The Jerusalem Assassin – Discussion Points for Book Clubs

The Jerusalem Assassin – a novel by Avraham Azrieli*

www.AzrieliBooks.com

The Jerusalem Assassin – Discussion Points for Book Clubs

• Why would is be so terrible if Rabin lost the elections?
  • Elie and Rabin have two different plans for Rabin’s upcoming election. How do their plans represent their characters?
• Why is Abraham Gerster so interested in the young extremist group?
• What does Lemmy feel his true purpose is, that allows him to drop his old life and take on a new one so convincingly?
  • Does he see himself as Elie’s spy and nothing else?
• Why does Elie not reveal to Batsheba and Gideon that he has another spy (Lemmy) working with them?
  • Why did Elie not allow Lemmy to know that Christopher was backing him up (i.e. watching over him)?
  • Is the safety of Israel and the Jewish people really Elie’s main motivator? Or are his own achievements and power the motive?
• Why does Elie laugh when Rabin is assassinated? Wasn’t he the one who proposed a fake assassination?
• Do you think Lemmy will continue with Elie’s Counter Final Solution now that he is President of the bank?
  • Will Abraham and Tanya be able to convince him otherwise?
  • Will Lemmy be able to fully accept who his father really is, not only his position in Neturay Karta, but also who he is as a person?
    • How will Abraham, Tanya, and Lemmy fit into each other’s lives now? What will Tanya’s relationship be with Abraham after seducing Lemmy?
  • Does Abraham regret his involvement with Elie or does he believe that he made the right choices, and just regrets how he handled Lemmy and his late wife?
  • Gideon is often urged by Tanya to return home and resume a normal life, mostly for his mother’s sake. Should a son/daughter choose the life that will satisfy his/her parents or cause them less worry? Or the life that will bring he/she the most satisfaction?
    • Lemmy followed in Abraham’s path without knowing it. It is inevitable that a child will follow a similar path as their parents?
      • How are Lemmy and Abraham similar or different? Their lives?
    • In the novel, the threat to Israel from within the state almost seems as great as the threat from outside. Is this the case today?
      • How have the goals and the struggles of Israel changed?

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About the Author*: Avraham Azrieli, a graduate of Columbia Law School in New York City, tried many complex court cases before publishing his first novel, The Masada Complex (a political thriller) in 2010. A full-time author since then, his other books include the Israeli spy novels The Jerusalem Inception and The Jerusalem Assassin, as well as Christmas for Joshua (a family drama dealing with interfaith conflicts), The Mormon Candidate (a political thriller), Thump (a courtroom drama featuring sexual harassment and racism) and The Bootstrap Ultimatum (a mystery involving the commercialization of Memorial Day). He also authored Your Lawyer on a Short Leash (a guide to dealing with lawyers) and One Step Ahead (a WWII biography, which inspired the musical By Wheel and by Wing). www.AzrieliBooks.com