If you hate Armenians,
don’t read Book One.
If you hate Jews,
don’t read Book Two.
If you hate Arabs and Palestinians,
don’t read Book Three.
If you hate all or any of them,
boy, you have a problem. Read the Coda,
it may help you and it may open your heart.
The Mother of Jerusalem is Crying is a sweeping historical novel that begins in 19th Century Armenia, then under Turkish control, and tells the interwoven stories of three families -Christian, Jewish and Muslim over three generations and three continents. The story describes their lives in terms of their traditions, triumphs and tragedies, and how they contended with the violence of the Armenian Genocide, World War Two, the Holocaust, and the founding of Israel. Many of the characters do not survive the enveloping violence. Despite these tragedies, the message of this book is hopeful. The story illustrates that people of different faiths can live together, marry, and raise happy children. Ordinary people, perhaps more than their political leaders, have the capacity to bring an end to the Suffering and death that mark our time.