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In August, 2014, I was organizing an interfaith and inter-ethnic Thanksgiving program in Washington Heights. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, not far from my hometown, spoke against this milestone event and shook me to the core. I later learned of the murder of Tina Fontaine, an indigenous girl living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Both events compelled me to reflect on my past and the key events which motivated my passion for social justice and diversity. The experiences of early youth made me the way I am several decades later. I sought to share my journey with a new generation of students attending the same high school that I attended. My novel was written as a tribute and a gift to the University City School system which nurtured me.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
A Human Rights Odyssey by Jeffrey Gale follows Rabbi Levin's decades-long journey as a Jewish spiritual leader committed to building bridges across racial, cultural, and religious divides. The narrative centers around his leadership at Congregation Rodef Tzedek and his evolving role in multiple communities—from organizing integrated youth programs in New York and Winnipeg to supporting Jewish inmates’ religious rights in Michigan prisons through the Whitney v. Brown lawsuit, to mentoring a Cree girl, Helen Asner, for her bat mitzvah. His actions consistently push institutions—synagogues, prisons, schools—toward inclusivity and justice. In a civil rights pilgrimage he leads for teens from diverse backgrounds, visiting landmarks across the American South. There, Rabbi Levin synthesizes the lessons of Jewish suffering, Black struggle, and Indigenous trauma, using interfaith rituals and historical memory to nurture empathy, leadership, and hope in the next generation.
A Human Rights Odyssey: From Dreams Deferred to Reconciliation by Jeffrey Gale is a powerfully written and deeply reflective work that challenges readers to confront the moral dimensions of memory, justice, and empathy. With a deft narrative voice, the author invites readers into a transformative journey that transcends mere historical recounting and becomes a meditation on collective responsibility. The prose is both lyrical and precise, allowing thoughtful philosophical and ethical questions to emerge organically from the lived experiences and reflections of those featured. The emotional resonance is palpable, particularly in moments where past atrocities are linked to present inequalities, creating a sense of urgency without falling into didacticism. The book’s strength lies in its ability to draw complex connections across cultures, faiths, and historical traumas while resisting the temptation to reduce them to simplistic parallels. Thoughtful and courageous, this is a work that demands attention and rewards it. Recommended.
