Chaim Potok: My Name Is Asher Lev

This is a book that I got for Jay from the library and I quickly started reading it before handing it over to him. It was just curiosity and I did not expect liking it at all. To my surprise, I learned a lot and turned the story around in my mind quite a bit. Well, I also discovered that  reading is a bit slower now with only one eye.

The main character is Asher Lev, a hasid, growing up in the 50's in  Crown Heights, Brooklyn, An observant Jew he lives with his very religious parents in a small apartment observing the Holidays, going to a yeshiva  and eating (of course) only Kosher food; he is part of his devoutly observant sect. His father is highly respected by the community and is important to the Rebbe and he  helps him to get Jews out of Russia into the US.  What makes Asher Lev so different is that he has a "gift" as they call it, he cannot stop painting, drawing, a non-acceptable hobby among the very religious hasidic Jews. His father cannot accept this at all while his mother from the very beginning urges him to continue his "pretty paintings." Asher Lev is driven, he cannot stop thinking about painting and it is the Rebbe (who I learned later is based on the real Rabbi Schneerson in Brooklyn) who accepts his "gift" and allows him to get acquainted with another successful artist, Jacob Kahn, a non-observant Jew, where he takes lessons and learns to paint nudes and gets exposed to a freer life style.  All the while Asher Lev tries to adhere to his religion, his studies. His father goes to Vienna and his mother stays behind, a great sacrifice for her, to allow Asher Lev to continue his paintings. He grows up to be a formidable artist. He travels in Europe and at a certain point is driven to paint his "master piece", a crucification scene that includes his mother on the cross (for all her sacrifices) and Asher Lev and the father as side characters. It turns out an extremely successful and widely acclaimed painting causing great turmoil to his parents and offending his community. It seems that it is impossible for Asher Lev to continue living among the hasidic people. He has grown too far apart. Judaism and art just do not mingle and the conflicting traditions cause extreme pain and suffering  to everybody around. I was fascinated by the strong urge of Asher Lev to follow his art against all odds and to find his own definition of beauty. He is non-stoppable and completely true to himself all the way adhering to his upbringing and his traditions. He tries to conform to the Goyim artistic world where he does not belong and at times he almost seems to lose his sense of self identity. At the end he has no other choice than going back to Europe to continue his life as a loner.