Uri Full of Light

by Holly Sortland

  Table of Contents

  Uri Full of Light

  By | Holly Sortland

  Acknowledgements

  Dedication | To my amazing husband and family for helping me on this journey: | Eric, Cisco, Auggie, Lily & Pearl

  In the Beginning | Western South Dakota 1996

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  Part II | Israel, the Second Intifada: 2000-2001 | “

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  Part III | South Dakota & Pennsylvania: 2001-2019

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  Glossary of Hebrew/Yiddish Terms

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  About the Author

  Uri Full of Light

  By

  Holly Sortland

  URI FULL OF LIGHT BY HOLLY SORTLAND

  Kindle Direct Publishing

  Seattle, Washington, United States

  ISBN: 979-8-63628-780-3

  Copyright © 2020 Holly Sortland

  Cover design by Covera Book

  Available in print from your local bookstore, online, or from the author at: authorhollysortland@gmail.com

  All rights reserved. Non-Commercial interests may reproduce portions of this without expression written permission of the author, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words. When producing text from this book, include the following credit line “Uri Full of Light by Holly Sortland, used by permission.”

  Commercial interests: No parts of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form in any means—electronic, photocopy, recording or otherwise—without prior written permission of the author, except as provided by the United States of America copyright law.

  This is a work of fiction. Names and characters are all products of the author’s imagination and are used for fictional purposes. Any mentioned brand names, places, or trademarks remain property of their respective owners, bear no association with the author, and are used for fictional purposes only. Any character(s) in the book who share the name(s) or attributes of another person—living or dead—is by coincidence only.

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Cataloging-in Publication Data

  Sortland, Holly

  Uri Full of Light/Holly Sortland First Edition

  Printed in the United States of America

  Acknowledgements

  My best friend, KT, tells me that Judaism follows me around. She has a point. Much like the character in this book, Hannah, I grew up in a secular household in Western South Dakota, yet for some inexplicable reason I have been drawn to Judaism most of my life. In college, I attended a synagogue in Minneapolis and briefly thought about conversation. But life led me in other directions, and here I am—two decades and four kids later—finally ready to immerse myself in everything Jewish.

  In January of 2019, I awoke one morning with the idea that I absolutely had to visit Israel. A week later, I booked the trip. Ten months later, my friend KT and I ventured across the world and spent two glorious weeks there. When I boarded the return flight home, I knew I would be back. And I pray in the years to come, I will be back in Jerusalem, praying again at the Western Wall.

  This book was inspired by many people I need to thank. First and foremost, my loving and patient husband, Eric. He encouraged me, advised me, and didn’t divorce me, even when I angrily rebutted his suggested edits. Thank you, dear husband, for loving me in spite of my flaws.

  I must thank my children: Cisco, Auggie, Lily, and Pearl. They patiently listened to portions of my writing and offered suggestions to make it more exciting. I especially want to thank Lily, a budding writer herself, who, at eleven years old, wisely suggested that I use a thesaurus.

  I owe a huge debt of gratitude to DM, a remarkable Jewish woman who advised me on my characters and Jewish culture and spent hours of her time helping me shape the characters and their experiences. Likewise, I need to thank the wonderful Rabbi Stuart Federow, who, like DM, performed a great mitzvah in advising me on this work. I want to thank Tanya Manus who read the first portion of this work and offered me sound advice. I need to thank Jennifer Murgia, editor extraordinaire, Samer Siam for helping me with Arabic, and all of those who agreed to read and review this book before publication. I also thank Megan Kinney, a talented writer who inspired me to get this story down on paper. And I thank Megan’s late brother, Patrick, the inspiration for the character Uri. Ironically, as I was finishing this book, Megan informed me that her maternal grandmother is Jewish. I didn’t know it at the time, but Patrick, my first love in high school and from whom the character Uri was born, had a Jewish maternal grandmother. (You see, KT was right!)

  I must note that while this book is a work of fiction, an incident later in the book is loosely based on a story told to me by my Israeli tour guide, Elad Vazana, a former IDF soldier. Today, Elad works tirelessly to bring peace between young Israelis and Palestinians. If you have the pleasure of visiting Israel, I highly recommend hiring Elad as your tour guide. His stories will change your life. You can learn more about his work at www.tour4change.com.

  I also thank David from Cover A Book who patiently worked with me as I added several changes to make a beautiful book design. And I thank KT Thompson, my birthday twin, amazing artist, and musician, who wholeheartedly supported this crazy endeavor.

  Some terms in this book may be unfamiliar, so I have included a Hebrew/Yiddish Glossary at the end.

  Like all of us, the characters in this book are flawed and beautiful people. I hope their stories stay in your heart. I give thanks to HaShem (the Hebrew name for G-d[1]) for placing this story on my soul and putting the right people in my life at the right time to make this publication a reality. Baruch HaShem!

  Dedication

  To my amazing husband and family for helping me on this journey:

  Eric, Cisco, Auggie, Lily & Pearl

  In loving memory of my late father, Chris, and millions of others who die each year awaiting organ transplants.

  And in memory of PRG. Blue Skies.

  Part I:

  In the Beginning

  Western South Dakota 1996

  "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon man, and he slept, and He closed the flesh in its place.

  And the Lord God built the side that he had taken from man into a woman, and he brought her to man." -Genesis (Bereishit) 2:21-22

  1

  Eighteen-year-old Hannah Hagen met Uri Geller at a football game. It was not a Friday night game. Friday night was Shabbat.

  Hannah heard of Uri and knew of Uri. It was hard not to, as he was one of the only Jewish students in her school.

  “Urine the Jew!” she heard some of the boys cruelly mock him in the hallways.

  Uri wore a little circular, crocheted cap on the top of his head, which Hannah found fascinating. Aside from his cap, h
e dressed like the other students and blended in well with the crowd. Feeling sorry for him when the jocks of the halls teased him, Hannah went out of her way once to say hello and give him a smile.

  But on this weeknight game, Hannah found herself especially drawn to Uri. She sat three rows behind him to his left on the bleachers along with her best friend, Faith.

  Uri sat behind a group of jocks; the boys who didn’t play football but were involved in some other sport. He sat next to a boy named Daniel, another Jewish student, though he didn't wear a circular cap like the one Uri wore each day.

  It was a chilly September night, the air damp after an evening rainstorm, and Hannah and Faith shared a blanket. The boys in front of Uri wore what appeared to be matching uniforms. They sported zipped hoodies and kept their hands in their pockets for warmth. None of them wore mittens or gloves, despite the cold temperature. Uri also wore a zipped hoodie along with a baseball hat that covered his small Jewish cap.

  What drew Hannah’s attention to Uri on this evening was when an especially obnoxious student, Gregory Moorehouse, repeatedly knocked Uri’s hat from his head to reveal his kippah, shouting “Jew cap, Jew cap!” each time he did it.

  Uri was lightning quick. Each time Greg took the hat, Uri grabbed it back in a second, even when Greg stood up to try to keep it out of his reach.

  “Greg is such a creep,” said Faith, interrupting Hannah’s focus on Uri.

  “Yeah, he is,” Hannah agreed as she watched Greg take Uri’s hat again.

  Just as Hannah prepared herself to confront Greg, Uri grabbed Greg’s wrist and pulled him down a bleacher onto Uri’s level. Fearing a fight, Hannah's adrenaline increased.

  “Crap,” said Faith. “Something’s going down!”

  They watched as Uri pulled Greg closer to his face and whispered something in his ear. The color in Greg’s face drained. When Uri released his grip, Greg fell backwards onto the bleachers, his face turning a blotchy red with embarrassment.

  Uri looked in Hannah's direction and caught her staring at him. She offered him an awkward, close lipped smile as he fixed his hat. She noticed the color of his hair—wavy and dark golden blond—complemented by his dark brown, almond shaped eyes. He held eye contact with her for a moment, gave her a short nod, and sat down. Greg continued to hurl curse words at Uri, but he was unaffected, refusing to look in his direction.

  The jocks carried on drinking their sodas, watching the cheerleaders, and throwing popcorn at the group of kids in front of them.

  Hannah could not take her eyes off Uri. He laughed with Daniel and some other students, keeping his hands in his pockets the entire evening, unlike the others around him, who continued to throw popcorn and blow spitballs.

  Hannah, a born extrovert, turned to Faith and said, “That Uri kid is kind of cute.”

  Faith flashed her a questioning look, raising her wide eyebrows that complimented her green eyes.

  “Uri? The Jewish kid?” she responded loudly, causing Hannah to move closer to her.

  “Shh!” said Hannah, lowering her voice. “Yes, the Jewish kid. Have you ever really looked at him? He has nice eyes. And I think the whole Jewish thing is kind of cool.”

  “Cool?” Faith responded with disbelief. “You know they don’t believe in Jesus.”

  “So what?” said Hannah. “I don’t know if I believe in Jesus either."

  Faith shrugged.

  “It doesn’t matter, anyway. My mom says Jews don’t go to Hell. God has a special place for them because they’re chosen.”

  “Chosen?” Hannah repeated.

  “Yeah, Father Mike told her that.”

  The youngest of six children, Faith grew up in a devoutly Catholic household. Hannah dreaded staying at her house on Saturday nights, forced to attend long, boring masses with Faith and her family.

  “I think I’m going to talk to him,” said Hannah, staring intently at the intriguing Jewish boy.

  “Now?” asked Faith, "In front of all of those guys?”

  “No, after the game.”

  “What are you going to say?”

  “I don't know. I'll think of something.”

  She continued to focus on Uri for the rest of the game, as Faith talked with a group of friends beside them. Her infatuation grew as the minutes passed.

  Finally, when the fourth quarter ended, Hannah’s pulse raced. She hadn’t been paying attention to the game and checked the scoreboard to see that their team lost by 14 points.

  "Hey, Hansen!" One of the jocks yelled to a player on the field. "You're supposed to CATCH the ball!"

  The player, who Hannah could only identify as number 22, flashed his middle finger back to the jock in the stands.

  As the crowd made their way off the bleachers, Uri glanced behind him and caught Hannah staring again. Embarrassed, she tried to act natural, quickly looking away and pretending to be in a conversation with Faith.

  "He just saw me looking at him,” Hannah said, unnerved.

  “Well now you have to talk to him," replied Faith. “You know, I don’t think Jewish boys are even allowed to kiss.”

  “Did Father Mike tell your mom that, too?” Hannah shot back.

  She watched as Uri and his friends walked down the bleachers.

  “Come on, we have to catch him!” Hannah said, starting to make her way through the crowded stand.

  "Wait, let me grab my blanket!" Faith hollered with annoyance.

  Hannah picked up her pace, dragging her friend along behind her. When they arrived on the pavement, she watched as Uri gave Daniel a handshake and high five before breaking away from the group.

  Then compulsive Hannah did what she was notoriously known for when she was anxious. She let her mouth take over.

  “Hey Uri!” she yelled. “Uri!”

  He stopped walking and turned around, unsure of who was calling his name.

  Hannah picked up her pace.

  “Uri!” she called again. As she ran closer to him, she realized he was taller than she expected.

  “Yes?” he said with a friendly expression. His olive cheeks reddened, highlighting his shining complexion.

  Stunned by his good looks, Hannah was uncharacteristically shy and unsure of what to say next. Faith nudged her back into reality.

  “I just wanted to say that you handled that jerk well tonight," she said, catching her breath.

  “Who?” he asked.

  “You know, Greg—the kid who kept taking your hat.”

  “Oh,” Uri said. “Yeah, I’m used to it.”

  “What did you tell him?” she asked.

  "What are you talking about?" Uri responded, teasing her.

  "We saw you whisper something to him! What was it?"

  "I can't tell you that," he said very seriously.

  "What?" Hannah tried to sound exacerbated. "Come on, tell us!"

  He paused for a moment, as if he were discerning whether they could be trusted.

  “I told him about the horns," he finally said.

  “Horns?”

  “Yeah, you know, the horns we Jews grow on our heads.”

  Hannah looked at him silently, unsure of what to say.

  “You don’t know anything about Jews, do you?” Uri asked her, shyly smiling himself now.

  “Actually, I’m part Jewish,” she lied. Lying was another of Hannah’s compulsions when she was anxious.

  “No, you’re not!” Faith butted in.

  “Yeah, I am,” Hannah glared at Faith and continued with her lie. "On my dad’s side. He had a Jewish aunt.”

  “Ah,” said Uri. “Then you’re really not Jewish. A real Jew must have a Jewish mother.”

  A car pulled up and honked. Hannah could make out an older man in the driver's seat, wearing the same type of circular hat that Uri wore.

  “I have to go, but it’s nice to know a bit of your family history, Hannah.”

  He grinned at her, revealing a slight gap between his two upper teeth.

  “Hey!” she hollere
d to him as he walked away.

  “How did you know my name?”

  He turned around to look at her, flashing the same gapped tooth smile.

  “Because it’s a nice Jewish girl’s name!” he exclaimed.

  Hannah stood in wonderment as she watched them drive away.

  “He knows my name!” she shrieked in excitement to Faith. “How does he know my name?”

  “Don’t all you Jews know each other?” Faith answered sarcastically.

  Hannah rolled her eyes. Eager to get home, she planned to research everything she could about the Jewish people.

  They walked to Faith's car, kicking up leaves and gravel along the way. For the first time in a longtime, Hannah felt a tingling sensation in her stomach. For the first time in a long time, she felt like something was about to change in her life.

  Smiling, she took Faith by the hand. Like giddy little girls, they skipped their way to the car.

  2

  The first time Uri Geller noticed Hannah Hagen was on a Friday—his first week at a non-Hebrew school, a few days before the football game. He was a world away from his home neighborhood in Bala Cynwyd, an Orthodox community in Philadelphia. Home to thousands of Jewish families, it was where Uri attended an all boys' school for most of his life.

  At age seventeen, Uri experienced culture shock in this first secular, co-ed setting. Another Jewish student, Daniel Baker, agreed to show Uri the ropes in the overcrowded, unfamiliar school. Daniel's family practiced Reform Judaism; a practice far more liberal than Uri's Orthodox faith. But they shared the same synagogue, the only one in the city. It was not at all ideal for the Geller family, but for a city of only 69,000 people, it was their only option. While the Bakers and Gellers attended different services, the boys socialized at occasional faith gatherings.

  Daniel enjoyed introducing his new friend to the vices of the secular world, advising him on everything there was to know about high school. He offered Uri a detailed description of the peer caste system, which included the losers, nerds, theater geeks and goth kids. He pointed out the potheads, the hardcore druggies, the Christians, the jocks, and of course, the popular kids.