Broken Mirrors (Hamodia daily serial)

bashinda

Fri, Mar 04 2011, 9:32 am

I'm just not getting this serial. It really doesn't seem to be from my reality. Did I miss something or this is set really 30 years ago? I'm enjoying reading it but certain things keep on bugging me:

1. Since when was the typical woman who isn't frum or Jewish someone who doesn't have a career or work? It's come up a few times in the serial where the assumption is being made that the typical woman is a homemaker. This is one of the reasons why I'm wondering if this is set 30 years ago. Nowadays one of the problems is that women have professional careers, aren't in a hurry to get married and have a family and sometimes never even do it, so it's strange to see this assumption being made when it's outdated. We're talking about people who aren't frum or not Jewish, btw.

2. In today's serial Roiza uses a typewriter with carbons to write her questionnaire. A typewriter and carbons?? My sister used a electronic word processor when she went to college at least and that was over 20 years ago. Let's be real. Everyone uses computers nowadays. Okay, a lot of people don't go on the internet but almost everyone uses computers in offices.

3. One of the main characters, Judy, substitutes at a Jewish school although she herself isn't frum. Btw, this didn't used to be so uncommon. I know that the year or two I was at a day school the kindergarten teacher was someone I knew from my reform temple. She finds a picture of a teacher everyone is confusing her with and sees how this teacher has a glow or a spark (can't remember the exact language) that she doesn't have. What person sees themselves as not having a spark or a glow? I can't imagine anyone seeing themselves this way. It's also a very black and white way of looking at the world.

4. It seems very far fetched that Roiza would be allowed to spend so much time on these old adoption cases or that she would want to send questionnaires when there's mot much odd about them besides the Jewish component. It's way too obvious a plot construction so two particular characters can realize that they're twins.

It's a readable serial but these issues do annoy a little. I'm also wondering if the author read the true story about the Jewish twins separated at birth. It's beginning to sound like their story. The Jewish adoption agency and the multiples separated at birth.