The Chosen

Reuven’s dad comes home, but Dr. Grossman visits twice a week, and his dad requires a night nurse. At school, Danny and Reuven don’t talk, but they communicate through physical gestures.

The violence between the Jews, British, and Arabs continues in Palestine. One day, members of Reuven’s group leave school to load supplies for the Jews fighting in Palestine. The militant groups, Haganah and Irgun, capture key territories. Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt join the war against Israel, and a graduate of Hirsch College dies in combat, silencing the anti-Zionist movement. In June, the UN declares a truce, and Danny talks to Reuven at lunch.

Reuven hated not talking to Danny, but Danny is used to silence. Reuven calls Danny’s dad “crazy” and “sadistic,” but Danny maintains that his dad is a good person. Danny’s eyes bother him, and Reuven jokes about the baseball game before he helps Danny with a graph. Danny likes experimental psychology now, and he might get a doctorate in psychology at Columbia University. As for Talmud class, Danny and Reuven battle for 45 minutes, and Rav Gershenson tells the boys this isn’t a “private lesson.”

In June, Reuven goes to the wedding of Danny’s sister, and he’s the only non-Hasid there.