman and the early Leftist Zionists is that they, on the most part, came from a traditional Jewish world, and Lieberman didn't.

There are many ways of "dividing" Jewish Israeli society. For Lieberman, religion is a big factor. He is very blunt about not wanting the State of Israel to be ruled in any way by Halacha, Jewish Law. Lieberman's definition of Right doesn't seem to be based on anything, unlike dati leumi, religious nationalist, or your typical Likudnik who treasures the Bible and Jewish Tradition.

Lieberman's supporters are mostly Russian speakers, while the mainstay of Likud voters are Sefardim, descended from Jews who made aliyah from Arab and North African countries. The Likud also has support from those who follow Jabotinsky, aren't Histadrut socialists and those who consider the Etzel and Lechi the heroes of the struggle against the British Mandate.

I'm sure that Lieberman's supporters absolutely loved his press conference, and I'm just as sure that others are even less enthused, even where they may agree with some specific points.

Also many Israelis want a government that will unite us, not divide us. Avigdor Lieberman is a divisive politician, not a national leader. He is too Right wing for the secular Left and too secular for the Right. Although Lieberman has been in Israel for decades, he just doesn't understand Israelis.