‘Tale of two Abrahams’ interweaves 2 eras

By Dan Bloom

Danny Bloom
Danny Bloom

CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — When the Jerusalem publisher of the Hebrew novel A Tale of Two Abrahams told my editor that the book was now available in an English edition, I lept at the chance to exchange a few emails with the Israeli author of the novel and review the book at the same time.

Meet Avraham Avi-hai, a man of all seasons and a keen observer of life in Israel and the entire Middle East region. One of my first questions to the Canadian-born writer and scholar was about his name.

“For the last 50 years, I am Avraham Avi-hai, and my daughters maiden name was simlarly Avi-hai,” he told me.

“The name Avi-hai, (the ‘h’ is a ‘ch’ sound which I did not choose because of all the possible mispronunciations such as ‘Avi-tchai’ in Spanish and ‘Avi-shai’ in French) was chosen brcause it embodies the names of my parents Hayim Yehiel and Haya Sarah.”

His novel, A Tale of Two Abrahams tells a powerful story. following the lives or two Jewish men, one a modern day Jew, and the other who lived some 400 years ago. Both the heroes are fleeing from the threat of death: the first from renegade Jewish fanatics; the other from the Catholic Inquisition.

In the novel, in the way that Avi-hai tells it, the Israeli Avraham makes his way to Greece and Italy, with foes at his heels. In Crete, he discovers the tale of another Avraham, this one Italian and from the Renaissance, who is also fleeing from deadly enemies. These intermingled tales weave together with startling similarities and riveting differences as the two Avrahams across four centuries and thousands of miles are pursued by Jews, Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox, and Muslims alike and pull readers into their conflicts and danger, friendships, and love.

It’s that kind of novel: stories connecting to other stories, two novels in one novels, all woven together by the deft mind and pen of Dr Avi-hai. The novel is a love story, an historical tapestry, a summing up of a life well lived.

Published in Israel by the Gefen Publishing House, the English edition comes in at just over 250 pages and every page counts. It’s that good, it’s that gripping, and most of all, it resonates across regions and borders.

Dr. Avi-hai immigrated to Israel in 1952 and worked as a journalist for The Jerusalem Post and as leading civil servant in the offices of early Israeli Prime Ministers David Ben Gurion and Levi Eshkol, in addition to being an advisor to Teddy Kollek, the mayor of Jerusalem. The busy and colorful man also served for ten years as World Chairman of United Israel Appeal (Keren Hayesod) and somehow found the time in his busy schedule over the years to write two non-fiction books. Google his name and you will find the story of man who was born to write A Tale of Two Abrahams.

Now in his 80s, Dr Avi-hai keeps up on everything happening in Israel today and overseas as well. In a series of friendly, chatty emails, full of good humor and menschlichkeit, the novelist took the time to make this cub reporter in Taiwan feel right at home talking with an important statesman with a powerful novel in his resume now as well.

Read the book and acquaint yourself with Avraham Avi-hai!

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Bloom is a freelance writer based in Taiwan who is an inveterate web-surfer.  He may be contacted via dan.bloom@sdjewishworld.com

1 thought on “‘Tale of two Abrahams’ interweaves 2 eras”

  1. This novel sounds like an intriguing story. The question is whether the author can make it sound plausible.

    While the Spanish inquisition is a well-known historical fact, how shall one understand “renegade Jewish fanatics?” Is this just a figment of the author’s imagination, or has this some factual basis?

    Peter Kubicek
    Author of “Memories of Evil” — a book which deals strictly with verifiable, historical facts.

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