A Very Great Rebel

Those who recognize YU alumnus Chananya Weissman's name are probably most familiar with the organization EndTheMadness, which he founded, and his Jewish Press op-eds. Many more will soon be acquainted with him as a published author. His soon to be released work of historical fiction, A Very Great Rebel - a novel that required significant research and creativity - tells the story of an influential American Jew when few knew there were Jews on this continent.

Set in Savannah, GA, during colonial times (1733-1791), A Very Great Rebel paints a unique picture of Mordecai Sheftall, who became the highest ranking military official during the American Revolution. According to extensive research on the topic, Weissman describes the life of Sheftall who was personally responsible for outfitting supplies to the Continental troops of the South.

The novel is divided into two parts. The first deals with the establishment of Georgia as a colony for British ex-convicts. As the novel elucidates, the colony experienced a near collapse first because of a plague and then because of a war with Spanish colonists.

In addition, the author pays special attention the relationship between the British settlers and Native Americans in the Southeast. In fact, this is how the book opens - with an in-depth scene describing the interaction between the colonists and Native Americans. The Georgia settlement is in breach of the South Carolina treaty. As a result, Native American chieftains oppose the colony, but a treaty is negotiated which requires London ratification. One of the heads of the newly created colony invites the most senior chieftain to a visit in London. A good deal of the book deals with this visit and the ramifications caused by it.

The second portion of Weissman's novel revolves almost entirely around Sheftall. After a decorated career, officials finally recognize Sheftall's heroic military acts. However, just as Sheftall reaches acclaim, he and his teenage son are captured by the British during the storied fall of Savannah. Father and son are subsequently imprisoned under harsh conditions for two years.

The novel features several storylines. In one, readers are treated to a discussion of the rise and fall of political powers in the years directly before the American Revolution. Several colorful characters such as Creek leader Tomochichi, colony leader James Oglethorpe and Georgia Governor James Wright are used by Weissman to describe the complex nature of the early building-block years of America. However, the primary story told in the novel belongs to Mordecai Sheftall and his historic family. Sheftall's father, Benjamin, was among the first Jewish settlers in Savannah. Benjamin Sheftall's sons, Levi and Mordecai, carry over their father's legacy into their own lives, each in his own particular way.

As one online reviewer has already commented, "By imagining this family's experience against the epic backdrop of the historical developments and other personal narratives that comprise this tale, the author hopes to provide readers with a better understanding of little-known or overlooked history." Although some have criticized that Weissman does not develop his characters sufficiently, any further ink dedicated to the many personalities in the novel would detract from the author's intentions. Indeed, Weissman's work of historical fiction is meant to address the socio-political climate in Georgia before the Revolution, not the semi-fictional characters described.

The only exception, of course, is Mordecai Sheftall, the very great rebel.

To this writer, the most crucial aspect of Weissman's novel is not the various storylines themselves or the character development. Rather, when readers become cognizant that there was some sort of Jewish life before the German and Eastern European Jews immigrated at the onset of last century, they will be exposed to the most vital component this work has to offer.