The Prophet of the Andes

An Unlikely Journey to the Promised Land

De: Graciela Mochkofsky, Lisa Dillman

Narrado por: Alma Cuervo

Duración: 9 h y 8 m

Resumen del Editor

The remarkable true story of how one Peruvian carpenter led hundreds of Christians to Judaism, sparking a pilgrimage from the Andes to Israel and inspiring a wave of emerging Latin American Jewish communities

“If Gabriel García Márquez had written the Old Testament, it might read like Graciela Mochkofsky's staggering true account of a humble Peruvian carpenter's spiritual odyssey from a shack in the Andes, via the Amazon, to the Promised Land of Israel with a community of devoted followers."—Judith Thurman, award-winning author of Isak Dinesen

Segundo Villanueva was born in 1927 in a tiny farming village perched in the Andes; when he was seventeen, his father was murdered and Segundo was left with little more than a Bible as his inheritance. This Bible launched Segundo on a lifelong obsession to find the true message of God contained in its pages. He found himself looking for answers outside the Catholic Church, whose hierarchy and colonial roots embodied the gaping social and racial inequities of Peruvian society.

Over years of religious study, Segundo explored various Protestant sects and founded his own religious community in the Amazon jungle before discovering a version of Judaism he pieced together independently from his readings of the Old Testament. His makeshift synagogue began to draw in crowds of fervent believers, seeking a faith that truly served their needs. Then, in a series of extraordinary events, politically motivated Israeli rabbis converted the community to Orthodox Judaism and resettled them on the West Bank. Segundo’s incredible journey made him an unlikely pioneer for a new kind of Jewish faith, one that is now attracting masses of impoverished people across Latin America.

Through detailed reporting and a deep understanding of religious and cultural history, Graciela Mochkofsky documents this unprecedented and momentous chapter in the history of modern religion. This is a moving and fascinating story of faith and the search for dignity and meaning.

©2022 Graciela Mochkofsky, Lisa Dillman (P)2022 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"With The Prophet of the Andes, Graciela Mochkofsky has pulled off a remarkable narrative feat, spanning centuries of colonial, religious and political history on several continents, without losing sight of the human beings at the center of this surprising drama. The epic and engrossing story of this improbable faith community is unlike any spiritual journey you've read before."—Daniel Alarcón, 2021 MacArthur fellow and author of At Night We Walk in Circles

“[An] immersive chronicle of an unusual search for religious authenticity in 20th-century South America…Drawing on impressive insider access, Mochkofsky documents the Peruvians’ beliefs and the mixed reception they received in Israel with empathy and insight. The result is an intimate chronicle of faith and politics.”—Publishers Weekly

“Readers will be swept up in this story of one man’s unshakeable quest for truth and the people who followed him through every obstacle, from poverty to jungle predators to Israeli bureaucracy. At times inspiring, at times heartbreaking, this account of a small Jewish community is always engrossing.”—Kirkus