The Return
by Sonia Levitan
Elie Wolfe
7th Grade
Van Antwerp Middle School
My favorite novel of this year was The Return by Sonia Levitan. It is a
story about a group of Ethiopian Jews, called Falashas, trying to flee the
persecution they faced in Ethiopia. The book was very exciting, there were
many problems that the group faced as they travelled to Sudan, where they
could get to Israel, the land the Falashas visited and converted to Judaism
with Queen Sheba over 3000 years ago. They have to fight off highway robbers,
hide from soldiers, and pay higher prices because of their race whenever
they stop in a market. Finally they get to the guarded border. All but
one make it across the border, including the old rabbi and his wife.
After they get across the border they end up in a refugee camp for people
displaced by war and prejudice. The conditions there are terrible, but
the Jewish refugees are secretly being sent to Israelites every night.
Finally the main characters are approved to be sent back to Israel ( they
had to be sure they were really Jews).
To find out how they lived in Israel, you should by this book. This book
was very good, and it wasn't too hard to understand ( there were some words
in Ge'ez the ancient language of Ethiopia). I really enjoyed this book.
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