The Gates of November: Chronicles of the Slepak Family

I was born in Ukraine and immigrated half a year before the collapse of USSR. Many of the accounts I read in this book are very similar to what I've heard and experienced growing up. This book is factual and speaks for many Jews who lived thought the communist regime. While my parents and I see the evils of that dictatorship, my grandparents saw and believed in communism as a means to bringing out the best of people. My grandmother was a successful corporate lawyer and grandfather was a vice president of a large corporation. They saw communism as an opportunity to apply their education towards success while over looking many of the negatives of the government: my grandfather was denied the role of president within his company because he was a Jew. After leaving Ukraine my father eventually became orthodox, accusing the former Soviet Union of systematically attempting and succeeding on some grounds to destroy our religious culture. This book helped me understand some of the mindsets of two opposing philosophies within my own family.

the gates of novemeber was one of the best documentaries i have ever read. chiam potok chronicles the life of multiple generations of soviet jews who suffered under a few different soviet leaders. it is a very moving story and the character depth and descriptions make it feel as if you are on the journey with them. highly recommeded.

The paterfamilias of the Slepak family is "The Old Bolshevik," Solomon. He comes on the scene in the very early years of the Russian Revolution as an avid revolutionary. Even though he is Jewish, and Jews are looked on as part of the "internationalist" enemies, he rises high in the Communist hierarchy and somehow manages to survive all of the Stalinist purges. No one knows quite why, but he is, arguably, the highest ranking of the original revolutionaries except, of course, Stalin, himself, to do so. No matter what horrors are the responsibility of Stalin or his successors, Solomon always believes that they are necessary aspects of "The Revolution." Even when he and his family suffer from these excesses, he retains his faith in his leaders and their actions. In fact, when Stalin is denounced after his death, Solomon's attitude is that Stalin did what was necesary during his time, and the later leaders are now doing what must be done now. Like so many zealots, even those of the present time, he believes that whatever is done in the name of the cause is right.For purposes of this family history, this belief comes to a head when he, for all purposes, disowns his son, Volodya, for wanting to emigrate out of the U.S.S.R. to Israel.The government, using as an excuse that Volodya has worked in a field where he "knows secrets," refuses him permission to leave. Volodya and his wife, Masha, become activists, working on behalf of those Jews refused permission to emigrate. Because of these activities, Volodya loses one job after another, is exiled to an unliveable part of Siberia for five years, and is frequently imprisoned. All of this does serious damage to his health, but he perseveres. By these actions, he gains international fame and is partially responsible for thousands of other Jews being allowed to exit, even though he is still denied an exit visa.Potok's book vividly describes the horrors of these years, and serves as both a family chronicle and a history of the Jewish people in Russia, ranging from the horrors suffered under the Tsars, to the further horrors suffered under the followers of Lenin.In many ways this book is a history of the abuses that accompany absolute power and those that go along with rule by zealots of any persuasion. As an aside, _THE GATES OF NOVEMBER_ does end on a high note. Volodya and Masha are finally allowed to leave, and do live out their lives in freedom.

I studied the Russian Revolution and its aftermath in history class recently, and was honestly pretty bored. Knowing that the Russian Revolution played a large role in the plot of this book, I was a little cautious as I began reading. However, as I delved further into it, I realized that not only was it quite interesting, I was learning a lot of history. This book kept my attention throughout and brought what I previously thought was dry, to life. I highly recommend you read this book.