In The Chosen, Potok describes Jewish culture during the time of World War I. From the wealth of Polish Jews before the war, Potok established a circle of relations. There are three main relationships in the book. The first is father-son, between Danny and his father, Reb Saunders and between Reuven and his father, David Malter. The relationship between Reuven and Danny is the second major relationship in The Chosen. The third major relationship is that between Hasidism and Zionism. The relationship between the two fathers and the two sons is a very important theme in this book. Because of their different backgrounds, Reb Saunders and David Malters approached raising a child from two totally different perspectives. Despite the obvious differences in the two men's beliefs, they both did what they thought was right for their children. Reb Saunders was a Hasidic tzaddik and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. She raised Danny in silence, hoping to teach him to listen to silence, learn compassion, and develop a soul that would follow his mind. Unless it had to do with religious studies, Reb never had a real conversation with Danny after the age of 3. Reb wanted Danny to figure things out on his own. On the other hand, Reuven's father, Mr. Malters, believed it was very important that there was good and frequent communication between him and his son. The two sometimes talked for hours about life, different religions, friends and anything else Reuven wanted ...