The novels of Eliette Abecassis and Naomi Ragen provide a fascinating window into the intimate reaches of the orthodox world. Both depict moral and personal dilemmas in the lives of ultra-orthodox women and the ensuing conflicts and struggles to sustain belief and commitment. Living in Israel, Ragen writes about orthodox communities in both the US and Israel. A Parisian, Abecassis’ novel Sacred (2002), the source for the film Kadosh, is set in Mea Shearim and tells the ...