Copper Kingdom of Daevabad

 

Taking place 5 years after the first installment, Nahri, a Daeva from the house of Nahid has returned to her city which was hers by birthright until it was taken over thousands of years ago by the Qahtani tribe of Jinn. Since her return to the city she has married Muntadhir, king ghassan’s oldest son. The youngest son Ali is the one who is truly in love with her and wants to partner up with her to fight for the rights of Shafit, or better known as half human/ half jinn. Ali has also been exiled and only returns when Ayanle merchants secure it for him . He returns in time for Navasatem, an old Daeva holiday. It is around this holiday that events in the story culminate.

With Ali’s return, Nahri, who from a tribe of healers, find an old abandoned hospital she wishes to fix up and start healing Daeva and Jinn. King Ghassan reluctantly supports it. In reality it is Ali who is her partner in building the hospital. Her husband has different and varied romantic interests.

At the end of the last book there was a battle in the lake of Daevabad. In this battle Afshin the slayer is supposedly slain while Ali, who supposedly had slain him was possessed by a water Marid. It has imbued him with magic.

But Daroush the Afshin is not dead but has been revived. Ifrit who do magic are involved as is Nahri mother, Mazzibeh who is also healer. Outside the city they plan a Nahid take back,of the city. The rebel Daeva make potions and train an army. All things culminate on Navastem. Who will take control of the city.? The Daeva’s or Qahtanis.

Dance Over Troubled Waters

In 1950 the theater group Inbal was founded by Sarah Levi Tanai. The author who was also a member of the theater troupe and got her start there so to speak. The book is relatively short, and I read it in one morning. The author manages to squeeze in her a short biography of Sara Levi Tanai, an auto biography of herself and a bit of a biography of her parents. The author gives glimpse into the Jewish history of Yemen and some of the Yemenite Jew’s history in Israel.

Sara Levi was born in Jerusalem to a family of 12 children. Her mother died when she was six years old and over the years so did her siblings. Since her father on his own was not able to financially support her. Sara went to Tzfat to live in a boarding school for orphans. She later went to Shefela which is a training live in facility of sorts. Sarah taught kindergarten for 18 years . It was during these years that Sara developed plays and songs for children and it is also the years she put on performances and wedding for various moshavs and kibbutzes. At age 38 she was tapped to work with a play choreographer. In 1950 she founded Inbal.

Inbal is a theater dance troupe with many songs and skits to their name. Since this dance troupe represents Israel the dance style that was crafted for this troupe includes elements of Palestinian debka, Yemenite steps and some Chasidic dancing and ballet. The dance style is more than just the some of its parts rather it is the language of motion that sets this dance style apart. While taking Yemenite elements it is still an Israeli dance style. The dances in Yemen took place in limited space so the movements are up and down, circular and vigorous. Very similar to Chasidic dancing.

Yemenite dances are unique and biblical being almost untouched since temple times. The male dance steps are very bold and assertive while the woman’s moves are slow smooth and going with the flow type of moves. The dassa is the Yemenite step incorporated into Israeli dance. It is like the foot stepping into desert sand. Moving slow and gentle. The poetry or diwan of men is about religious stuff and spiritual longing. Women sing of life cycles and emotional issues. In Yemen the man was in charge and the women were like slaves to their husbands, at least in the author’s opinion.

The author herself was born into a Yemenite family. She went to elementary school in her hometown and then went to Shefela for their high school program after the Reali program was too expensive. Her father was a person who ransomed kidnapped Jews in Yemen. 

What impressed me about the book is that it gave at least brief insight into Jewish life in Yemen. Starting with legends of their first arrival shortly after the destruction of the first temple. The author goes on to explain the communal structure of Jewish life in Yemen and she also documents the persecutions the Jews had to endure in Yemen. The Israeli operations to bring the Jews over had many hiccups and she details some of them as well. Arriving in Israel the Yemenite did not have a good time. There were issues of inequality, disease and poverty.

The Lost Jewish History of Iraqi Kurdistan

 

After World War 2 many Jews left Iraq bad headed to Israel. Before leaving the buried their treasures and family heirloom and gave their houses to Kurdish neighbors.In the town of Penjwin a young girl named Zara is living in a house that it undergoing reconstruction.Locked away is a journal, Shabbat candle sticks, some jewels and a journal. The journal is by a Jewish woman named Rahila and it documents a turbulent time for the Jewish community of Iraq.

The Jews of Iraqi Kurdistan have lived there since the Assyrian exile and they still speak Aramaic amongst themselves. When Zara finds this journal Iraqi Kurdistan is going through Civil upheaval as well. As Zara finds the journal and reads through it her life becomes more and more enmeshed with Rahila and soon they notice several parallels in their life.

Rahila journal documents the deteriorating situation of the Iraqs Jews as Palestine slowly becomes Israel. The Jews are accused of being disloyal to Iraq. Jews are harassed by the government, subjected to arrests, torture and even hanging. The Jewish community is divided.  Some opt for Zionism and move to Israel. While other will denounce Zionism and support the Palestinian cause. Rioting and property destruction get worse everyday. The community must respond.

In Iraqi Kurdistan the fights between the different Kurdish groups intensifies to where there are checkpoints everywhere and anyone seen as the opposition gets targeted. Soran who Zaras fiancée gets arrested for helping a child during a demonstration and wants leave Iraq. Rahila went through the same thing. Her fiancée Azam leaves for Palestine to fight for the Jewish army. Rahila is unique in that she is like a female rabbi. She is an expert on Jewish ritual something which most women are not. Rahilas life takes a dramatic turn when her father offers a unique proposal that will turn her life upside down.

Many Kurdish families have members that were formally Jews. Some keep the traditions while others barely do anything. They keep everything quiet because the specter of antisemitism is alive and well.