The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis - A Review

The Ladies’ Auxiliary, Tova Mirvis’ debut novel takes place within the small, tight-knit Orthodox community of Memphis, Tennessee. The community’s roots go back generations. Everyone knows everyone else and are very proud of the strong and vibrant Jewish life they have been able to maintain in such a small community. The book opens with the arrival of Batsheva and her young daughter, Ayala. Right from the get-go, we get the sense that Batsheva does not fit the mold of the community. No sooner has she arrived then the women of the neighborhood try to find out whatever they can about her. We learn that she was married to Ben Jacobs who had grown up in Memphis, that he died in a tragic accident and that Batsheva relocated to Memphis so she could start over and create a Jewish life full of memories for Ayala that she did not have as someone who chose to become Jewish as an adult. The fact of Batsheva’s conversion comes up frequently throughout the novel and lends her a very different and refreshing perspective on Jewish law, spirituality and practice. Her exuberance and interest is noticed by the other women who at first just did not know what to make of her. Her interest and outlook begins to affect others as the novel progresses, whether it is the increased desire to learn Torah by the other women or the joy and connection they experienced at Batsheva’s Rosh Chodesh celebration.

Batsheva stands out in yet another way. She is a painter. She is eventually hired to teach the high school girls in the community art, as it became apparent that the girls were in desperate need of a creative outlet, something more exciting than the normal school routine. Batsheva is enormously successful in her new role and begins to serve as not merely a teacher, but also a trusted confidant for the girls in the community. Indeed, it takes an outsider such as Batsheva to unearth the underlying tensions, questions, doubts and concerns harbored by many of the girls in the community. At the very heart of the novel is this underlying tension and the women of the community’s desire to do all they can to return the community to the way things used to be.

Given Batsheva’s background, it is difficult for many of the women of the community to relate to her. Her presence in many ways upends the communal dynamic. In Naomi Eisenberg and Mimi, the rabbi’s wife, Batsheva finds true and genuine friendship while women such as Mrs. Levy, who feels it is her particular task to make sure all is right with the community and is guilt stricken over the decision of her children to leave Memphis takes every opportunity to spread lashon hara, forbidden gossip about her whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Although Batsheva may not be having much luck befriending the women, their daughters see in her the first teacher to whom they felt a genuine bond of friendship. The girls are able to tell Batsheva confidences they would never dream of telling their mothers and ask her questions about religion that were previously taboo, things not to be discussed. This worries the women deeply. What, after all, is the point of all of the hard work put into maintaining a Jewish life if Batsheva’s arrival is only going to cause the children to go astray, many? If the girls begin to question Orthodoxy and tradition, what is left?

Through Batsheva, Tova Mirvis is able to explore what happens to individuals and communities when the desire to fit the mold, to fit in and not question is paramount, leaving no room for individuality and individual expression. This comes to a head when Shira, one of the girls who had always had a rebellious streak runs away with an older, non-Jewish boyfriend. The struggles of Yosef, the only and beloved son of the Rabbi are also an important prism through which to explore the tension between religion and the outside world.

Although the Ladies Auxiliary takes place within a small southern Jewish community, its underlying themes and concerns are relevant to women and men of all backgrounds. At its core, this is a novel about friendship, love and the bonds that bring a community together. It is also about what we hide from others, what we do not see, though we might have known someone all our lives. It is just as much about what is said, what is revealed as it is about what is concealed.

The rhythms of Jewish life and the annual holiday cycle are woven throughout the novel. I was particularly taken with how Tova Mirvis uses some of the Jewish holidays and their themes, particularly Purim and Shavuot, both of which, coincidentally feature strong heroines to shine a light on the ways in which the women treat Batsheva and others who do not fit the mold. I finished this book in two sittings and found it to be incredibly gripping and eye-opening. The characters are immensely relatable. I found myself relating in particular to Batsheva.

I purchased this novel and am very much looking forward to reading her most recent novel, “The Outside World”.