The Covenant

This is a novel based on the reality faced by the people of Israel , a reality which a prejudiced and biased media will not tell you about. . The reality of a people living in the shadow of Arab terror , relentless , brutal terror aimed at driving the Jews out of their ancient homeland. It also brings us face to face with the ugliness of the international media , in their campaign to prepare the world for the genocide of the Jews in Israel. The reaction of British journalist to the murder of a Jewish baby by an Arab sniper encapsulates the callous hatred of the British media towards Israel's Jews too well " Oh , a settler's brat got herself shot and then the IDF went in and demolished someones house'. It is 2002 and pregnant Elise Margulies receives the news that her husband , Dr Jonathan Margulies , a cancer specialist at Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem, and their five year old daughter Illana have been kidnapped by Hamas. The evil organization , epitomised by the psycopathic monster Marwan Bahama , threatens to execute both of the hostages unless their insane demands are met. When her 'Bubbee' Leah in Brooklyn , hears about this she gathers together three of her old friends , all survivors of Auschwitz , to fulfil an oath they made in the death camp, to always act as one. Also in play are the British media, featuring self-hating Jewish journalist Julia Greenberg , , who sees Arab terrrorists as dowtrodden noble savages , and blames their own Jewish victims , and who manages to slant even this cruel act , to show more pro-Palestinian propaganda , so typical of the British media today, which would make Josef Goebbles proud. The Covenant is a story of how the People of Israel love life -theirs and those of others (such as the many Arab patients treated by Dr Margulies) . It is a portrait of reality. It is a portrait of the strength of the Nation of Israel. The Jewish Nation has survived many enemies - the Egyptians , Amalekites , Phillistines , Babylonians , Greeks , Romans , Spanish Inquisiotrs , Russian and Polisg pogromchiks and the Nazis , and will also triumph over the terror network of Hamas , Islamic Jihad , the PLO et al and their international supporters in the media and universities. It highlights the indestructible spirit of the Jewish and Israeli people: As Menachem Begin states : "If we learn and remember, we shall overcome our enemies, They will never succeed in enslaving us again. Never. Even if they overwhelm us we shall throw off their yoke...They will not break us.' Those engaged in the current campaign to destroy Israel , should remember those words.

A title is not appropriate for this review....should it be "Ragen's best" or "multi-generational thriller"? There is no way to categorize this book, I think. It presents thought-provoking ideas about the Intifada, Israeli and Palestinian culture, and the Middle East as a whole. Other books by this author have been more involved in Hassidic (sorry if I spelled that wrong) culture. Read other reviews to find out about the story (or read the book). What I found most interesting is how the author pointed out how "history repeats itself". This was never stated, but that is what I found most fascinating. Other than that, I pictured her characters, "warts and all"...I knew them through her writing. I felt some small understanding of the life of an Israeli today. This is a book that is worth reading.

The Covenant by Naomi Ragen, which is set in Israel also flashes back to the Holocaust where four women make a pact in this case to be known in the future as a covenant. The covenant is not only to survive Auschwitz, but to help each other in the future when any one of them is in trouble. And this time each of them is called upon to help when in Israel the husband and young child of one of their granddaughter's is kidnapped by the Palestinians. While we read about Elise Margulies, her husband and daughter, it is her elderly grandmother who recalls her days in the camps. Through her memories we come to know Ariana, Maria and Esther. After the war each of them continues in the their own way to right some of the wrongs of the world, but never have they banded together through even their grandchildren to save Elise's family. Naomi Ragen, the author of this book, has written several previous books which were also set in Israel. Born in America she has lived in Israel for the last three decades. It is because of Ms. Ragen's first hand knowledge of the area and issues that the events in the book are well described. And the characters, especially the members of the covenant, will become truly inspiring to readers everywhere. This was a compelling and interesting read with questions concerning the Mideast for which there are few answers. I recommend this book to readers who enjoyed books like Exodus by Leon Uris and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk.

Wow, where do I start? THE COVENANT has so much depth, with characters so rich you want to telephone them for an interview and a story so frightening that it will leave your spine tingling for days, if not weeks. With its contemporary theme, it brings the horror that was Auschwitz to the present, and contrasts that historical inhumanity with today's terrors. American Elise Margulies lives in the holy land, thrilled to own a piece of it where she and her husband, Dr. Jon, can raise their toddler Ilana and unborn child. The one drawback to the house is its distance from the hospital where Jon gives cancer patients treatment and hope. In the past few months, it has become increasingly dangerous to drive through the rural areas so vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Refusing to live in constant fear, the Margulies family continues life as usual, in the naïve belief that something is being done to keep the roads safe. But then one day the unthinkable happens. The car in which Jon drove Ilana to her ballet recital is found, empty --- and riddled with bullets. With no bodies at the scene, Elise allows herself to hope. But she has forgotten that death isn't always the worst that can happen. A videotape arrives, showing her husband and her daughter in the hands of Muslim extremists, making unmeetable demands in exchange for their lives. Elise despairs, until she makes a call to her Grandmother Leah. A petite Jewish lady, Leah has survived Auschwitz. And she has friends --- three powerful, determined, loyal old women who formed the Covenant during their encampment. There is little the world can throw at them that would hurt them more than they already have been. Injuring a granddaughter or her family is one of them. The members of the Covenant join together once again, this time to free Jon and Ilana. These women do not have government's limitations or its political paralysis. Favors are called in and the rescue operation begins. But it's a sticky business, and keeping faith that Elise's family will return home becomes an almost insurmountable task. To make matters worse, Elise starts to worry that she will lose her unborn child from the stress of it all. She sorely needs Grandmother Leah's strength. Thankfully, Leah has strength enough for them both. The author lives in Jerusalem, so despite the fact that this is --- technically --- a work of fiction, it is very real. Her knowledge of the tensions between the Palestinians and the Israelis stems from dealing with it daily. Everything about this story rings with chilling authenticity. I came away from my experience --- and, yes, it is an experience --- reading this book with a far better understanding of who today's terrorists are and how they choose their course in life. Ms. Ragen exposes them as bloodthirsty extremists with no real care about peace or the teachings of true Islam. If peace were to settle over the land they claim to be fighting for, they would need to stir up trouble elsewhere, simply to