Read Online The Jerusalem Inception by Avraham Azrieli - Free Book Online Page B

day on his feet, studying Talmud with Benjamin in the synagogue. When his legs ached, he went outside to stretch out on a bench. At night, he stayed up for hours, lying on his belly with ice on his buttocks, reading The Fountainhead again.
    The next Sabbath, after the meal, he ran all the way to Tanya’s house. He circled the wall of sandbags and knocked on the door. She appeared barefoot, in a sleeveless shirt and khaki shorts that revealed sculpted legs.
    “I brought back your book.” He averted his eyes.
    “You don’t like the way I look?”
    He swallowed. “You look the way God made you, but I’m not supposed to see so much of it.”
    Tanya laughed and took his hand, pulling him inside. Her hand was dry and cool and pleasant to touch. She placed The Fountainhead on a shelf among other books.
    He asked, “Has Ayn Rand written other novels?”
    “So you liked it?”
    “It’s a good story.” He felt foolish for keeping the real depth of his excitement from her. “America is a great country. I hope to visit it one day.”
    “What did your father think of the book?”
    Lemmy hesitated. “He didn’t see it.”
    “Why?”
    “He would tell me not to read it.”
    “You always do what your father tells you?”
    “Pretty much.”
    “And your own desire, it has no meaning?”
    “My desire is to obey my father.”
    “And what about your mother?”
    “She obeys him too.”
    Tanya smiled. “You know what I mean.”
    “My mother doesn’t expect my obedience.”
    “That’s your father’s prerogative?”
    He nodded.
    She collected a pile of papers from her desk and put them in a drawer. “Would you like some coffee?”
    “No, thank you.”
    “Tea? Water? You must be thirsty after such a long walk.”
    “I’m fine. Really.”
    “Are you afraid my dishes aren’t kosher?” She sat on the sofa. “You needn’t worry. I’m a vegetarian.”
    Lemmy wasn’t sure what it meant. He had never heard the term. Did she eat only vegetables? That would make for a very limited diet, especially in the winter, when fresh produce was meager. He wandered around the room, touching the old furniture and the books. A framed photo on the wall showed a teenage girl with light hair and Tanya’s smile. “Who’s that?”
    “My daughter, Bira.”
    In Hebrew, Bira meant a capital city, but he had never heard it used as a name. “You named her for Jerusalem?”
    “That would have been a nice coincidence, wouldn’t it?”
    “Where is she now?”
    “In the army, defending Israel. Not hiding in the synagogue like the men of Neturay Karta.”
    “We’re not hiding.”
    “I didn’t mean you personally. You’re too young, anyway.”
    “I’ll be eighteen soon.”
    “Will you enlist?”
    “In the Zionist army?” He rolled one of his payos around his forefinger and played with it. “We defend the Jewish people by praying and studying Talmud.”
    “You really believe that prayer and study would protect Israel from three hundred million Arabs armed with the best Soviet weaponry?”
    “Torah says: God shall fight for you, and you shall be silent. For the righteous Jew, faith is the mightiest shield from enemies.”
    “Do you know the story about the Jew who complained to God that he was so poor that he couldn’t feed his cow?”
    “There are many of them.”
    “That’s true. Well, this Jew got an answer. God told him that he would win the lottery.”
    Lemmy leaned against the wall, watching her.
    “A week later, when he complained to God that he didn’t win the lottery, God asked: Did you buy a ticket?”
    Lemmy laughed. He paced along the wall, returning to Bira’s photo. She stood against a background of large buildings and signs in foreign letters. “How old is she?”
    “Twenty-one. She even has a boyfriend.”
    “ Mazal Tov. When is the wedding?”
    “It’s too early to think of a wedding. They’re dating, that’s all. Movies, dancing, kissing, you know, being young.”
    He examined the photo. The signs