The Past, Again - Benjamin Abravenel

The Past, Again asks a chilling question: Could the horrors of Jewish history recur in contemporary America? In idyllic Santa Barbara, the Cohen family seems secure, but seventeen-year-old Judah has long distanced himself from his Jewish identity, eager to fit into the elite world of his prep school. When a minor incident involving his younger sister spirals into viral outrage, the family is thrust into a storm of media distortion, online and in-person harassment, and rising anti-Semitism.

Judah's mother, a survivor of the Farhud pogrom in Iraq, recognizes the danger immediately, while his father's belief in American safety blinds him to the threat. As tensions escalate, Judah is forced to confront the identity he tried to escape and decide what he stands for. Both a gripping family drama and a stark warning, the novel explores how fragile security can be-and how quickly history can feel present again.