DEPAYSEMENT

18

18. CHRIST AS AN ALLEGORY FOR SOCIALISM

WHEN YUSUF, RAISED IN A LARGELY NON - JEWISH environment, hears the word synagogue, all he can imagine is a small shul with one or two guards, alongside a metal detector at the entrance gate. But Ner Ephraim, in all its imposing glory, is the opposite of his imagination. A large, Gothic - style building (which, in his opinion, suited cathedrals more than shuls), with airy balconies and, most surprisingly, no security detail at all.

"You sure you'll be okay alone?," he tears his eyes away from the synagogue and turns them towards Catrin, a bundle of nervous excitement.

"If there's something suspicious, or he seems untrustworthy, I'll page you."

"Take care, Cat."

"You too, Yous."

He squeezes her hand and envelopes her in an awkward sort of half - hug. She kisses his cheek and his eyes follow her till she disappears from his line of sight, and then, he decides to break the streak he followed since he was fourteen by only attending shul on Yom Kippur and, taking out his Star of David necklace from his inner jacket pocket and wearing it, heads inside the building.

Exhaling his long - held breath at entering the synagogue, he sees a crowd of people, possibly after davening, head out the aisles and out the doors beside him. He walks, looking at the shapely board - marked concrete aligned with warm, mustard - orangish wood he assumes is merbau. The lectern, with an artificial separation that plunges it into darkness (alleviated by candles and lamps), is gorgeous as it appears from the lit up outside.

"Looking for something?," a husky voice rips him away from his architectural appreciation and turns him towards an extremely attractive middle - aged woman in a pale green veil. She has dark, deep - set eyes, a long, aquiline nose and bright green irises. He finds himself temporarily tongue - tied, but manages to get a sentence out without looking like a desperate fuck.

"The - the rabbi, if I can meet him."

"Ah yes. Follow me," she says, and leads him through the darkened corridors into a courtyard, and then into an adjacent, colourful building. "Dad?," she calls out to a bearded man who is currently commanding the attention of a gaggle of children.

"Yes, Avi?"

"There's someone who wants to see you."

"I'm a bit busy at the moment."

"Oh, I have no problem waiting, sir," Yusuf interjects, an odd mix of apologia and guilt swirling in the pit of his stomach.

The rabbi looks over to the source of this voice, and once he spots him, the man hands over the shofar to the woman and whispers something in her ear. Then, he bids goodbye to the kids, which causes a mild tantrum, swiftly silenced by the woman clapping to gather their attention.

"Yes, hello, young man. My daughter has informed me you wish to speak to me."

"Sir, I'm really in no hurry. I'm sorry I interrupted the yeshiva service and -"

"Young man," he cuts him off with a wry smile, "Anyone who comes to visit our little home is a priority. My daughter is more than capable of handling the kids."

Yusuf's stomach settles with his reassurance, and he looks to the rabbi, who waves to a woman manning the front desk, and assumes she must be the rabbanit.