Mitzvah
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On Yom Kippur, from an early age Alain Elkann gathers in the temple of Rue de la Victoire in Paris in the company of his father and fasts for a whole day. And it is in Paris that he still returns today when he wants to feel at home, when he feels the need to "be only the son of his father and his mother". But what does it mean to him to be Jewish today? Is coexistence and sincere dialogue with other religions possible? What is the future of Israel? Through Mitzvah, Elkann meditates on his relationship with Judaism and how it is essential to keep the family together thanks to the common thread of memory and the celebration of holidays.
K E Bättig Von Wittelsbach
Translated by
K.E. Bättig von Wittelsbach teaches in the Department of Romance Studies and the Jewish Studies Program at Cornell University. The focus of her work is Jewish Italy, and she regularly includes Alain Elkann's writings in her courses. Her previous translations for Bordighera Press include Elkann's novels Anita (2021), Nonna Carla (2023) and A Single Day (2024).
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