The Seven-Branched Candlestick: The Schooldays of Young American Jew

The narrator recounts seven formative years of secondary and college education that shaped his Jewish identity, narrating family influences, early indifference to religious practice, and eventual embrace of faith. He describes classroom life, friendships and social divisions, clashes with a school bully and the humiliation of a teacher whose defense of Jewish tradition leads to an official inquiry, attendance at a military academy, relationships with relatives, and college experiences. Through episodic recollections of religious observance, moral choices, and public challenges, the memoir traces personal growth, communal ties, and a gradual reconciliation with tradition.