The Invisible Wall (Harry Bernstein)

Just finished this book, written by a man in his 90s. It's a memoir of growing up in England in WWI. One side of the author's street is Jewish (where he lives), the other side is Christian. Both sides are extremely poor. It's interesting, sad, and compelling to read about what events pull their communities together and apart.

The story is quite readable - quick but not always light. It left me wanting to know more about the relationships between Jews and Christians during that time period. It also left me amazed that even living together amidst similar strife - on the same street! - was often not enough to overcome prejudices.

Religion seems to both spur and get in the way of justice sometimes. There are so many examples, but tonight the one on my mind is this: Christians profess pro-life principles, declaring the santity of human life above all. A beautiful principle that motivates people towards acts of kindness, even justice, no doubt. But there are some who don't support providing contraception to people as a way to prevent AIDS, because contraception interferes with life. AIDS is a horribly debilitating, dehumanizing disease that robs people of their dignity as their body attacts itself while forgetting to fend off infections the likes of which most of us will (mercifully) never dream of. Preserving the sanctity of life must include giving people an opportunity to protect themselves - and their loved ones - from HIV/AIDS. Preserving the life of the least among us...isn't that justice? I'm thinking tonight of children living in Africa.

AIDS in Africa is just one of many examples of the complicated relationship between religion, justice, and conflict. Another is the fighting happening in Gaza, Iraq, and other regions of the Middle East. That is too much for me to tackle tonight though...

My next review: Why Crickets Cry