Utter Chaos

<p>Published in Germany in 1920 Sammy Gronemann's satirical novel set in 1903 at the time of the Sixth Zionist Congress follows the life of a baptized Jew Heinz Lehnsen as he negotiates legal entanglements German culture religious differences and Zionist aspirations. A chance encounter with a long-lost cousin from a shtetl in Russia further complicates the plot and challenges the characters' notions of Jewish identity and their belief in the claims of the Zionist movement. Gronemann's humor and compassion slyly expose the foibles and contradictions of human behavior. With deep insight into German society German-Jewish culture and antisemitism <i>Utter Chaos</i> paints a highly entertaining portrait of German Jews at the beginning of the twentieth century.</p>