Chutzpah

Wry and exhilarating, Chutzpah is a fearless exploration of what is possible when one person simply refuses to choose between abandoning their roots and abandoning themselves.LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 WINGATE PRIZE"e;Clear-sighted and courageous, with an extremely dry sense of humour"e;DAVID BADDIEL, author of Jews Don't Count"e;Delightfully written: wry, moving, controlled, with a great instinct for pace and telling detail"e;TLS"e;A gutting, brave story, written with exquisite candour."e;Dr. Sara Glass, author of Kissing Girls on ShabbatYehudis Fletcher was six years old when she decided to find out if there was actually a G-d.One Sabbath evening, she dared to defy a fundamental rule. She didn t wash her hands before breaking bread. At the table, Yehudis braced herself for a terrible, biblical punishment: being swallowed by the ground or consumed by fire. But nothing happened.It was at this moment that she discovered a spark within that would grow to make her invincible.As the daughter of a rabbi raised in an Orthodox Jewish community, Yehudis struggled to conform to the strict expectations placed upon her and her siblings. Outspoken, curious and desperate to know more about G-d, she felt fenced in by arbitrary rules and questions left unanswered.As she grew older, these restrictions intensified and her questions for G-d hung heavier than ever. Repeatedly let down by those who were supposed to protect her and pushed on to a path that seemed to take her further away from who she really was, she began to yearn for a life where she could embrace all facets of herself.When Yehudis s sexuality came to blows with the expectations of her family and her community, the pressure to inhabit a binary position reached fever pitch. Confronted with either losing the faith she loved or losing herself, Yehudis made the most daring decision of all: she decided to stay. Chutzpah is a brilliant and fascinating insight into an ultra-orthodox Jewish community. Harriet Wistrich, author of Sister in Law"e;Yehudis s resilience is truly inspirational."e;Ashley Blaker, author of Normal Schmormal