Out of Such Darkness by Robert Ronsson

Author:Robert Ronsson [Ronsson, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-9930106-3-7
Publisher: Patrician Press
Published: 2015-02-17T16:00:00+00:00

Although Jay would prefer to move the focus of their weekly meal routine to Friday evening, Rachel maintains that a winter Sunday demands a roast dinner and so they’re sitting at the dining table in a formal setting. A steaming dish of carrots, broccoli and peas is at its centre. Jay has finished carving the chicken and slides portions of meat onto each plate.

‘Just white for me,’ Ben says.

‘No, you have both.’ Jay picks some of the paler dark meat and flips it onto Ben’s plate. ‘How did the rehearsal go?’

Ben, who was out of the house for most of the afternoon, says, ‘Not too bad?’

‘How’s your solo coming along?’ Jay ignores Rachel’s warning frown from across the table.

‘All right.’ Ben uses his fork to select a raggy-edged sliver of the brown meat and isolates it on the side of his plate.

‘Have you heard any more about some people in the town being unhappy about it?’

‘Yeah.’

Jay can see that his son is pretending to be untroubled.

‘They’re still complaining apparently,’ Ben says. ‘But it’s not bothering Mr Costidy?’

‘Good.’ Jay is seeking a way he can encourage his son without alienating him.

‘You just ignore them, Ben. They’re ignorant.’ Rachel says.

‘I suppose if I’m Jewish …?’

‘You are.’ Rachel brandishes her knife like a fencing sword and it wavers between her son and her husband. ‘It sounds wrong to say “admit it” but we have to admit it – we’re Jewish.’

It’s not about being Jewish. It’s about Rabbi Stern and his prejudices.

‘It’s not about being Jewish or not being Jewish!’ Jay blurts out. His wife and son look up from their plates. ‘What I mean is that you being Jewish or not should be irrelevant.’ He turns to Rachel. ‘I was talking with Howard Edler after soccer today. He kept me talking in the rain.’

Rachel is nodding encouragingly, hurrying him along.

‘He said that it’s the rabbi of the other synagogue – the orthodox one – he’s causing the stink about Ben doing the Nazi song because Ben’s a Jew.’

‘But we’re not proper Jews. We don’t do the religion thing – not unless you decide to keep going, and when do they officially make you Jewish – a Jew?’ Rachel says.

Ben leans forward. ‘I’m Jewish enough for the Nazis to have put me in a camp sixty years ago.’

The boy talks sense.

‘He’s got that right,’ Jay says.

Rachel is serving herself more vegetables. ‘But the other rabbi – the orthodox one …’

‘His name’s Stern,’ Jay says.

‘OK. This Rabbi Stern, he doesn’t think Ben’s Jewish enough to join his church.’

‘To be fair, we don’t know that. He’d want more proof than Elayna Zwyck asked for, that’s for sure,’ Jay says.

‘So what’s the point of the protest?’ Rachel strikes the handle of her knife down on the table top. ‘Sorry. But is it about the swastika or about Ben being Jewish? If it’s the flag the whole thing has nothing to do with Ben. If it’s about Ben … if Rabbi Stern doesn’t think Ben is Jewish why’s

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