Book Review: There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart

 

Image: The cover of the book is divided in half from side to side by black and white separated by a paper torn edge. In the center is a realistic painting of a pomegranate, cut in half with the insides facing forward. There is one side full of seeds and the other with most seeds missing. Over the top in large white letters is "THERE IS NOTHING SO WHOLE AS A BROKEN HEART." Along the left side from bottom to top in red letters is, "MENDING THE WORLD AS JEWISH ANARCHISTS." On the right side in black letters is, "EDITED BY CINDY MILSTEIN."

There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists is a book I have looked forward to since first hearing about its existence. (I will refer to the book as TNSWBH going forward for brevity's sake.) I did not realize at the time that a large chunk of the contributions in this book would either be from my city- Pittsburgh- or take place in it. Due to the atrocity that occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue, I knew that it would undoubtedly be referenced, but that is only a small part of a much longer culture of Jewish anarchist community and resistance in Pittsburgh. I felt excited very early on to learn about all of the different Jewish organizing, art, creativity, and so on in the area that I had not known about before- and the book did not disappoint. I did have a little bit of anxiety. Of course, when reading and reviewing a book with contributors that I know personally and many others I have one degree of separation from, I want to give it a good review. I also do my best to be honest, so I really hoped it would live up to my expectations. It did and then some. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed everything written and edited by Cindy Milstein that I have had the pleasure to read. This book is yet another installment in their catalogue that is all around well edited and composed. I can honestly say I liked every entry in this and that is very rare for an anthology. TNSWBH is a diverse collection of nonfiction essays, folktales and mythology, and artworks from anarchist Jews in various locations. The graphic design of the book is lovely from cover to cover. The artwork inside is fantastic- I wanted to cover my walls with everything I saw in this book. I mentioned Pittsburgh already and I would say most of the essays actually come from people who lived there, formerly lived there, or who had done organizing there. This does limit the population and perspective of the book somewhat, but there are international contributions as well including that from other continents. 

I have been an atheist* since my early teens and was not raised with any more religion than a couple family members who mentioned they prayed to (Christian, I assume,) God. As a result, much of my education about different religions- outside of being told I was going to hell by far right Christians- has come later in life. Since Jewish religion is only part of the diverse and widespread Jewish heritage and culture throughout the world, I am even more ignorant of that than I am of Christian and religion-adjacent cultures. As a result, I am coming at a book like this with great wonder. I really appreciate how many of the entries included footnotes and descriptions for people like me to be able to understand and fully appreciate the words and content therein. This makes the book able to be appreciated by non-Jews while also, I assume, still giving Jews the ability to be centered. I learned a lot about various Jewish culture and history and how anarchist, radical, LGBTQ, Jews have made these things their own. I learned a lot about the struggles people have balancing oppression with privilege or finding their way in places that may lack understanding and acceptance. I learned a lot about the myriad of ways anarchist Jews have come together around celebration, tragedy, and everything in between to create community and effective organizing practices to heal themselves and the world. 

This book is delightfully Queer and that of course adds to the joy in reading the entries and viewing the artwork. The combination of Queer solidarity and Jewish community is a powerhouse of liberation. There was so much I didn't know about the history of Jewish anti-fascist resistance organized by Jewish women and other LGBTQ people. The book is also, unsurprisingly anti-Israeli-zionism and pro-Palestinian liberation, adding a chorus of voices to the conversation that is often dominated by right wing, zionist Jews. There are stories of dealing with anti-semitism across the board in everywhere from far right white supremacist attacks to your friendly neighborhood anti-semitic anarchist dude. I am so happy that the people in this book found each other because I cannot imagine going through any of these things alone. And that is another thing I learned: the power of radical left Jewish community is grand. At every atrocity, you can bet that there are likely anarchist and other far left Jewish organizers fighting for healing and liberation.

I would definitely put this book in the required reading category for pretty much all audiences. It was a gift to read.

This was also posted to my goodreads.

*I don't know if this is relevant, but just in case: I am not the kind of atheist that spends time in faux-intellectual debates about the existence of God(s) nor do I think religion is inherently bad or good. I find that to be a waste of time at best and highly oppressive or genocidal at worst. I think religion serves a great purpose for many people and scenarios and basically have a, "as long as your version of it isn't oppressive and calling for my and others' extermination, I am cool with it and want to learn more," sorta approach.