GOD'S EAR

A “passionate, hilarious” (Publishers Weekly) novel on the absurdity and value of religion, family, and tradition, told through a family singular in both personality and Jewish faith.

When a rabbi opens his heart to God, every shnorrer in his congregation fills it with pain. Yussel Fetner's ancestors had been such rabbis. Yussel, the last of the Fetner line, was not. Yussel turns his back on a thousand years of Fetner destiny, eschewing his family's twinned piety and poverty to sell real estate in New York. But the history of a thousand years is not to be thrown away so lightly. On his death, Yussel's father discovers he will be unable to enter heaven until Yussel repents and enters the faith. The old Rabbi will have to dip into a kit bag full of family lore, Hasidic tales, Kabbalistic wisdom, outright lies, and Jewish justifications to tea, trick, and torment his son until he accepts the pain of loving God.

Rhoda Lerman (1936-2015) is the author of six novels and one work of nonfiction. She is noted for her vivid imagination, wry humor, and arch social commentary. As a speaker and writer, her work has been recognized and honored in India, Tibet, South America, and Europe. She taught and lectured at major universities, including Harvard, Wisconsin, and Syracuse.