THE RABBINATE’S CHANGING FACE

CONSIDERED OPINION

NOMI KALTMANN COURTESY: TABLET MAGAZINE

As more Orthodox women, LGBTQI Jews and people of colour get ordained, rabbis reflect an increasingly diverse community

In North America, Rabbi Sandra Lawson had endured a gruelling process of applying and interviewing for numerous jobs at many different inclusive synagogues but had not yet been successful. However, after months of hard work, her final application really felt promising. As she edged closer to the finishing line, Lawson began seeing herself in the role she had applied for. As a queer, Black convert who had served in the military before being ordained through the Reconstructionist movement, she was used to shattering expectations of what “Jewish clergy” looked like. Still, the job was not to happen. The synagogue – which was presenting as inclusive and openminded – ultimately informed Lawson that they “could not hire a Black rabbi.”

This was the last straw for Lawson. “I only apply to progressive places and when the last congregation I applied to would not hire me, I was angry, hurt, and frustrated,” she said. “If I couldn’t get a job there because people couldn’t get over my colour, who was going to hire me?” With the feelings still fresh from this rejection, Lawson founded a community organisation called Kol HaPanim. “I wanted to create a community that speaks to people of colour,” she said, “so that it normalises people of colour being rabbis and cantors in the Jewish community.”

This organisation is helping to break down stigma and runs communityfocused activities, including monthly Shabbat services and events, as well as activities led by people, like Lawson, who identify as Jewish people of colour. “Most of my congregants are not Black, but they are going to hear a Black, Asian or brown person leading the service,” Lawson said. “This will help make it become normalised in the Jewish community and help to reduce racism, as their expectation of what a Jewish rabbi looks like changes.” In January 2021, she was also named the first director of racial diversity, equity and inclusion in the Reconstructionist movement.

Lawson is part of a new wave of rabbis coming from diverse backgrounds and actively helping to change the perception of what an American rabbi looks like. Over the past decade there has been a monumental shift, with the establishment of Orthodox female rabbinical schools as well as greater interest and enrolments in many rabbinical schools from traditionally marginalised communities. Many of these students and rabbis are helping to educate people on the diversity of the Jewish community, by being appointed into positions of leadership. As a result, the rabbinate is becoming increasingly diverse. “Judaism has evolved over the centuries,” said Lawson. “As our society becomes more accepting of queer people and newer faces entering the rabbinate [like Orthodox women] and more members of the LGBQTI community, you will see greater representation in leadership because the American Jewish community accepts these people as leaders.”

Among North American clergy students, perhaps one of the best known rabbinic fellowships is the Wexner Graduate Fellowship/ Davidson Scholars Program, which provides a generous financial stipend, mentorship opportunities, and an alumni list that has included some of America’s most prominent rabbis. Last year, the 33rd cohort of the fellowship reflected the increasing diversity of the American rabbinate. Out a total of 16 fellows, at least six belong to emerging groups that symbolise the diversity of people joining the rabbinate, namely Orthodox women, Jewish people of colour and members of the LGBQTI communities.

Jericho Vincent, a 2021 Wexner recipient who identifies as nonbinary, preferring the pronouns them and they, is a writer and lecturer. Vincent has enrolled in Aleph, the Jewish Renewal rabbinical school and thinks that the diversity of people seeking careers in the rabbinate is a natural shift. “Some people seem to have a hard time acknowledging it, but the Jewish community is varied and made up of many different segments,” they said. “There are Jewish people of colour; there are Jews who are members of the LGBTQI community; certainly not all people identify as cisgender males.”

The trend may be recent, Vincent said, but it has “ancient” roots: “The Jewish community has never been homogenous. We have written different sects and people out of the mainstream narratives. They never made it into the canon,” they said. “Today, as part of the new wave of rabbis joining the rabbinate from diverse backgrounds, we are coalescing and growing stronger and doing a tikkun. We are saying it is our inheritance and we all have a right and responsibility to engage with Judaism.”

According to Vincent, “it is an exciting time to be joining the rabbinate, as people are stepping up to fill the gaps of representation in our community. Many of our people need spiritual leadership and these new voices emerging have firsthand exposure to many of the issues that will affect their congregants.”

As one of the Wexner fellows, Vincent will enjoy activities with a supportive cohort of rabbinical students. Stefanie Zelkind, the director of the fellowship, said last year’s selection process was particularly competitive, with an especially large and diverse applicant pool. “The fellows’ commitment to exercising leadership in the North American Jewish community is, we believe, a cause for hope and optimism at a time when we need it more than ever.”

Another emerging area reflecting the shift in the American rabbinate is the increase in women seeking out careers as Orthodox female rabbis. When Yeshivat Maharat was founded in 2009, with the ordination of Rabba Sara Hurwitz, there was fierce backlash from some segments of the Orthodox community but also a growing sense of excitement that new roles for Orthodox women seeking positions as clergy were finally beginning in a new era. Rabba Rachel Kohl Finegold was part of the inaugural class of ordained women that graduated from Yeshivat Maharat in 2013. Today she works at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal, where she gives classes and sermons, officiates life cycle events and offers spiritual care, in addition to being responsible for all youth and education programs at the synagogue.

“The arrival of women in these religious leadership roles has been made possible by a confluence of factors,” Kohl Finegold said. These include the gradual opening of doors to deep text learning, the many manifestations of female Orthodox leadership, the encouragement of male allies and the boldness of women willing to see themselves in these roles. When Kohl Finegold entered the rabbinate there were fewer than 10 ordained Orthodox women globally. These days, the number is closer to 100. Her rabbinical school, Yeshivat Maharat, allows graduates to pick their own titles, with many opting for rabbanit or rabba.

Another rabbi reflecting the changing faces of the American rabbinate is Mike Moskowitz. Ordained in ultra-Orthodox yeshivas in Israel and America, Moskowitz still dresses in traditional Haredi rabbinic garb, complete with a black hat and beard. He held a variety of roles in the Orthodox community, including synagogue and campus rabbi and worked as a classroom rebbe and Talmud teacher in an ultra-Orthodox community. However, he started speaking out in favour of LGBTQI and trans rights when someone close to him transitioned. The pushback from his Haredi community was swift. He lost his job and livelihood. For a while he was even unemployed, before he was appointed as the scholar-in-residence for trans and queer Jewish studies at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a nondenominational LGBQTI synagogue in New York.

Moskowitz says that due to his unique background and affiliation with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, as well as his activism, he attracts people from ultra-Orthodox communities who pepper him with questions. “A lot of ultraOrthodox guys who are struggling with their gender and sexual identity reach out to me to ask advice,” he said. “I also receive ‘off-the-record’ referrals from ultra-Orthodox rabbis and even rosh yeshivas from Haredi communities. The rabbis reach out and ask if they can send people, often young boys who are struggling with sexual or gender identity, to me.”

According to Moskowitz, “it turns out, lots of young people who are exploring their gender identity or sexuality have similar questions to straight people. They just need to feel safe and be able to find someone they can trust to advise them on relationships and dating.”

The changing face of the rabbinate

RABBINIC THOUGHT

RABBI LEVI WOLFF CHIEF MINISTER THE CENTRAL SYNAGOGUE

Earlier this month, Commonwealth countries along with the entire world marvelled at the pageantry and procession surrounding the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, marking seventy years since her ascension to the British throne.

Photographs taken at the Trooping the Colour ceremony showcased The Firm’s line of succession with the sovereign standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace flanked by her eldest son Prince Charles, his son Prince William and in turn, his young son Prince George amongst other family members. Living history.

Just like within the royal family, the Jewish story began in a wonderfully woven fashion with our heritage and lineage passed down from one generation to the next: an unbroken chain spanning thousands of years.

From the very beginning of our history; there has always been a large emphasis on the passing down of our lessons and legacy: “This is the story of Isaac, the son of Abraham,” … who fathered Jacob, who in turn fathered the twelve tribes. And so it went on.

This dynamic is rhythmic until we reach the Torah portion outlining the offspring of our first High Priest, Aaron and our prophet, Moses. We learn about Aaron’s children, yet barely a word about Moses’ physical progeny.

We know they were named Gershom and Eliezer; we know one of their sons was dramatically circumcised by their mother, Zipporah, whilst with Moses, en route back to Egypt where he intended to free the Israelites from slavery.

At first glance all so mysterious and perplexing.

Indeed, sparse information exists about Moses’ sons. Their life story is historically captured more by what they did not do in life, rather than what they accomplished, taught or learnt.

In Jewish tradition, the mantle of leadership is traditionally handed from father to son. When Aaron passed away, he was succeeded by his son Elazar; when King David passed away, he was succeeded by his son, Shlomo.

Yet when it came to our venerated greatest of all time (yes, our G.O.A.T) - Moshe Rabbeinu - he was not succeeded by one of his sons, rather he selected his student, Joshua, a charismatic and strategic warrior. Why did his children not inherit his noble legacy?

One answer given is that the Torah is the domain of every Jew. It is not something for Moses to only bequeath to his sons, there is no place for nepotism in teaching Torah, but for every Jewish father and mother to bestow it onto their own children.

Prince Charles is the automatic heir apparent to the British throne. Yes, in our tradition it is true that familial ties bind: when you are born into a family of Kohanim, you are a Kohen. But when it comes to Torah - that is an inheritance that belongs to the entire Jewish people equally, not just to Moses' family, but rather a gift for every parent to bequeath to their own children. “Torah tziva lanu Moses, morasha kehillat Yaakov,” The Torah that Moses commanded us - this is the inheritance, O community of Yaakov – these are the first words a Jewish child traditionally learns from a parent.

This is inspirational but equally reminds us of the tremendous responsibility we each possess. Each one of us can seek and source our own Torah treasures – it is all accessible and available daily. We have each been bestowed a great privilege and mission, resulting in a powerful purpose – G-d believes in us all to uncover the depths and teachings of His Torah.

Moses’ children: the line of succession

Lifting the veil

RABBI MOSHE D. GUTNICK RABBINIC ADMINISTRATOR THE KASHRUT AUTHORITY

Sometimes we allow fear to perniciously alter what we consciously know to be true and it can manifest and become so pervasive, it can lead us completely astray. This scenario played out in real time back in the epoch of the Israelites when they were on the threshold of entering the Promised Land.

Moshe Rabbeinu dispatched twelve spies, one from each tribe, to map out the Land of Israel. Their task was to locate weak defence positions, identify sources of food and water and in general assess the topography, all to enable the fastest route to conquer the land. A clear mission.

Instead, they were overwhelmed by their exaggerated perception of the enemy and became filled with fear. The Torah tells us that ten of the spies personified and projected themselves as mere grasshoppers when compared to the Canaanites. As a result, the occupiers sensed their trepidation and viewed the anxious Israelites as insignificant insects.

The spies returned to base camp with plump giant fruits – this was not to display to the people that the realisation of Hashem’s promise was close, rather to convince them that just as the fruits are heavy and large, so too are the inhabitants and therefore they cannot be conquered. Disappointingly, this was fear-mongering at its finest.

Only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, retaliated. They vocally reminded the masses to recall that if Hashem is with them, they would be invincible. Their pleas went unheeded and consequently the Israelites cried the entire night as to their misfortune.

The next day the Glory of Hashem appeared and they were jolted back to reality, comprehending once more that Hashem is the Master of the World and can conquer any one and anything. They realised that their fear was irrational in the face of G-d and prepared to enter the Land with a new-found resolve. Yet this was not to be as they had missed their opportunity and were instead punished, destined to wander in the wilderness for forty years.

A subgroup formed, convinced with the knowledge from the spies they could conquer the land. Against Moshe’s instruction they attempted to enter, yet of course, without Moshe’s guidance Hashem was not with them and they were defeated.

This was such a dramatic swing. One day they were wailing and scared of the perceived giant inhabitants and the next they took a proverbial ‘deep breath’, with their faith restored to such a degree that several attempted to vanquish the inhabitants.

Our sages explain that a lack of faith has the ability to blind our vision and decision-making to such an extent that it can paralyse us. We no longer see clearly or think rationally and become panic-stricken. Once we break through that fear, the metaphorical veil is lifted and we can immediately see clearly once more.

The Jewish people were consumed with a contagious fear, based on their irrational lack of faith in Hashem. After all, they had personally witnessed the Ten Plagues, saw the splitting of the Red Sea and heard the Voice of G-d at Sinai. Once Hashem appeared to them in the form of the Cloud of Glory the veil was lifted and the fear evaporated.

In life, we are often faced with fears, some rational and some irrational - this is part and parcel of human nature. We have a choice: we can allow those apprehensions to paralyse and petrify us, as they did the Jewish People. Or instead, we can endeavour to fill ourselves with faith and hope in Hashem – it is a daily process.

Moving forward, more often than not the veil will lift and we will find that, with G-d’s help, on reflection, there was nothing to fear at all.

CONSIDERED OPINION

SHELDON KIRSHNER

Israel’s undeclared war against Iran is intensifying.

In the past month, Israel has carried out a series of attacks against Iran and Iranian interests in Syria, Iran’s chief Arab ally. Iran, in turn, has threatened a harsh armed response.

On May 22nd, Israel assassinated a top-ranking officer of the Quds Force, an arm of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps.

Two days earlier, Israel inflicted significant damage to the main runway at Damascus International Airport, causing Syria to suspend all flights. Iran uses the airport to deliver weapons and missile technology to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, which fought a war with Israel in 2006.

Iran’s visceral hostility toward Israel is boiling over, but it goes back decades. Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, which resulted in the overthrow of the proWestern Pahlavi monarchy, Iran has singled out Israel as one of its prime enemies.

In the years since, Iran has repeatedly called for Israel’s destruction, funded and supported proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, and entrenched itself militarily in Syria, Israel’s long-time foe. By way of response, Israel has bombed Iranian and Syrian facilities in Syria hundreds of times.

The shadow war pitting Israel against Iran escalated considerably after the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in 2018. From that point forward, several significant developments occurred. The Iranian regime continually violated the provisions of the landmark accord. Israel doubled down on its covert campaign to sabotage Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Israeli Air Force began launching still more raids against Iranian military sites in Syria.

With the installation of a new Israeli government last June, Israel sharpened its tactics against Iran. “The past year has marked a turning point in Israel’s strategy against Iran,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “The State of Israel has recently begun operating against the head of the octopus of terrorism and not only against its many arms, as was done in the past few decades. The days of immunity, in which Iran harms Israel and promotes terrorism through its proxies in the region while remaining unharmed itself, are over.”

“We are operating all the time and everywhere and will continue to do so,” he added.

This is essentially the message that Bennett delivered to Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, at a meeting in Jerusalem earlier this month regarding Iran’s nuclear program, which Israel vehemently opposes.

Charging that Iran has “crossed a number of red lines” in the last four years, Bennett noted that it has enriched uranium to a menacing level of 60 percent, far above the permissible level.

“Israel cannot accept and will not accept such a situation,” he said. “We maintain our freedom of action against Iran’s nuclear program as much as necessary – with or without an agreement. We don’t just say it, we implement it.”

In accordance with this philosophy, Israel has upgraded its military plan of action should it decide to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites from the air. Israel has fitted its fleet of F-35 fighter jets with state-ofthe-art equipment, so they can fly to Iran without mid-air refuelling. And Israel has integrated a new, one-ton bomb into the arsenal of weapons carried by the F-35, a stealth aircraft capable of evading radar detection. Israel has continued to assassinate Iranian officials connected with the Quds Force and Iran’s nuclear and military programs.

Since Israel’s assassination of Sayyad Khodaie, a senior Quds Force commander killed in Tehran last month, Iran has accused Israel of having poisoned two Iranian scientists. They were reportedly involved in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. Ayoob Entezari, an aeronautical engineer, worked for a military research center. Kamram Aghamolaei, a geologist, worked on projects related to airplane turbines and missiles.

Iran claims it is striking back at Israel. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, said on June 15th that Iran is dealing ongoing “blows” to Israel. “The Zionist regime and its officials know better what blows they have received from the Islamic Republic so far, some of which are still in progress,” he said, noting that many of its operations must be kept confidential.

According to Israel, Iran has attempted to kidnap and kill Israeli tourists in Turkey. Over the past fortnight, the Israeli government advised Israelis not to visit Turkey. Then, less than a day after Thailand thwarted Iranian attempts to target Israeli travellers, the commander of Iran’s ground forces, Kiumars Heydari, threatened to destroy two major Israeli cities. “For any mistake made by the enemy, we will raze Tel Aviv and Haifa,” he said, in a reference to plans by Israel to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.

The following day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibzadeh warned that any Iranian response would take place in Israel rather than in a third country.

Iran’s anger may have been additionally stoked by recent Israeli air strikes which heavily damaged a terminal building and the main runway at Damascus International Airport, which has serviced Iranian cargo planes transporting weaponry and precision missile technology to Hezbollah, a close ally of Iran.

“As a result of these damages, incoming and outgoing flights through the airport were suspended until further notice,” the Syrian Transportation Ministry said in a terse statement.

As one Israeli pundit observed, Israel’s strikes are intended as a warning to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime that if these Iranian flights do not stop, Syria’s international airport could come under further attack. Certainly, Russia – Syria’s chief ally – is displeased by what has happened. On June 10th , the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the “vicious practice” of Israeli air strikes on civilian infrastructure, saying they were “provocative” and “in violation of the basic norms of international law.”

On June 15th, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov reprimanded the Israeli ambassador in Moscow, Alexander Ben-Ziv, over Israel’s air raids. Complaining that Israel disrupted the flow of humanitarian supplies to Syria, which is embroiled in a civil war, he demanded that it should respect Syria’s territorial integrity.

In 2015 Israel and Russia – which controls Syrian air space – signed a deconfliction agreement designed to prevent accidental clashes between Israeli and Russian aircraft. But since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24th, Israel has found itself increasingly at odds with Russia over its air offensive in Syria. Given Israel’s bitter conflict with Iran, Israel will most probably continue to target Iranian bases in Syria, Russian protests notwithstanding.

Israel’s undeclared war with Iran is escalating

The runway of Damascus International Airport being repaired after recent Israeli air strikes

Sheldon Kirshner is a journalist in Toronto. He writes at his online journal, sheldonkirshner.com

Judaica quiz answers

1. Blossoming trees 2. A valley. (Many may answer a mountain – this is incorrect. The Torah says that he ascended Mount Nebo to see the land, but this is followed with the words: “And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-Peor.) 3. Magen David Adom (MDA) - Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service 4. b) The Speaker of the Knesset 5. Blue (Hebrew: Techelet) and white 6. Mark Spitz 7. a) Egypt 8. a) Fanny Brice b) Funny Girl, starring Barbra Streisand 9. Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David 10. Ruth 11. South Africa and Liberia 12. King David, King Ahab and King Herod 13. Summer 14. They were all Prime Ministers of Israel who had Hebraized their names - David Ben Gurion, Moshe Sharett and Levi Eshkol 15. Hong Kong 16. Bee 17. Eilat 18. Emanuel Goldenberg became Edward G. Robinson, and Issur Danielovitch became Kirk Douglas 19. 11,000 20. a) Architecture b) Aviation c) Olympic slalom canoeing d) Pianist 21. c) Rachel 22. The Jewish Encyclopaedia and The Encyclopaedia Judaica 23. Ramat Gan 24. Phil Spector 25. The Book of Job

Spelling bee answers

Jewish answer: B’TAYAVON. Here is a list of some common words (yes, we know there are more words in the dictionary that can work, but these words are common to today’s vernacular): ABBOT, BABOON, BANANA, BATBOY, BATON, BATTY, BONBON, BOOTY, BOTANY, NANOBOT, TABOO

RABBINIC THOUGHT

RABBI DR BENJI LEVY

How does one assess oneself? Do we look at ourselves in the mirror or try to project an appraisal through the eyes of another? The answer to this question may be found in parshat Shelach’s episode of the scouts, a famous account that we read in the Torah around this time.

The scouts were “all distinguished men; heads of the children of Israel were they” – the most honourable of leaders. Thus, the obvious question is where did they go wrong in speaking badly about the land? Perhaps their error was that they speculated as to how others observed them, rather than carrying on with their reconnaissance mission. This is apparent in a strange verse when the scouts describe the great size of the Canaanites and say “we were like grasshoppers in our eyes and so we were in their eyes!” Their insecurity lay in and was revealed through their imagined self-assessment, via the outlook of the Canaanites. Since they saw themselves as but puny insects, much smaller and weaker than the inhabitants of Canaan, they presumed that the locals perceived them as such and they allowed this perception to transform their reality. Perhaps this was the source of their negative review of the land, as their specific timidity clouded their general judgment.

When starting any venture, the psyche in which one approaches the task can frame its execution. For example, when one is competing in a sport, a team will have lost the game from the getgo if it does not believe it can beat the opposition, as its self-esteem defines its attitude and direction.

The same was true of the scouts, whereby they had convinced themselves that they were incapable from the beginning. Many explain this fear as a lack of faith in God, but as a consequence or at its source it may have shown a lack of self-esteem, that is a lack of faith in themselves.

Later in the Book of Numbers, Moshe declares “you shall appear clean before Hashem and the Israelites”. The Talmud deduces from this that one should not only have a clear conscience, but also act in a way that does not elicit suspicion from the general observer. However, if one only worries about the way in which one presumes others perceive them, one is being dishonest. As a generation whose parents and grandparents only knew slavery and were constantly assessed by their slave masters, psychologically it makes sense that they were unfit to enter the Land of Israel.

This generation therefore had to die out entirely before their descendants could become the masters of their own destiny.

So it is that when one tries to guess what others think of them and acts based upon that, that they become slaves to an unfortunate fate. On the other hand, when one allows themselves to master their own course, they are able to forge their own future.

Forging a path

Rabbi Dr Benji Levy is the founder of Israel Impact Partners, which provides philanthropic advice and support to leaders across the globe and Keshev, which offers mental health services to individuals and groups. He was previously the CEO of Mosaic United and Dean of Moriah College. He shares his thoughts at www.RabbiBenji.com and on social media @Rabbi Benji

MOVIE

REVIEW The cost of manipulation

LOST ILLUSIONS (M) BY ALEX FIRST

An intricate and cleverly woven tale of naïveté and deception, Lost Illusions reminded me of Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and Cruel Intentions (1999).

The year is 1821. 20-year-old orphaned Lucien de Rubempre (Benjamin Voisin) is a budding poet working at a printing factory in provincial France.

He is feted by noble woman and patroness Louise de Bargeton (Cecile de France).

The pair begins a hot and heavily affair, in which both are heavily invested.

Problem is that if the scandal ever became common knowledge, wellmannered de Bargeton’s standing in society would be irreparably harmed.

As a result, after he travels with her to Paris, she is forced to make a clean break, leaving Rubempre heartbroken.

Penniless, Rubempre picks up work in a restaurant, resorting to eating patrons’ scraps.

Eyeing off writing as a full-time profession, Rubempre befriends young, hash-smoking, anti-establishment editor Etienne Lousteau (Vincent Lacoste).

Lousteau opens Rubempre’s eyes to the money that can be made from immoral journalism.

I speak of writing without a shred of credibility that is lapped up by readers, specifically negative and positive book and theatre reviews that are “sold” to the highest bidder. Corruption is rife. Businessmen, merchants, actors and many more play a part in perpetuating and strengthening the practice.

Soon Rubempre is up to his eyeballs in it too … seemingly able to churn out witty adverse prose at will.

He catches the gaze of young actress/ prostitute Coralie (Salome Dewaels) and vice versa. The pair falls madly and passionately in love.

Rubempre’s notoriety grows and he sees a chance to avenge his ill treatment at the hands of de Bargeton’s conspirators.

Also at stake is throwing off the shackles of a name he despises, gaining a title and an ongoing stipend.

But all is fair in love and war.

Writers Jacques Fieschi, Xavier Giannoli and Yves Stavrides have lovingly and deliciously adapted a 19th century novel of the same name by French author Honore de Balzac.

Under Xavier Giannoli’s direction, Lost Illusions has all the hallmarks of a sweeping melodrama.

The film is rich in text and settings. The contrast between wealthy and impoverished is profound.

I loved the time taken to establish the contention and then plant hand grenades. It works a treat.

There are many fine performances too.

Benjamin Voisin impresses with his depiction of the self-assured Lucien Rubempre, who undergoes quite the metamorphosis.

Vincent Lacoste excels as the drug addled wheeler and dealer Etienne Lousteau. Cecile de France readily channels a sad elegance and poise as Louise de Bargeton.

Salome Dewaels is exuberant and effusive as Coralie.

Xavier Dolan gives a finely balanced performance as Chadron’s adversary turned ally Nathan d’Anastazio.

Lost Illusions is high class cinema at its finest.

No wonder it received seven Cesar Awards (the French equivalent of the Oscars), including for Best Film, Best Adaptation, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

Rated M, Lost Illusions scores an 8½ out of 10.