Rumspringa Kallah (Bride): A Contemporary Novel of Faith, Providence, Love and Redemption

A fine, scholarly 19 year old, Hasidic Jewish boy discovers the reason he isn't getting any decent marriage proposals is because he was adopted. Even worse, after investigating, he discovers he was born an illegitimate child, prohibiting him from marrying a natural born Jewish girl. By a series of (what he thinks to be) natural, but propitious events, he figures out he can find a bride who is as close to being a Hasidic natured girl as possible among the Christian Amish, who, if she converts in a special manner to Judaism will bear children who will not carry any stigma. The challenges he must overcome are 1. Portraying himself as an Amish boy from a distant Order, without compromising his true religious devotion, 2. Meeting a suitable Amish girl, who will fall in love with him and he for her, and 3. Subtly working on her to abandon belief in Christian theology and the New Testament and be willing to convert to Judaism. When he finds out about the Amish custom of Rumspringa, wherein Amish teens at age 16 are allowed to "run around", explore and try out lifestyles and behavior not acceptable in the post-baptism Amish community, he hatches his plan. It works out beyond his wildest dreams. The endeavor is laden with inexplicable Providence. It almost seems to him that being born an illegitimate child has turned into his greatest blessing. Besides a compelling and emotionally charged love story and spiritual enlightenment, the book contains cogent polemic arguments on Christian theology and the New Testament, but expressed in a respectful manner. It also contains serious unusual in depth treatment of Jewish Law concerning marriage and divorce. Last, The Rumspringa Kallah (Bride) also contains a mildly mystical secondary theme connecting events that took place during WWII with the contemporary theme of the story.