January 14

The Invisible Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers
By Harry Bernstein

Harry Bernstein's tender memoir recounts his impoverished growing up years in an English mill town in the early 1900s.  His family struggled not only with poverty (he recalls his mother's efforts to earn income by collecting bruised fruits at the fruit vendor's and carefully carving out the brown spots to resell to her neighbors) but also with an erratic and often drunk father, who hurriedly left the house each night with one arm in a coat sleeve but the other sleeve always dangling.

Along Harry's street, Orthodox Jews lived on one side while Gentiles resided on the other.  The two sides never socialized with one another; nor did their children walk to school together - almost as though a wall were built down the middle.  Prejudice and religion (though not the kind of religion that is expressed by love and mercy) affected all relationships in this neighborhood where everyone knew one another.  As England gets involved in the first World War, however, the residents start to work together and to communicate.  Tentative friendships blossom.  The war ends, but all too soon the animosity returns and everyone is the poorer for it.

Harry's beloved older sister, Lily, is a very bright student but is made to leave school to work in her father's tailor shop.  In the midst of all of the intolerance, Lily and her across-the-street Christian neighbor Arthur fall in love, and a small ray of hope appears.  Yes, love can overcome prejudice, but the young couple would face a hard road ahead with little support.

The amazing thing about Harry is that he started this memoir at age 93, and then went on to write two more books!

I'm glad that Harry finally got round to writing this story.  Prejudice and fear can rob us of so much richness and joy that we miss by not getting to know someone who looks (worships, speaks a language, comes from a place) different from us.