If You Awaken Love by Emuna Elon and translated by David Hazony.

After Yair Berman left her and shattered all her dreams, the devastated Shlomtzion Drore escaped as far as possible from him and her intensely religious life in Jerusalem, becoming an interior designer in secular Tel-Aviv. Twenty-one years later, her daughter has become engaged to his son, and Shlomtzion is forced to visit the controversial settlement in which Yair lives, not only to plan the wedding but to confront her former love and the mistakes of her life. Set in Israel between the Six Day War and the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, If You Awaken Love is the intensely moving story of a stormy and spiritual young girl and her love-hate relationships with her childhood sweetheart, with her father, and with God.

The Critics Praise:

“Emuna Elon knows how to do something that can be said of very few authors writing in Hebrew today: tell a story. One with fleshed-out characters, a story line, surprises, plot twists, little poignant dramas but also some belly laughs, a familiar background and episodes from recent history—all this combined with a sub-plot that raises questions in the reader’s mind that are far from simple.” - Ha’aretz

Emuna Elon was born in Jerusalem in 1955. She is currently teaching and writing. She has published one novel, seven children’s books and many short stories. She has lived in the settlement of Beit-El since 1982, and has six children.

Paperback
250 pp
May 2007
ISBN 10: 1-59264-145-8
ISBN 13: 978-1-59264-145-1