The Rebbe's Daughter: Memoir of a Hasidic Childhood » (1ST)

"Malkah Shapiro (1894-1971) grew up in Poland, the daughter of the Rebbe of Kozienice, a master from one of the most notable lineages in Hasidism. The Rebbe's Daughter is her story: the memoir of an eleven-year old girl awakening to physical maturity, religious consciousness, and an intense curiosity about the mysteries of hasidic spirituality and Kabbalah. It is a rare window into the world of a hasidic girl in pre-World War I Eastern Europe." "The author paints a picture of her family's life and her father's hasidic court. The atmosphere is ethereal and dreamlike, and the social and personal relations are mannered and deeply respectful. In Shapiro's account, her entire family is committed to a life of integrity and compassion, shaping every waking moment with reverential, meticulous care - whether it be in worship, study, holiday preparation, hosting students, or welcoming visitors from the Jewish homeland." This is a learned text, filled with biblical, talmudic, kabbalistic, and hasidic allusions and direct quotations, demonstrating that, in contrast to the stereotype of traditional Jewish girls' education at the turn of the century, the author was blessed with a thorough education in Judaic classics.