The friendship in The Chosen The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, is a book about the friendship between two boys from very different Jewish religious backgrounds. Their initial distrust and mutual hatred due to their different backgrounds gives way to understanding and develops into a deep friendship. Danny Saunders grew up in a Hasidic environment. His father is the rabbi of his synagogue and sect, and is highly respected as a great Tzaddik and Talmud scholar. His ancestors over the past five generations had been very honorable and respected rabbis in their synagogues, and Rabbi Saunder's son, Danny, is expected to follow in their footsteps. Danny is also a great Talmud scholar and a deeply religious person, but his friendship with a less religious boy drags him into a more secular world, changing many of his points of view. Reuven Malter grew up in a modern Orthodox Jewish environment. His father is the rabbi of his synagogue and a high school teacher. Reuven is a very modern Jew who learns a wide variety of Jewish subjects. Although he invests a lot of time in Gemara, the amount of things he learns is nothing compared to what the Chasidim learn. This difference in education and religious attitudes causes friction between Hasidim and Modern Orthodox Jews. The Chasidim believe that the Modern Orthodox are corrupt in their beliefs: they should study the Gemara much more and be much more religious in everything they do, such as praying to God. You don't expect to find a Modern Orthodox boy playing with a boy Hasidic. The two boys were playing a baseball game against each other: the Chasidim, against the Modern Orthodox Jews. The feelings of hatred between the two teams are evident. Towards the end of the match, Danny hits Reuven in the eye with the ball, sending him to the hospital. For the moment they become enemies. Danny visits Reuven in hospital and they become friends. Danny invites Reuven to his house to learn some Gemara with his father and he accepts the offer. They get closer and closer, until eventually they become best friends. Their friendship survives difficult times. When Rabbi Malter makes a pro-Zionist speech that influences the entire world, Rabbi Saunders hates him and all non-Hasidim, because Hasidim are anti-Zionist. Rabbi Saunders forbids his son from speaking to Reuven. After two years, the anti-Zionist movement fails and Rabbi Saunders allows Danny to speak to Reuven once again. They once again develop an extremely close friendship, realizing how valuable it is. As their relationship grows, Danny becomes drawn into the secular world, which greatly upsets his father. However, their friendship still survives and flourishes, making Danny happier than ever, alleviating much of his father's anger. Chaim Potoks The Chosen demonstrates how two people from totally different backgrounds can befriend each other in such a close friendship. Whether their families approved of their friendship or not, they were still able to maintain a long-lasting and meaningful relationship.