Category Books

Jewish Spirit: Stories and Art »

Authors: Ellen Frankel, Ellen Frankel
ISBN-13: 9781556706233, ISBN-10: 1556706235
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc
Date Published: August 1997
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Ellen Frankel

Book Synopsis

The Jewish Spirit includes ancient stories - oral and written - as well as more contemporary literary narratives by such well-known writers as Grace Paley, Bernard Malamud, Sholom Aleichem, Martin Buber, Leslie Epstein, I. B. Singer, Franz Kafka, and Francine Prose. Selections ranging from traditional Midrash, Hasidic tales, and Sephardic folklore to stories from Morocco, Egypt, Eastern Europe, and North America reveal the unique heritage and customs of the Jewish community. These inspirational and often humorous stories follow the path of life and speak of origins and ethical dilemmas, teaching succeeding generations how to behave, what to believe, whom to trust or fear, when to laugh, and when to cling fast to hope. Taken as a whole, the stories reveal the universal human condition, refracted through a prism of exile and estrangement so characteristic of the often-uprooted Jewish people. Illustrating this vast and remarkable anthology is a dazzling array of art relating to the Jewish experience by Marc Chagall, Ben Shahn, Malcah Zeldis, Harry Lieberman, Reuven Rubin, Raphael Soyer, Max Weber, Louise Nevelson and many others.

	Introduction	7
	Prologue, Only the Story Remains, Hasidic Tale	13
	The Beginning, Traditional Midrash	16
	The Dual History of the Prince of Darkness	19
	Leviathan and the Fox	20
	Lilith, Traditional Midrash	22
	The Creation of the Soul, Traditional Midrash	23
	The Golem, Czech Folktale	25
	The Menorah, Theodor Herzl	31
	The Werewolf	36
	Cracker, or Because of the Calf and Something More, Yemenite Folktale	39
	The Box with Bones, Polish Folktale	42
	The Adventures of Hershel Summerwind	45
	The Prince Who Thought He Was a Rooster	51
	The Story of My Dovecote	52
	The Lost Shabes	61
	The Ape and the Leopard	66
	How Much Do You Love Me? Eastern European Folktale	67
	The Father Bird and the Fledglings	71
	The Mother, Lebanese Folktale	72
	The Inheritors	74
	True Joy	82
	The Jewbird	85
	The Kiss, Hasidic Tale	92
	from Electricity a Story	95
	The Most Precious Thing in the World, Traditional Midrash	110
	Djuha Seeks a Bride, Sephardic Trickster Tale	112
	The Ruby Serpent, Middle Eastern Folktale	114
	Lanjeh, Moroccan Folktale	117
	The Mouse Seeks a Wife	122
	Three Hairs of a Lion, Moroccan Folktale	123
	The Clever Wife, Iraqi Folktale	124
	The Pomegranate Girl, Egyptian Folktale	126
	In This Country But in Another Language...	131
	Apples from the Desert	132
	Chelm Lights Up the Night, Chelm Tale	142
	Skotsl Kumt, Eastern European Folktale	145
	A Meal for the Poor	146
	The Prince and the White Gazelle, German Folktale	150
	The Bird's Nest	157
	The Sheep of the Hidden Valley	158
	If Not Higher	161
	A Cupboard in the Ghetto	164
	from King of the Jews	170
	King Solomon's Ring, Middle Eastern Folktale	176
	Alexander and the Eyeball	180
	Why Naftali of Ropschitz Wore White Trousers	182
	Fable of the Goat	184
	A House without Suffering	188
	Gimpel the Fool	190
	Reb Eisik's Treasure	201
	It Could Always Be Worse, Eastern European Folktale	204
	The Bridge Who Saved Her Husband from the Angel of Death, German Folktale	208
	The Mysterious Palace	211
	The Eternal Wedding Gown	217
	A Kindness to the Dead	220
	Before the Law	223
	A Hill in Bergen Belsen, Hasidic Tale	225
	The Death Train	227
	Why the Night Watchman Was Denied a Raise, Chelm Tale	235
	Epilogue, Begin With Yourself, Hasidic Tale	236
	Literary/Art Credits	238
	Acknowledgments	240