The Chosen
By: Anthony Pepe, Chase Brandon, Daniel
Heath, Solayman Yousuf, and Zack Mandelblatt
Table of Contents
Pg 1- Distilled page
Pg 3- Theme statements
Pg 4- Articles: Author biography, Hasidism, Plot,
Setting, Symbol
Distilled Page
Distilled Page (cont’d)
Danny Saunders is in the cage. He is “trapped” because he has to
become a rabbi after his father, Reb Saunders dies. But Danny wants to
become a psychologist. His beard, ear locks and black caftan represent the
Hasidic culture and lifestyle. Above Danny is the Star of David, which
symbolizes the Judaism Religion. The star is blue and white because of
Israel, which is a Jewish state. The other boy is Reuven Malter and is
holding a key to unlock the cage. This is where the theme comes in.
Friendship is key to self-expression and success. Reuvens clothing is blue,
which represents integrity and compassion. Reuven is holding a key and
“unlocks the cage” for Danny and he is freed from becoming a rabbi.
Without Reuvens help, Danny couldn’t have had the chance to become a
Psychologist. Danny’s goal was to become a Psychologist and now he is
able to achieve it all because of Reuven. Reuvens father also played a key
role in Danny’s life. He was the one who got Danny interested in secular
books. The road represents Danny’s years to come in Columbia University
to become a Psychologist. On the highest point of the picture is a symbol
of Psychology. The color yellow symbolizes joy and happiness.
Theme Statements
Friendship is key to self-expression and success.
Everyone has hard decisions in life but it’s how
people approach them that define them.
To understand the world and what goes on in it, you
must be educated.
Unexplainable things happen, sometimes they
are bad and sometimes they are good but there’s nothing
you can do about them so you must accept them.
Silence and suffering go hand in hand when ruining
a relationship. When one starts, the other follows.
Author Biography
Chaim Potok was born on February 17, 1927 in New York City. He was the eldest son of the Jewish immigrants from
Poland. Potok’s parents gave him a Hebrew name, Chaim Tvzi (Chaim means “life or “alive”). Potok received education in a
Jewish school that taught non-religious subjects, although the Talmud was still the main subject. His father, Benjamin Max
Potok, was a jeweler and watchmaker. He wanted his eldest son to be a rabbi. Chaim Potok was very interested in painting
but the strict orthodox beliefs kept him away from it. He read works by James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner,
Thomas Mann and other writers. Chaim was impressed by James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Potok received his M.A. in Hebrew literature, after his education at the Talmudic Academy High School of Yeshiva
University in Washington Hights, Manhattan, and the Jewish Theological Seminary Teachers’ Institute. At the age of twentyfive he was appointed as a Conservative rabbi. He met Adena Sara Mosevitzsky while at Camp Ramah in the Poconos in
1952. They were both counselors there. They get married in 1958 and the couple settles in Los Angeles. Potok was the
headman of the local Camp Ramah organization and taught at the University of Judaism. Two years later, they move to
Philadephia. Potok served as a chaplain with the U.S. army between the years 1955 and 1957. This experience led to him
writing The book Of Lights (1981) and I am the Clay (1992). In 1962, his first child, Rosa was born. He took his family to
Israel for a year. In 1964, he was chosen to become the managing editor of the magazine Conservative Judaism. He was than
appointed editor-in-chief of the Jewish Publication Society in Philadelphia. Potok was also the chairman. In 1965, he
received his Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania. He than wrote The Chosen, which was nominated for a National
Book Award. Two years later, Potok published The Promise, which is the sequel to The Chosen. Potok used his Hasidic
religious experience in the book My Name Is Asher Lev. H also wrote other books that compared religous and secular
communities. He spent nine years editing for the Jewish Publications Society (JPS) in Philadelphia. In the 1990’s he focused
on writing fiction and children’s literature. He died on July 23, 2002 of brain cancer in Merion, Pennsylvania.
Potoks life contributed to the theme, friendship. In an interview, Chaim said that in 1950, he had concluded that he
didn’t want to live in a Hasidic community. He said, “I lost all of my friends, I lost most of my teachers, I had to literally
reconstruct my existence”. This shows how important it was for him to have friends in his life. He believes that friends are
the key to helping you succeed in life.
Hasidism
Hasidism, meaning piety or loving kindness, was created way back in the eighteenth century. It was founded in Eastern Europe
by Rabbi Israel. Hasidism is a branch of “Orthodox Judaism.” There are many different types of Judaism involved, these
include Orthodox, Talmudic, and Oriental Sephardi Judaism. But not all Hasidic Jews are the same. There are many different
dynasties that follow different rules and/or values. Hasidism is not “one movement” and there is no right version of Hasidism.
There are about thirty large groups of Hasidic Jews and hundreds of smaller groups. All Hasidic groups do share similarities
though. These similarities are usually their philosophy, worship habits, dress, and songs.
During World War II all types of Hasidism moved to many different countries. America, Israel, Canada, Australia, and Western
Europe became populated with Hasidic and non-Hasidic Jews. The most modern of places, like New York City, became filled
with Jews. Because of the amount of Hasidic Jews that migrated out of Europe, it created a large minority. This minority kept
the language of Yiddish alive. Yiddish is still alive today and is spoken in Hasidic Jewish communities. Hasidim live in courts
or sects that are tightly connected or woven together. All Hasidic Jews follow an ideal that says, “Even the most mundane
action is sanctified.” In other words, even a meaningless action is holy.
Nearly two hundred thousand Hasidic Jews live in New York today. These Hasidim are commonly confused for being Amish.
This is because of the full beards, side locks, and long black coats. But there is a big difference between Hasidic Jews and
Amish. Hasidim are urban people that live with people that have other beliefs and cultures. Of all of the Hasidic Jews living in
New York, one hundred and sixty five thousand of them live in three different neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
Hasidic Judaism is surrounded and influenced by friendship. An important reason why Hasidic Judaism survived was because
of the personal relationships with its followers. All new members of Hasidim were welcomed with “open arms” and kindness.
The new members were treated like family members and were treated like brothers and sisters. All of their secrets or sins they
could confess to the Reb. In the Hasidic literature it says that if you’re nice to others than god will be nice to you. Also a Rabbi
in the eighteenth and nineteenth century said, “gain a new friend to whom you can unburden your heart and disclose even your
transgressions.” It is important to have a friend in Hasidic belief. But most Hasidic Jews only liked other Jews in their own
sects. That is why when Danny wanted to become friends with Reuven so badly; it was strange to all the Hasidim in his sect.
But Danny knew he could confess all the wrongs he has thought or done to Reuven. Danny found his true friend within a nonHasidic Jew. Even when others frowned upon his decision.
Plot
Plot is a key way in which the themes of the book are communicated to the reader. It shows what happens and how
friendship can affect a person. The way that both Danny and Reuven interact with each other and their other friends tells us
what a major theme it is in the book.
One event in the book that shows us how important friendship is when they stop talking to each other. When this
happens they are both really upset. In fact, Reuven’s grades drop because he is so depressed by this. When they were finally
allowed to talk to each other they were as good of friends as before. It shows how important the friendship is between them.
Another event is when they first met. They hated each other with a burning passion when they first saw each other, but
when they actually talked they learned that they were a lot alike. This caused a great friendship to be formed between them.
Their feelings for each other completely changed.
When Danny made the decision that he was going to become a psychologist their relationship strengthened further.
Danny needed someone to support him and his wishes and his dad wasn’t going to be that person. He needed his dad’s
permission though and Reuven was needed to support him through this. Reuven helped him get through the time when he
worried about telling his dad and when the subject was brought up.
At the beginning of their college lives Danny gets really depressed. He is worried about the curriculum and about his
teacher not liking Freud. Reuven noticed his friends attitude and talked to him about how he should approach the situation. He
tells him to talk to the teacher about these problems and try to come to a compromise. Although originally hesitant, Danny
agrees and this ends up making his life much more enjoyable. This event shows how good friends help each other.
Plot gives away many of the themes in the book. It shows how friendship can make life more enjoyable and easier.
Many of the events in the story explain how friendship can have this effect. It is also communicated in a more simple way. The
whole storyline of the book is about the friendship between Reuven and Danny. It shows how their relationship grew from
hatred after their first meeting, too deep understanding and care for one another by the end of the story.
Setting
The setting in “The Chosen” is one of the most important parts of the book. “The Chosen” takes place in the 1940’s up to the
early 1950’s in Brooklyn. This is right about the time when Hitler’s power is beginning to decrease. The purpose of the setting
in this book is that it’s a time of hardship for the Jewish people while at the same time, a deep separation still remains between
the Hasidim and the Orthodox Jews. Thus the two boys will be brought together by the differences of their beliefs and the
Hasidim’s hate for the Orthodox Jews.
The setting contributes to theme of friendship because of the differences between the religions and communities. Danny
and Reuven only live several blocks away from each other, but at the same time, come from entirely different worlds. Reuven
lives in a free community, where religion and thoughts are freely spoken. Whereas, Danny comes from a world where he is to
be a leader of his people, trapped by his own religion. In his side of town, he’s the next “chosen” leader.
Setting also sets up the friendship in that, because of Danny’s father’s silence in raising Danny –the action at the time
was not uncommon— Reuven would be used as a buffer for Reb Saunders to talk to Danny. Also, the setting caused many
questions to arise in Reuven, strengthening his relationship with Danny. For example when Reb Saunders begins to cry at
dinner. Later, Danny explains that Reb Saunders is suffering and feeling compassion for his peoples trials in Palestine as well
as the death of the six million Jews in the internment camps. It is questions like that the drove they’re friendship and made it
thrive.
Danny and Reuven are brought together both by the differences in they’re religion. And they’re placement in the U.S.
But also, by baseball. A fanatic city of Brooklyn, brought together by baseball. So what else can you love, it makes you look
more patriotic and it’s a classic pastime. By Danny hitting Reuven in the face with that ball, and calling him an apokorsim,
Reuven hated him. But Reuven soon learned Danny was a great person, simply trapped within Hasidism. But if it were not for
Danny’s religion, he never would have apologized --a basic principle of Hasidism--. In apologizing, it forged they’re
friendship, which shaped the rest of the book.
Symbol
Ever since Reuven was hit in his eye with the baseball that fateful afternoon, his vision was permanently changed. He
started to notice things he didn’t understand, he started to understand people who, previously, he had not and he began
to see that life was a little more complicated than he had hitherto knew.
While Reuven was in the hospital, he met Billy and Mr. Savo. Having faced the fear of losing their sight before, Billy
and Mr. Savo comforted Reuven in his times of fear in the hospital. They showed him kindness, sympathy, and they were
someone to talk to relieve Reuven of his eye fears. Billy and Mr. Savo were his friends in his time of need. The symbolism of
the eyes was that he had to lose his eye to gain a friend. Another symbol the eyes represent is that of unpredictability because
it’s never anticipated when you suddenly see the truth behind someone or something or why Danny and Reuven became such
good friends. But that’s how all friendships begin; they start when neither people expect it and they grow like no one could
have forseen.
Just like unpredictability can harbor friendship, silence can bring it down. Silence is a big symbol in the Chosen
because of the way Danny and Reb Saunder’s relationship is focused around silence and also when Danny and Reuven went
through their two-year silence. With the silence between Danny and his father, there was no guidance for Danny growing up
and they lost the bond between father and son; that all sons need a friendship with their father and a father needs his son as a
friend as well to experience true family love. But since Danny and Reb Saunders communicated with silence, they never had
a friendship, they never had true father-son love between them; they might’ve had great pride and respect but not love or
even full trust. The silence between Reuven and Danny was a terrible thing for both of them because Danny had desperately
needed Reuven to express himself and Reuven needed Danny to express himself as well. With the silence came suffering and
Reuven and Danny suffered greatly.
With silence and suffering, there is no success in life. With Danny and Reuven’s friendship they both moved on to
success in their lives. Danny needed Reuven to connect with his father and move on while Reuven needed Danny when his
father was hurt. If their friendship never happened, they surely would have suffered all throughout their lives.