Ray Naar Ph.d.

Rachamim: from Darkness into Light Ray Naar Ph.d.

Rachamim explores the angst of a young man attempting to come to terms with agonizing concentration camp memories and recapture humanness, dignity and gentleness while accomplishing a mission fraught with danger and violence. As a new immigrant to America, David joins the United States Army and serves in Korea. Haunted by loneliness and camp experiences, he is rescued from the brink of insanity by the friendship of a fellow soldier and of a Korean martial arts master. After his discharge from the army and long sessions with a therapist, he pursues a brief stint with the CIA before becoming a freelance investigator. He is recruited by his former CIA employers for the purpose of locating and retrieving documents implicating a former SS colonel suspected of war crimes. The mission involves unsuspected dangers. David clashes with Ibrahim, a PLO agent. The confrontation results in an unexpected bond of friendship which begins when David saves the young Palestinian's life and culminates when Ibrahim stops David from killing the SS colonel and shows him that compassion can override anger. The relationship between David, Holocaust survivor and private investigator, and Ibrahim, a Palestinian agent, provides a unique perspective on the Middle Eastern conflict based on understanding, compassion and dignity.