Tzippora Price, Mother in Action: Exploring the Inner World of Motherhood, Menucha Publishers, ISBN 97816145130-7, 133 pages.
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson
MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — First of all, the title is a misnomer, as the first part of the book is concerned with the author’s personal journey from college student in the USA to devout Jewess whose primary aim in life is to devote herself to obeying every jot and tittle of the precepts of the Jewish religion. Prayer, devotion, and the Jewish way of life as an all-encompassing prescription for living occupy a third of the book.
And then we come to the part about motherhood. I regret to say that I find Price’s thoughts and ideas about motherhood – even when this is dominated by the requirements of the ancient rules and regulations – trite, predictable, and platitudinous. She has coffee mornings, she talks to her friends on the phone, she brings the baby home from hospital, she gets up at night to tend to the child, she suffers a miscarriage, etc., etc. Is it that I’m just blasé or have I read all this (and experienced some of it myself) somewhere before? The author has a degree in psychology, and so I was expecting some deeper insights into the nature of motherhood and the problems it presents, but I’m afraid I was disappointed. It doesn’t help that the text is peppered with terms such as ‘Shavuos,’ ‘Shabbos,’ in the Ashkenazi pronunciation used by the ultra-orthodox Jewish community and which strike a discordant note to the non-Haredi ear.
The book is well-written and nicely presented, with an attractive cover and clear print, although there are too many typos. Someone should have done a better job of proofreading, because the overall impression is somewhat unprofessional.
This book is intended for a different audience than the present reviewer. It is meant to be read by women who, unlike me, are prepared to blindly follow the dictates of a male-dominated society, who believe in the Jewish God and the divine mission of the Jewish people, and who continue to be captivated by the daily chores and requirements that ultra-orthodox Judaism imposes on them.
*
Shefer-Vanson is a freelance writer and translator who resides in the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Zion. She may be contacted at dorothea.shefer@sdjewishworld.com