THE HOUSE OF LOVE AND PRAYER

In her first short story collection, Reich portrays religious Jews in many settings.

With TV shows such as Unorthodox and Shtisel, popular culture has increasingly turned its eye on Haredi Jews. In this same vein, Reich’s new book humanizes this often misunderstood and stereotyped demographic, including stories that showcase religious Jews in many different situations and settings, from Brooklyn to Israel to China. Reich shows us, for instance, a young girl overcome by shame who disappears in a forest on a school field trip in “The Lost Girl”; people dealing with the shadow of the Holocaust in several stories; and even “Dead Zone,” a speculative piece set in the mid-21st century in which Israel is no longer recognized as a state. These stories vivify the real and relatable people in the communities they portray even as they lay bare some of their flaws; rather than passing judgment, positive or negative, they show that Haredi people are just people, no less worthy of empathy and no more worthy of prurient curiosity than anyone else. Reich’s prose brims with authenticity, as she utilizes Hebrew and Yiddish words as their speakers would, without unnecessary translation. Moreover, her prose is fluid and engrossing; the reading experience is easy but rewarding and always a joy.

An impressive collection that captures the complexity and diversity of the Haredi Jewish world.