Summary
Zack Gurevitz has had a checkered past. A Yeshiva boy, turned Green Beret, turned junkie, excommunicated by his one-time faith and now the potential savior of people he doesn’t even like.
As a white supremacist movement stealthily takes the reins of power in America, it is again the Jews who are made out as scapegoats. Stripped of wealth and citizenship, they are made to live in 21st century ghettos that hark back to a sinister and murky past that many had thought would never return.
But things are about to get much worse. With the revealing of a planned terror attack that will place the blame firmly at Jewish feet and condemn millions to death, Zack is contacted by Jewish leaders in Detroit, begging for his help.
Reluctantly he agrees and before long he is mired in a conspiracy that will have far reaching consequences for his country, the Jewish population and even his own sanity.
As the clock ticks down, can Zack find a way to avert a looming disaster?
Review
Judenrein was one of the hardest books for me to put down. It is fast paced, and action packed. The premise was well done. You can tell that Harold Benjamin had put a lot of thought into the setting, events and characters. It eerily resembles events from the past and present. PK – the President of the United States- is a combination of Hitler and Trump. He and his followers put out a lot of anti-Semitic propaganda much like Hitler and the Nazis had. The rhetoric used among the white supremist groups are things that I’ve heard people use today. It reminded me why I’ve always made a point to really listen to what people say and how they say it.
Even though this story was told through the eyes of a Jewish man, I was able to connect with it. My father – a Puerto Rican man- experienced a lot of racism and prejudice. In college, he and the other people in his dorm woke up to find a burning cross outside of their dorm building. I learned at a pretty early age that I couldn’t practice or speak Spanish in certain areas. You do not have to have any prior knowledge about Jewish customs, traditions, etc. Things are explained so that people who aren’t Jewish understand what is going on, and the importance of certain things such as respect for your elders, people’s perception of you, family, etc. I’ve learned that some practices are similar to Catholic and other Christian practices.
If you have any prior knowledge of history – even if it from a high school social studies class- you will see where the author got his inspiration from. I’ve read some scenes where I’ve stopped and said “That’s like Helter Skelter!” or “Sounds like something the Nazi’s said.” If you’re a history buff like me, this is the perfect book for you.
If you like Taken, Defiance, or Criminal Minds, then you will like Judenrein.
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Writer's Block by Meagan Rose Cortez 