The books of Mois Benarroch: literary israel

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Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Review by iknwuzoh -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch

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by iknwuzoh » 07 May 2018, 06:19

4 out of 4 stars

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Keys To Tetouan by Mois Benarroch is a tale of Mois Benzimra who is the father of a Jewish tribe that settled in Tetouan from where they dispersed to other countries of the world.

The theme of the book reflects on the effects of civilisations on the Jewish identity. It emphasizes on the state of Jews in the modern day society, their wanting to go back to the Jewish ways of life, in a world that is turning into a global village. It reflects on their wish to return to Jewish traditions in this modern era. Many Jews are experiencing the effects of migration. I see this book as a book that fits into the Jewish genre. My view of this theme is that it is recommendable for the Jews of nowadays who want to understand and know what it means to be Jewish, who want to know what the Jewish lifestyle was like before this modern era. I noticed the book expanded much on the state of the Jews in many nations wanting to retain their Jewish identity. I strongly recommend this book for Jews and non-Jews. This is because the Jews have had some impact on non-Jews and mixture of races have taken place due to the Jewish expansion. I will say that non-Jews should also read this literary piece to see how they may be affected by the Jewish expansion. Many non-Jews who read this book may find out they have reasonable connections with the Jewish identity. It expresses how many Jews seek their homeland and how many non-Jews became Jewish through interracial marriages.

This book is very interesting to read as it is a book that has the capacity to unite Jews with non-Jews. I strongly recommend this book as a book that can join different tribes in conflict. The Jewish exile is well stressed in the theme including the effects of westernisation. The modern Jew finds himself in a state different from the olden times when the Jewish retained its unique identity. The theme questions the Jews with regards to whether they can ever realise their previous state before westernisation. The answers are not definitely given in this very book but is left for the reader to figure out.

This literary piece is a contemplation of the state of the Jewish tribe and not an answer to that state. This book is interesting with some interesting characters like Moshe Benzimra who poses here as the father of the tribe. His character in this book shows much about the nature of the Jewish lifestyle. He seems to be a major character in this piece.

I also observed while reading the book about a categories of keys. There was reference to a particular key that will open the house in Tetouan. Keys were mentioned many times in this book with a particular reference to the key used with a scanner in a device that opens the historical aspects of the Jewish in Tetouan. The book got its name from these categories of keys.

I like the way the book was written, how it uses the characters of the Benzimra family to explain the plight of the Jewish identity in the modern era with respect to the Jewish town of Tetouan. I will rate this book 4 out of 4 stars because of it's unique way of entertaining the reader and connecting Jews and non-Jews. In conclusion, I strongly recommend this book for Jews and non-Jews alike.

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Keys to Tetouan
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Monday, April 9, 2018

4/4 stars Review by Juliet Muia -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch

Review by Juliet Muia -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch

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by Juliet Muia »

4 out of 4 stars

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Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch is a novel about the events that followed the reading of a certain Jewish man’s will. In the will, the deceased asked his children to look for their half-brother as a condition to accessing their inheritance. He had never told them about his illegitimate child when he was alive. The story begins after the lawyer reads the will to the family. Upset and determined to find their half-brother, the siblings set out on a journey to find the truth.

The author employs suspense as a literary tool to drive the reader through the pages of the novel. His choice of words is excellent. He uses humor to ease the tension created by some events in the story. He also has a strong sense of imagination. The use of thoughtful insights, pictures of the world through the minds of others and the reflections of the dead exhibit the great creativity of the author. He gives detailed accounts about how the narrator’s family is scattered in different parts of the world-Madrid, New York, Paris and Israel. The trip to Morocco in search of their half-brother reminds them of their early years in life since their parents had lived in Morocco before going to Israel.

He gives a full representation of the Jewish community. He sheds light on the issues that affect the contemporary Jewish community such as the crisis with the Palestinians and the identity crisis among the Jews. Also, he incorporates the evils that have torn the moral fabric of both the Jews and the rest of the world, which gives the novel a universal outlook. They include corruption, prostitution, adultery, ethnicity, and greed. He paints a picture of the contemporary family. The struggles within the institution of marriage take a center stage. This leads to identity crisis of the children born thereof. However, the author is also keen to note that there is still a remnant that upholds the Jewish values-those who have stood the test of time.

As expected from a Jew, the author mentions some of the aspects of the Jewish history as recorded in the Bible. For example, the story of Cain and Abel, the tower of Babel, circumcision of young males and the synagogue as a place of worship among others. Such aspects give the story authenticity. The writer is also keen to mention Nazism and Hitler since they played a pivotal role in the history of the Jews.

I give the novel 4 out of 4 stars. It is an excellent piece of Jewish literature. It covers both the historical and contemporary aspects of the Jewish community. The novel gives a view of the world through the eyes of a Jewish family. It is an epic piece of work.

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Gates to Tangier

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Francais: GETBOOK.AT/PORTESdeTANGER

Portugues: GETBOOK.AT/PORTaSdeTANGER

Italiano : getBook.at/PORTEdiTANGERI

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Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Review -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch

Review by CTdeF -- Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch

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Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch
Translated by Sara Maria Hasbun

The patriarch of the Benzimra family has died and his family wonders why he couldn’t have taken his secret to his grave. Instead, he has commissioned his 5 surviving children to go to Morocco and find his illegitimate son in order to receive their piece of the inheritance. What follows is a series of chance encounters, mistaken meanings, and individual reflections.

In order to understand sections of the book Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch, it is necessary to know a bit about the history of the region. The village that the sons and daughters are returning to is Tétouan, a city in northern Morocco about 60 km east of the city of Tangier. Although the majority of inhabitants are Islamic, there are also small Christian and Jewish communities. The Jewish community is separated from the rest of the town by gates. A large portion of the modern-day residents are descendants of those who were expelled from Spain during the Reconquista.

The interesting interplay begins with the religious division present in the community. The Benzimra family is Jewish, however, the woman who bore the illegitimate son is Muslim and a Fatima (housekeeper) employed by the Benzimra family. The Benzimra family left Tétouan in 1974 and emigrated, some to Jerusalem, some to Spain, some to France. The youngest son, Israel, died in the Lebanese Civil War. Although the family grieves, there seemed to be tension whenever his death is mentioned, especially when speaking with Muslims. This puzzled me so I did some research. I won’t profess to be an expert in this area, but it’s evident that the three main religious groups found in Tétouan had major roles in the Lebanese Civil War, along with a host of smaller religious sects. The animosity begun during the conflict continues through to the present day. How can it not, with an estimated 150,000 people killed, 100,000 handicapped and 900,000 up to a quarter of a million people displaced permanently.

With this background information, I venture to say that Gates to Tangier by Mois Benarroch can be read allegorically. Although it purports to be the story of one family, each member has had a different experience, much like the people involved in the ongoing conflict in the area. History enthusiasts would certainly enjoy this book, as would the children of the survivors of the wars.

It was a complex story, almost impossibly so. While I enjoyed learning about an unfamiliar culture, there were a few translation errors and as always with such works, I expect there was some meaning lost in the translation. This coupled with my own ignorance about the peoples and history of the region detracted from my enjoyment of the book. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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Gates to Tangier

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English https://www.amazon.com/dp/1507117973

Italiano https://www.amazon.it/dp/1507123744

Español https://www.amazon.es/dp/1519020198

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Review by Lovewreading89 -- Andalusian in Jerusalem

read ANDALUSIAN IN JERUSALEM in

ENGLISH getbook.at/inJERUSALEM

SPANISH https://www.amazon.es/dp/1519018487

Italian https://www.amazon.it/dp/1507163495

Review by Lovewreading89 -- Andalusian in Jerusalem

by Lovewreading89 » 30 Jan 2018, 23:42

[Following is a volunteer review of "Andalusian in Jerusalem" by Mois benarroch.]

4 out of 4 stars

Andalusian in Jerusalem is written by Mosi Benarroch and published in 2015. The book is 170 pages long. This is a translated book from Spanish to English about what it means to be a writer in another country and dealing with religious affiliation. Through different ideals and stories the writer mentions throughout this book. The main character is the Journalist turned novelist writer Guillermo, the stories written by his friend charly, and Nora an acquaintance he meets during his time there. The story takes place in Israel during a writer’s festival that he is attending. While he happens upon a woman who reminds him of his late mother and he reminds her of her long lost son from there the story goes from his story to the story he would like to write. The story is written primarily from Guillermo’s viewpoint, but it is also written like a conversation with someone you have known for a long time.

This book was hard for me to get into at first because it seemed like it was going all over the place with Guillermo’s book ideas and sometimes it felt like rambling. As I kept reading I began to understand where the writer was going with this book. The book has a sense of deeper meaning and understanding. I like that this book has the different viewpoints and that there are many ways this book can be understood differently. It just depends on who is reading it. I found it funny when they were at the hotel it seemed like every woman Guillermo was attracted to would leave with a man named “Jorge”

There was nothing that I didn’t like about the book because this book to me is like reading about philosophy, English, political ideals and history all in one. The book has no chapters. There is one spelling error that in the beginning it is explained that, the manuscript that appears in the middle of the book, the person has spoken Spanish all their lives and is now attempting to write in English, hence the error. There is nothing I wouldn’t change about this book except font size for those who have can’t read small print well with or without glasses. I can relate to Guillermo and take on the word Jewish in the first half of the book it’s like how do people know what religion you are when you haven’t told them anything.

My favorite character in the book was the main character Guillermo. He was dealing with a lot in the book writing for his captives, trying to get a book published, and dealing with is late mother by having a substitute in the woman he met. There is adventure in this book but is of the literary mind. The characters in the book are interesting and engaging. The story does have some funny points and it does raise questions at times.

In conclusion, Andalusian in Jerusalem is a very interesting book with intriguing characters and thought provoking dialog with a story within a story. The book accomplishes its thoughts about what it is to be a writer dealing with various situations within a country. I would recommend this book to a person who is interested in faith, writing, and adventure. This book would do well in a high school or college English class. I rate this book 4 out of 4 for being challenging and well worth the read.

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Andalusian in Jerusalem
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4/4 STARS Review -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch

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Review by Rosemary Okoko -- The Expelled by Mois Benarroch

Post Number:#1 by Rosemary Okoko » 22 Jun 2017, 00:53

[Following is a review of "The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch.]

4 out of 4 stars

Review by Rosemary Okoko

The Expelled By Mois Benarroch
Writers’ lives are so boring that the only thing that saves them from boredom is making up stories like young children who create imaginary friends and give them names to fill their world. These are the words of Mois Benarroch, the author of The Expelled. This book is a non-fiction narrative that has some touch of romance. The author uses ‘he’ and ‘she’ interchangeably as his characters change from ‘he’ to ‘she’. The author gives a narration of a bus ride he took. The people seated at the back were referred to as ‘back people’ and those in front as ‘front people’. Front people hated back people so much that they could not allow them to use the ‘can’ which was another name for the washroom. A boundary line had to be drawn in the middle to separate them. Back people were regarded as dirty, smelly and violent, by the front people. As using the ‘can’ was a necessity, back people complained and front people decided that they could only use it at specific hours. The author was sitting at the back. When sleeping, there was a gunshot and he woke up to find that Cash, the fifteen year old boy who had been sitting next to him, had been shot dead. Nobody owned up to killing him even though one passenger had a gun in his hands. This passenger with a gun was one of the front people. The front people made the decision on how to get rid of Cash’s body and proceed with the journey. They gave him the name Saint Cash, prayed for him and later offered prayers to him. They also blamed him for any shortcomings, attributing this to the fact that he was murdered.

The author, having moved with his family from Morocco, was living in Israel. Here, anyone from Morocco was regarded uneducated and violent. They were looked down upon and whenever the author tried to prove that he was from Morocco even by showing his identity card, people would not believe it and wondered why he was different and nice. The author says that in order to stop being different, he had to stop being born in Morocco, something that no one knows how to do yet, and if anyone knows, they have not shared it. At one time he decided that he was from France and even hated a Moroccan poet who declared openly that he was from Morocco. After a while, the author changed his perception and decided to like this author and even make it known that he himself was from Morocco. He lived as a recluse, a leper and an expelled.

The author’s story of the bus is reflective of the oppression his people faced in Israel. The expelled were not allowed to make decisions. ‘The front people throw stones. When the back people throw them back they call us terrorists though back people were opposed to stone throwing because it didn’t seem humane to them’. This summarizes the feelings of the author as one of the expelled. I liked this book because you have to jog your mind and put two and two together to understand the story.

I enjoyed reading this book which has undergone professional editing. A few errors on spacing could be blamed on the format. Having read other books by this author, I find this book the easiest to understand and will rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I have no reason to rate it lower.

I recommend this book to anyone who would like to read on oppression and identity crisis. When looked down upon, you might get tempted to change your identity so as to be accepted by those who hate you. This book contains some explicit content.

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Monday, April 2, 2018

review of "The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch

Review by ellieonline03 -- review of "The Expelled" by Mois Benarroch

3 out of 4 stars

Review by ellieonline03

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If you are looking for a philosophical fictional novel, you might want to grab a copy of The Expelled by Mois Benarroch. Written in first person point-of-view, this novel shows a bit of history about the “Expelled” tribe. It also lets the readers understand how rejection and discrimination affected the “Expelled” people, both sociologically and psychologically.

There were three storytellers in this book. The first narrator was the author himself. On his way home, he met a young woman who looked like the younger version of his wife, Gabrielle. He was not sure if he was hallucinating or not, but they continued to see each other. These secret meetings budded to an adulterous relationship. One day, the younger Gabrielle asked the author to read to her a story he had been writing, which he complied. From there, a new narrator took over. Some people interrogated the narrator about a bus hijacking. He was one of the passengers of the bus that headed to “the sea”. There were two groups in the bus: the front people (the superior) and the back people (the inferior). Peculiar situations happened during their journey. During those times, the front people always got the best deal in every argument. No one thought it was odd that the front people treated the back people with cruelty. At one point, one of the front people gave the narrator a notebook. During the interrogation, the narrator read this book aloud. It was a story about that passenger’s life as an immigrant. He was from Morocco, and as such, he was discriminated. He wanted to settle down in his new country, but he was always pulled down by others.

The Expelled is like a Russian nesting doll of narratives. You open one story only to find another story inside it and another story inside the second story. The accumulation of three stories in one book might be too confusing for some readers. However, Benarroch skilfully weaved the three stories to expose a central theme: discrimination. The struggling author, the back people on the bus, and the Moroccan immigrant were all marginalized for being different.

There were situations presented in the stories that were very ironic. Those moments were almost laughable if not for the fact that these situations were similar to what we observe around us. For instance, when the people in the bus argued on who could use the comfort room, the front people were allowed to use it more often than the back people. In today’s world, only the privileged enjoyed the things that were supposed to be equally shared by everyone. Another instance was when the front people harassed the back people, no one complained about the harassment. However, when the back people stepped into the front people’s territory, the front people got angry. The same can be observed today. The oppressors can do what they want, but the oppressed cannot do what they need to do.

Overall, I give The Expelled by Mois Benarroch 3 out of 4 stars. The novel was entertaining and thought-provoking, but it needs to be thoroughly edited first. I was distracted by the grammatical errors and the wrong use of punctuation marks that I found in the book.

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Review -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch

READ to Keys to Tetouan in
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Review by EmSwan -- Keys to Tetouan by Mois Benarroch

Post Number:#1 by EmSwan » 04 Aug 2017, 15:15

[Following is a volunteer review of "Keys to Tetouan" by Mois Benarroch.]

3 out of 4 stars

Review by EmSwan

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With a past as rich and complex as the Jewish religion, it can’t have been a difficult concept to come up with, especially for Mois Benarroch, a Moroccan born writer and poet. What is impressive, however, is the way he has woven this history into a rich and complex novel.

Keys to Tetouan depicts the sprawling history of the Benzimra family, from 1868 to what appears to be an unspecified date in the future. This sprawling legacy is described to the reader from a wide range of perspectives and characters, more often than not, the male relations of the Benzimra line, from uncle to son to cousin. The Benzimra family tree casts its members all over the world, from Paris to Brazil. Within this vast area each narrator has a story to tell, each with different trials and triumphs as they travel the globe.

Throughout the novel, Benarroch carefully places many clues which only gain meaning in retrospect, tying together the individual histories of characters into a tapestry of narration. A prime example of this is the school, known as ‘The Alliance.’ This is referenced throughout, by many narrators, which illustrates the thought into the order of the plot by Benarroch.

Personally, I initially found the novel difficult to follow. This is due to the dialogue seeming quite erratic, however, as the novel progressed, the dialogues seemed to fall into place more. I am undecided as to whether this is due to the author or my perspective as the reader, nevertheless, I wouldn’t let any initial confusion put off a reader. Another aspect I noticed on the delivery of the story was the fact it is initially all in dialogue, yet progresses to a variety of narration styles. This felt slightly awkward to start with – what were the characters doing? Thinking? There was nothing to answer this. It also felt that during this dialogue stage, often the sentences were long and rambling, changing subjects many times. To start with this felt like a flaw, still, as the novel progresses, so did the variety of sentence types. As a result of this evolution in writing style throughout, it leaves me unsure as to whether the start was purposefully stylistic or a simple mistake?

A final note would be the frequent use of culture-specific word choices, which I personally found to be interesting to research and educate myself further, but would be useful to bring to the attention of those who may not wish to look-up new vocabulary. A second thing I would definitely note is an occasional lack of grammar, such as ‘they preferred this will be.’ Similar mistakes did occur throughout, which is registered by the author in the prologue in a very interesting manner.

In summary I would rate this novel 3 out of 4 stars, due to its good plot and interesting story line, despite initial confusion the novel improved dramatically and had a completely unexpected, but most appreciated, ending. I would recommend this novel for anyone with an interest in history and a love of a detailed storyline.

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Keys to Tetouan
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Book Review -- The Immigrant's Lament

Review by bordovaer -- The Immigrant's Lament

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The Immigrant's Lament is an amazing collection of poetry written by Mois Benarroch, a Moroccan-born Israeli poet and writer, who was awarded the Israel Prime Minister’s Prize for Literature in 2009.

The book begins with the title’s namesake, The Immigrant's Lament. The reader is given a short background of the author which ties nicely to the poems that follow. The compilation of the poet’s work is possibly unrelated to the first one, but they each tell a tale of their own which I had enjoyed more and more as I read into them one by one.

When I first picked up this book, I expected a small collection of poems; but what I had found was a journey through the poet's eyes: a tale of trials and memories of hardship. I felt entranced by the vivid words that make the reader feel not just the emotions of the author but the color that is painted upon the canvas that lay within the book's pages. The difficulties in life were well written, as if speaking to my soul. As I reached the next page, I could feel that I can relate to each poem before me; a feeling of being lost and finding a bit of yourself in everything around you. I think that is what I enjoy most about poetry: peering into a certain depth that the writer allows you to see; like gazing upon a new world described only by a few words.

What I enjoyed most about the book were the images that would pop into the reader’s imagination as each word was read. For example, there is one poem that talks about lying in bed with his lover and only enjoying being in bed with them, talking about the smell of their shampoo and the feel of their skin, as the world passes by. I could relate to this as I too enjoy being in bed with my girlfriend whom I repeatedly tell that I enjoy her touch and the smell of her body as I only have us in mind and forget about the world outside. It’s amazing to what one may find in a book full of poems as I was not expecting to find one that I could so easily relate to.

Some of the poems in the book may be too colorful for young readers as they lightly touch on the topic of intimacy, rape, or transsexual. So word of warning, if one is sensitive on those subjects, this book might not be your cup of tea. To each their own.

I highly recommend reading this book with your favorite afternoon beverage while keeping an open mind and enjoying the text. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I am glad to have picked this book up as it helped fill my time and made me think about writing poetry once more.

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The Immigrant's Lament
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