In the Heart of the Seas
"Agnon weaves history and mystery in his prize-winningIn the Heart of the Seas. Since the beginning of the eighteenth century, inspired by messianic hopes and religious fervor, East European Jews migrated to the Holy Land. Often they traveled in groups and followed similar routes as the Hasidim of Buczacz did, departing from Black Sea ports and receiving assistance from the Sephardi community in Constantinople. The mysterious figure of Hananya misses the boat but reaches his destination by magical means that are part of East European Jewish traditions about connections between Europe and the Land of Israel. These include underground tunnels, birds' wings, or as in this story, a magical scarf the sails over seas."—Dan Ben-Amos"The epic Hebrew novelist."—Clifton Fadiman--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.