The Netanyahus is a fictionalized account of an actual time in the 1950s when Benzion Netanyahu, father of the longtime prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the United States to teach at Cornell. In the novel, the school is Corbin University and Ruben Blum, the protagonist, is a professor of taxation history. A department chair asks Blum to be the secretary of the hiring committee that will determine whether to hire Netanyahu to teach at Corbin. Blum’s expertise is American history, and Netanyahu is a scholar of Iberian medieval history. So, it is apparent that Blum is sought for this role only because he is Jewish.
The story includes Blum’s research and apprehensions about his role on this committee. Additionally, chapters are dedicated to episodes with Blum’s parents, in-laws, and daughter. Blum’s relationships with relatives and their views of Blum’s profession, home, and lifestyle are an integral part of the story. The commentary about assimilation in American culture, specifically New York City and then a college town, is at times hilarious. Of course, his depiction of the Netanyahus—Benzion, his wife Tzila, and three children, including Benjamin, is priceless. Cohen’s writing is sophisticated and nuanced. I would require multiple readings of this text to scratch the surface of everything he is trying to say.
I read this book because it won the Pulitzer, and I thought I would struggle through it since I am not an expert on the Spanish Inquisition or the history of Israel. Instead, I found the novel to be riveting—both educational and entertaining. Joshua Cohen is a fantastic writer. He includes much satire and humor about American universities’ culture and family life in the 1950s. There is much history about Jews from medieval times, the subsequent years, and then Israel’s establishment. Some of it is decidedly opinionated, and I would have to do copious research to understand all the issues he includes. Additionally, he makes many compelling points about Jewish Americans and anti-semitism. The novel is multilayered and thought-provoking.
