In the Tradition of Moses and Mohammed: Jewish and Arab Folktales »

A collection of Jewish and Arabian tales published together in one volume serves, says its author, as a "metaphor for the coexistence of Arabs and Jews." Dr. Blanche L. Serwer-Bernstein, a psychotherapist and former professor at Boston University, has selected forty Arabian and Jewish folktales that capture the imagination and represent the experiences and wisdom of the cultures out of which they have emerged. The two sets of stories in this book are different in many ways. The customs, humor, and countless details differ from one people to the next. Yet Jews and Arabs, whose imagination and creativity gave birth to these tales, share not only biblical roots but also a remarkable coexistence in Spain during a golden period from 700 to 1000 C.E. This collection is the result of extensive research at the Israel Folklore Archives and in libraries in Jerusalem and Haifa, as well as the New York Public Library and the library of Harvard University. Of the forty tales in this volume, twenty-two are Jewish tales and were taken from literary and oral sources. They include stories of witches and demons, tales of Chelm - legendary city of fools - and folktales told by post-World War II immigrants to Israel from Russia, Iraq, Kurdistan, Poland, Hungary, and elsewhere. The Arabian tales come from many corners of the Arab world and include tales about changes in men, tales of humor and entertainment, and stories that the author describes as reflecting a kaleidoscope of human characteristics. A volume that is educational, entertaining, and inspirational, In the Tradition of Moses and Mohammed is also a prayer, urging us to hope that one day Arab and Jew will live together as peacefully as these tales do.