"So what are you doing alone in a police station in the middle of the night?" David asked.
   "You wouldn't understand," Anna said.
   "Try me." (p. 68)

When Anna Rosenfeld writes a college philosophy paper, she never expects it to jeopardize her relationship with her grandfather, Avram, or leave her alone and afraid on the streets of Minneapolis. Help comes in the form of Rabbi David Cohen, spiritual leader of Avram’s synagogue, who is struggling with his own personal demons amidst difficulties with both his family and his congregation.

Trained in both psychology and Talmudic argument, and armed with his faith in God, David must help Anna and Avram face the real issue that divides them before time runs out. Set against the backdrop of Tisha b’Av – a time of mourning commemorating multiple instances of causeless hatred – they bring together their memories and experiences as they confront evil itself and answer a cry for help that no one expected.

Sheyna Galyan holds a degree in psychology from the University of California at Santa Cruz and a counseling certificate and work in business administration from San Jose State University. She has also done graduate work in elementary education at the University of Minnesota. Sheyna has worked as a counselor, consultant, journalist, and Jewish educator. She lives with her husband and children in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she is currently at work on the next Rabbi David Cohen novel. You can read Sheyna's blog, Books and Beliefs, or visit her website at www.sheynagalyan.com.

 

Reviews

I just finished "Destined to Choose"...brilliantly written. I'm actually going to reread it right away to see what clues I may have 'missed'. Author Sheyna Galyan has done an amazing job of integrating everyday Jewish life and customs with a great meaty story. The depth of this novel is exceptional; the education in Jewish life and customs, mixed with fabulous, multi-layered character developement, make this an important novel for readers of all faiths. I enjoyed getting to know each character, and, by the time I was finished with the book, I found that I missed them, as old friends. As the grand-niece of a Holocaust survivor, I also appreciated the different perspectives on the subject of Shoah from each of the characters, as well. Though I'm not a practicing Jew, I felt that I learned a great deal about my heritage, while still affirming the life I've chosen for myself today. In actuality, this novel helped to feel 'destined to choose' my own life path. I can't wait for the next book!

--E. Stanclift

 

Rabbi David Cohen is struggling to write a sermon for Tisha b'Av, a fast day commemorating the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the observance of which the leaders of his congregation feel is a waste of time. His obligations to his family and his job are in conflict, to the detriment of both. Finally, an elderly Holocaust survivor has turned to him for help in finding the man's eighteen-year-old granddaughter, who has left their home after a furious argument over a philosophy paper she wrote for college. This is the situation at the opening of Sheyna Galyan's Destined to Choose.

Rabbi Cohen's intensive counseling sessions with Avram and his granddaughter Anna, once she is located, are at the center of this promising first novel, and their discussions, as well as his interactions with other characters, range widely over several aspects of Jewish thought, practice and theology, while still remaining relatively accessible to the average reader. A helpful glossary of Jewish terms is also provided at the end of the book.

Are people basically good, or tainted from the start? If they are basically good, how do we explain Hitler and his followers? What are the reasons for the rabbi's refusal to perform a marriage between a Jew and a non-Jew, and how far should he go in attempting to portray Judaism as an attractive option to the non-Jewish partner? How does he reconcile the conflict between the needs of his family and the requirements of his job, and should he stand on principle when it puts his livelihood in jeopardy?

Not all of these questions are answered, but Ms. Galyan, who, according to her website, "identifies herself as Traditional Conservative, with occasional leanings toward both Reform and Feminist Orthodoxy - sometimes simultaneously," gives her readers plenty of food for thought in the course of the book.

Avram and Anna are rounded, sympathetic characters whose positions are occasionally diametrically opposed to what a more stereotyped viewpoint might suggest. The rabbi's loving relationship with his family, as well as his supportive friendship with his colleagues and the secretary at the temple are also well portrayed.

Since this is a first novel, it has some weaknesses. The president of the temple comes off as more of a caricature than a real person, and some might feel that the rabbi's many problems resolve themselves just a little too neatly at the end. However, the story and and the thoughtful way in which the author and her characters wrestle with some serious issues more than compensate for these minor flaws and make Destined to Choose a worthwhile and enjoyable read.

--L. S. Jaszczak "servant of the secret fire"

 

This readable novel describes a few weeks in the life of a tradition-minded Conservative rabbi; I think it gives the reader a good sense of an observant Conservative lifestyle (though I would like to think that no synagogue board would be as nasty and anti-religious as the lay leadership in this novel). In addition, Galyan takes the time to get into some fairly deep intellectual issues as well, focusing on free will (thus the title). There were a couple of times where I thought to myself: "I can't imagine why this character would say X when Y would have made more sense" - but despite occasional flaws, this novel mostly made sense.

--Michael Lewyn

 

“...should read.”

--American Jewish World

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