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The Tosfos Yomtov was convinced that the death of 300,000 –600,000 Jews during the Chmielnicki massacres of 1648-49 were because of improper Tefila. Communicated: Tefilla

Chillul Tefila Bifarhesia, as well as halachicly challenged verbiage and dress, are external manifestations of a critical lack of personal yiras shomayim which has lethal consequences.



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Title: Scattered Blossoms

Published: June 18th, 2008
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Title: Scattered Blossoms


Author: Gita Gordon


Publisher: Hamodia Publishing


 


 


         Gita Gordon’s well-structured, interesting historic fiction contains the building blocks of a decent society. Her diverse characters include spouses who don’t treat each other as disposable commodities and her books feature marriages that are regarded as permanent commitments, not temporary situations.

 

         The heroes and heroines of the author’s books are creative, considerate and honest throughout their ordeals and victories.

 

         South African Journeys is one sterling example of the author’s writing style. Scattered Blossoms is Gita Gordon’s newest work, and follows in the same tradition.

 

         A realistic tale of betrayal, foolishness, Scattered Blossoms is about four 16-year-old young women whose friendship expresses itself in marvelous ways for the seven decades of the tale. Their carefully considered actions and even tempers ultimately help them salvage good from bad.

 

         The story begins as the foursome, on the brink of adulthood, rejoices at their final reunion in Lithuania before marrying. After naively departing their picnic site beneath a blooming cherry tree shedding flowers in their hair, the girls and their distinct personalities are pitted against the backdrops of the first and second world wars. South Africa, England, Canada and war-torn Lithuania are then experienced by the reader as much as by the story’s characters during a journey of immigrant Jewish minds and bodies.

 

         Relationships and catastrophes in this riveting tale are proving grounds for how thoughtful, well-timed behavior can result in richly rewarding lives for all concerned. The list of challenges are familiar and believable: a deceitful shidduch made between an unsuspecting bat Torah and a foolish young man; Jews who resist acknowledging the obvious advent of the Holocaust; opportunists preying on bedraggled Jews leaving post-Shoah detention camps; and culture shocks for reluctant immigrants.

 

         Generation gaps between European parents and their English-speaking offspring round out the emotional roller-coasters in Scattered Blossoms. But educational surprises are in store for readers savoring the cinematic qualities of this dramatic manuscript.

 

         The book’s disparate characters and familiar historical figures are compelling throughout this fictional tale. Genuine friendship and its life-altering rewards are exemplified on its pages.

 

         Outstanding models of good character with an enduring love of Torah, the heroic quartet of friends meet challenges with each other’s help.

 

         Half the foursome make their lives in Canada’s to-be tamed prairie, proving to skeptical husbands and others that the impossible dream of becoming Jewish farmers can be achieved with love, devotion and good sense.

 

         The third friend in South Africa proves the invaluable worth of tact and enduring love as she enables her friends in Canada and Europe to survive and thrive against great odds. And the fourth friend records the last days of pre-Holocaust Europe, portraying the innocent but tragic denial tactics of many of Hitler’s intended victims.

 

         Find out why your great-grandparents are relevant to modern life. Get copies of this book for school and community center libraries. It’s excellent.

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About the Author: Yocheved Golani is the author of highly acclaimed "It's MY Crisis! And I'll Cry If I Need To: EMPOWER Yourself to Cope with a Medical Challenge" (http://booklocker.com/books/3067.html). It addresses and solves many needs of disabled, ill and recovering readers.


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