duated Summa Cum Laude. After that, he moved to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. At the Seminary he was ordained a conservative Rabbi. He moved on to become a teacher at several Jewish Colleges. The most prominent of these was the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and University of Pennsylvania as well. After his college experiences, he moved on to the Korean War. From his experience in the service, he had to overcome the conflict of loyalty to Parental Values and the Desire to Study outside the Prescribed Texts. This is another essential idea that was placed within "The Chosen" and other of his acclaimed works(Interview c).
             Potok wrote a total of eight novels. Each is told based upon historical knowledge and Potok's experiences in his life. They are all told in the first person Narrative. Many scholars and critics believe that in his works, Potok is actually describing his own life, and he is truly the main characters in many of his novels. In numerous interviews, Potok has denied this, but admits that they are shaped around experiences and beliefs.
             Potok's first and most recognized book is "The Chosen." Written in 1967, The novel deals with many themes that American Jews had to overcome in the times around the Holocaust. Potok was inspired to write by a book by Evelyn Waugh and "A portrait of a Young man." Ironically, both of these were books about Catholicism. After reading these Novels, Potok said to himself "If books that are about completely different religions and beliefs can be so intriguing, then there must be more to life than the world of Ultra-Orthodox Judaism." After this epiphany, Potok went on to become one of t
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