Bashert

by Gale Stanley

A story from the Dreamspinner Press 2013 Advent Calendar collection Heartwarming.

Is it possible to be a good Jew and a gay man?

Not for Jonah Stern. He can't reconcile his faith with his attraction to boys, so he turns his back on Judaism. A college scholarship is Jonah's ticket to freedom from his disapproving parents. Next step: losing his virginity to Christian, the blue-eyed blond man of his dreams.

Instead, Jonah has a fateful meeting with Aaron Blumberg and ends up celebrating Hanukkah. Aaron tells him they're bashert—meant to be. But Jonah has doubts. He believes his lack of faith will create a wedge between them. It's up to Aaron to bridge the gap and convince Jonah to take a leap of faith.

Genres: M M Romance, Holiday, Contemporary, Christmas, Short Stories, Romance, College

48 pages, ebook

First published November 30, 2013

About the author

Gale Stanley grew up in Philadelphia PA. She was the kid who always had her nose in a book, her head in the clouds, and her hands on a pad and pencil.
Some things never change.

Blog: http://galestanley.blogspot.com/

Reviews

[Heather K (dentist in my spare time) · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this book, I almost peed myself I was so excited. I mean, a Hanukkah M/M story? Yes please! As a Jewish M/M reader, I was really hoping for something heart-warming and special, like all of the Christmas stories that I love. While this was sweet and pleasant, it was not exactly what I was looking for.

I'll start by discussing the religious aspect of the book. It is obvious that the author is either Jewish or did lots of research about Judaism because this book is FULL of Jewish references. A someone who has many orthodox friends, grew up in a Jewish community, and knows a fair amount about secular Judaism, I spotted a few things that I would have changed. For example, someone who is a Reform Jew would not wear a kippah. Kippahs worn day-to-day (not just during religious ceremonies) is usually a sign of someone who is orthodox. I don't know a single non-orthodox Jew who wears a kippah daily, including reform and conservative rabbis. However, that aside, most of the Jewish lingo was undoubtedly correct, which was nice.

However, this leads me to one of my biggest complaints about this book: Because many of the readers (I'm guessing) wouldn't have an intimate working of Judaism, many of the terms in this book are explained in detail, giving this story sort of a didactic feel. It felt a bit like Hebrew school to me. So when this book took an erotic turn at the end, it felt strangely out of place. It felt like I was doing it in the Torah room. It felt awkward and a bit... wrong. I think that might just be my bias, though.

However, overall this story of a wayward Jewish boy finding love was nice and sweet and a good change of pace from all of the Christmas stories out there.

**Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

[Eli Easton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this Dreamspinner advent story. It was a nice little palate cleanser to have a Hanukkah story, and the author did a nice job with character development. Jonah was raised as an observant Jew and when he realized he was gay, gave up his family and his faith entirely, feeling he had no other option. He is trying to celebrate Christmas and longs for a blond-haired, blue-eyed lover. Instead he meets Aaron, a gay Jewish man who has reconciled his sexuality and his faith and goes to a Reformed church that accepts gay people. Jonah resists falling for Aaron, wanting to escape his heritage, but of course, it doesn't work out that way. This was a nice, heart-warming little story.

[The Novel Approach · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Robert Burns once wrote, “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley.” Or, in plain English, they often go awry, don’t they? Jonah thinks he’s found the perfect blonde haired, blue eyed gentile to give himself to, but fate and faith, and maybe even God, have other plans when Jonah meets Aaron Blumberg, a devout Jew who holds to all the traditions of his faith while still remaining true to himself.


See the entire 4.5 star review at The Novel Approach:
http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/20...

[Sadonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this story of Aaron and Jonah. Really glad this lovely Hanukkah story is part of this months offerings :) The thing I most liked about this story was the way Aaron explained his reconciliation to a large part of his life - his Judaism. Jonah has been rejected by his parents due to his sexual orientation. In response, Jonah has rejected them and the religious heritage that he believes rejects him. Aaron is a bit older and he has been through some of the same things and he does his best to try to convey to Jonah that things don't really have to bell ALL one way or ALL the other way. Favorite line from Aaron:

"I know you’re confused, but in your own way, you’re being as bigoted and hypocritical as the people you rant against. At one time, I thought like you that everything was either black or white. Now I think in shades of gray."

I truly think this is something we grow into. When we're young, life is so much simpler if we can just think in absolutes. However, rarely is that the case and it becomes a lot more complicated to force those absolute constructs on real life.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just got around to reading this holiday story. Sorry I waited so long but it's a good read any time of the year.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

For such a short story I really got involved with the characters and felt a good connection with them. There is a great deal of Jewish references use in a way that you understand them even if you aren't Jewish which adds alot of depth to the story. Great little short story.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny how the true meaning of Christmas gets so lost in the decorating and presents. I can't imagine growing up Jewish when Hanukkah is barely even mentioned and the majority of people don't even know why it's celebrated. Jonah was born and raised in a devout Jewish home and telling his parents he was gay didn't go over well. They didn't throw him out, but they don't understand it. Now Jonah is a freshman in college, away from home, and he is determined to unlearn nineteen years of teachings because if he has to give up being either gay or Jewish, then he's picking his religion.

"...it was at Hanukkah, more than any other holiday, that he felt like an outsider and a hypocrite. How could he celebrate the Jews' victory over the Greeks when the Jews were prejudiced against homosexuals and the Greeks weren't?"

Alone on campus for the Christmas holiday, Jonah meets Aaron. Aaron is Jewish, had the same conflict with his religion that Jonah is going through, but discovered a more progressive temple and found his faith again. Aaron invites Jonah to spend the nights of Hanukkah at his apartment, sharing dinner, and lighting the menorah. At first Jonah is sure that Aaron is going to start proselytizing, but he doesn't, and Jonah gets confused at how comfortable he feels around Aaron even though he's totally not his type.

Does Jonah learn who he is and what he is? Can he reconcile his sexuality and his religion? More importantly, can he find the person for him in the unlikeliest place? This was a really good story about faith and love and the many forms it can take. I definitely enjoyed it.

NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews.

[Serena Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

It never ceases to amaze me how several of the major world religions are exclusive to the point of banning love between two people just because that love doesn't conform to their idea of "what is right". The scriptures they use to justify their positions are often ancient history, and contain many more tenets no longer adhered to - yet the ones about whom we are supposed to love remain in force. Luckily, not everyone is so short-sighted, otherwise we truly would all still be stuck in the dark ages!

Jonah experiences the full effect of rejection of who he is at his core in this story, and ends up being so conflicted he can no longer relate to his devoutly Jewish parents. Even worse, when he meets Aaron, a man he is very interested in, he cannot easily relate to him either, even though Aaron has managed to find a reform synagogue that is more tolerant. For Jonah, anything to do with the faith he was raised in has now been tainted. How sad is that?

Aaron had lost his faith, just like Jonah, had left his home and parents behind at some point, just the same way as Jonah. The one difference is that he also lost his parents before he could reconcile, and that set him on a different path. He is a few years older, so he has had the time to think things through and find his spot in faith and in life.

While these two have a long way to go, Hanukkah brings them close enough together to see that there is something worth pursuing between them. Maybe they can figure it out - I certainly hope so. One thing is certain: Jonah stands a better chance of healing with Aaron's help than on his own!

If you like stories about conflicted men struggling to find a way to be complete, if you like reading about the beauty of Hanukkah and what it can mean to someone who is open to its miracles, and if you're looking for a short, sweet story with a winter holiday theme, then you will probably like this short story.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas may be the larger footprint in the snow during December, but Hanukkah is the brighter one during the eight days of the Festival of Lights. To a confused college freshman deciding which to celebrate and with whom comes down to a question of the heart in this cute holiday tale.

Penn State freshman Jonah Stern has had it with being Jewish, especially during Hanukkah which celebrates the Jew's triumph over the Greeks. Jonah, a gay man, thinks it's hypocritical of him to honor the Jews who despise homosexuality over a civilization that accepted it. This holiday season the shy, introverted Jonah has promised himself that he will find a blond-haired, blue-eyed guy to celebrate Christmas with.

But when he stops by an 24/7 convenience store and witnesses two bullies taunting a man wearing a yarmulke, Jonah steps in to help Aaron Blumberg fight them off. After they successfully get rid of the bullies, graduate student Aaron invites Jonah over for dinner on the first night of Hanukkah. So begins a friendship and potential romantic relationship that the ambivalent Jonah both yearns for and dreads.

Read the rest of my review at The Romance Reviews: http://glbt.theromancereviews.com/vie...

[Katy Beth Mckee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonah feels he has chosen his sexuality over his religion because he doesn't think it is possible to have both. He's sure he knows what he looking for but meeting up with Aaron is really messing with his convictions to put his faith behind him. Have a son that feels the same way despite our acceptance really makes this story even more meaningful.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved that this story was about Hanukkah rather than Christmas. I actually learned stuff! So, that was completely refreshing, although the learning did take away from the romance a bit. There was a bit of a sense of foreboding throughout it to me. Like Jonah would hightail it out of there because he was so torn about trying to reconcile his religion and his sexuality.

I loved Aaron's character and the infinite amount of patience he had with Jonah. The end felt like more of an HFN rather than an HEA just because I don't have a lot of confidence in Jonah just yet.

[Mandy*reads obsessively* · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*
“He might be in a bar with standing room only, but he was on his own.”

This is how Jonah has felt his whole life, he doesn't fit.
When he realized he was gay and couldn't reconcile it with his Jewish faith and his parents reaction only confirmed that, he left for college and is sort of drifting.
A chance meeting or maybe not so chance, maybe it is bashert, he meets a young man Aaron, a man of strong faith.
Aaron invites Jonah over every evening for Hanukkah.
I liked how this confused Jonah even more, he couldn't believe having both or maybe being both was possible. But there is Aaron, a shining example of just that.
I loved Aaron and would have enjoyed this story more if I could have gotten a peek at his POV and maybe just a few more pages of this story. What happens now? So many questions left for me.

[Chris, the Dalek King · Rating 3 out of 5]

Today the Jewish people celebrated Hanukkah as a season of lights, exchanging gifts and lighting a unique eight-branched candelabrum called a menorah. Jonah, haunted by the ghost of Hanukkah past, felt he had nothing to celebrate. This year, all he wanted for Hanukkah was a chance to embrace Christmas.

Jonah–-Joe-–wants nothing more than to forget his Jewish heritage. If only because he can no longer reconcile the Jewish Jonah with the gay Joe. And since he feels he can’t be Jonah without losing part of himself, Joe chooses to walk away.

He can’t walk away from Aaron. Not when Aaron’s being bullied in the market. Not when Aaron asks him ‘round for dinner. And most definitely not when Aaron reveals that he too is gay. Aaron seemed to have done what Joe could never do: reconcile both halves of himself, seeing himself as a good Jewish gay man.

There is no denying that they are attracted to each other, but can Joe go into a relationship knowing that his partner has embraced his Jewishness, and can he find a place where he might just be able to reclaim some of his heritage without losing himself?

I always make a point of picking up a few Hanukkah stories each year. I love learning about how different cultures celebrate at this time of year, and there is just something about the depth of honored tradition in the celebration of Hanukkah that I find intriguing. The same prayers and thanksgivings, echoed over and over, over so many centuries, is something I am awed by. The depth of intention to keep such a tradition alive is breathtaking. Coming from a world where everything must be new and now and more–-this is a foreign concept. Even for an ex-Christian girl like me. I think I’ve never felt that depth of connection when I was religious, and I’m a tad bit in awe of it, and not a little jealous.

The way that this history, and the retelling of it in this story, was handled, left a lot to be desired. There were times where I couldn’t escape the feeling that I was being lectured at. Not told a story. And while I adore learning new things in the stories I read, I want that history to have some emotional connection to the character telling it. I just couldn’t understand why Jonah, who clearly had some pretty strong emotions connected to his heritage–-even if they were not ones he particularly enjoyed–felt like he was reciting lines. Maybe if the author had connected that knowledge to an event in Jonah’s past, or let us see parts of Jonah that existed before he became just an average Joe, it would have connected me to the story better.

I really liked Aaron and Jonah together. I liked that Aaron challenged Jonah to see past his belief that he could not be both Jewish and gay. I grew up with the idea of ‘unequal yoking’–-basically the belief that it is bad idea for a religious person to get into a relationship with someone not sharing their faith–-so I totally get why Jonah felt so torn about being with Aaron. Aaron had embraced his faith totally, and Jonah, at least at the beginning, would like nothing more than to forget his. Getting together, with such differences, could cause problems for them both–but if they actually work at it, I think they’ll see that not everything has to sync in a relationship. That sometimes growing can come from all different directions.

While this story had an interesting premise, I could never really find and keep a connection with the characters. Jonah seemed equal parts blasé and entrenched in his Jewish beliefs, which was confusing. Aaron, who we don’t get a lot of time with, comes off as lacking a bit of that third dimension. And, well, I am still not sure why and English major, like Jonah, would be so shocked by the term “grammar Nazi.” It probably isn’t the first time he’s heard it, and the way it came across was like it was something that someone believed he should be offended by, and not something that actually would offend him. Maybe it makes perfect sense to him, but because we never get a connection to his past, it feels like just a forced piece of writing to prove that he is Jewish.

The downside to short stories is that so much has to be cut out to confine the story into the plot. This story could never quite break out of the plot structure to give us a story with real feeling, and a real emotional connection. It would be interesting to see where Jonah goes from here, though. I was never able to reconcile myself with my Christianity, but maybe Jonah might be able to get the heart of his Jewish heritage back without it costing him himself in the process. 2.5 stars.


This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.

[Deeze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short and kinda cute but didn't really do much for me.

[Tamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story up to a point, but I found the extensive description of aspects of the Jewish faith a little off-putting when reading about someone who is trying to hook-up. I understand that the point of the story was to show the conflict Jonah was experiencing being a gay Jewish man, but the details seemed to out weigh the actual conflict. I would have liked to learn more about Jonah.

[Anke · Rating 2 out of 5]

This blurb is an absolute muddle.

The story itself was better, but sadly I couldn't connect with any of the MCs.

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bashert (Heartwarming - 2013 Advent Calendar)" by Gale Stanley is a beautiful short love story about a gay Jewish boy whose ambiguous attitude towards his faith complicates his choice of partner.
Set around Hannukah and Christmas, Jonah wonders how best to find the right soulmate and who or what that person should be.
This is a great holiday read with wonderful thoughts about love, relationships, deal-breakers and what is important in life.
A heart-warming story.

[Secretly Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This new adult story is about one college student’s exploration of his Jewish faith and his homosexuality. Stories of faith are always difficult to pull off in my opinion and this one did an adequate job using Hanukkah to do so. I did like that both Jonah, the lead, and Aaron were young men of the same age and had more in common than just wanting to get laid.
*review copy provided by publisher*

[Rachel Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked having a Jewish Hanukkah story to read in this collection. I had a Jewish boyfriend and I celebrated Hanukkah with him and his family, so I had a general idea about the holiday. At times this seemed a bit too...preachy? About Judaism and the holiday, I dunno. Still, I liked the characters and the pace of this story.

[Suze · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, interesting read.
I learned the origins of Hanukah and the meaning of Bashert. I enjoyed the early interactions between Jonah and Aaron - the Hanukah lights, the conversations, the gentle dating!
A very quick read, but compact and complete.

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars - While this was a feel good tale I felt like I was in Jewish Sunday school. It was interesting to learn about Hanukkah but the preachy tone distanced me from the characters and the story and I never really felt a connection.

[Meggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story is weird. Jonah was to depressing and Aaron just someone who was available. Anyway, this story was truly to boring!

[Zane Kage · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Elizabeth Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short but sweet....and oh, so many FEELS! :)