Jewish Spirit: Stories and Art
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...
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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.
Introduction7Prologue, Only the Story Remains, Hasidic Tale13The Beginning, Traditional Midrash16The Dual History of the Prince of Darkness19Leviathan and the Fox20Lilith, Traditional Midrash22The Creation of the Soul, Traditional Midrash23The Golem, Czech Folktale25The Menorah, Theodor Herzl31The Werewolf36Cracker, or Because of the Calf and Something More, Yemenite Folktale39The Box with Bones, Polish Folktale42The Adventures of Hershel Summerwind45The Prince Who Thought He Was a Rooster51The Story of My Dovecote52The Lost Shabes61The Ape and the Leopard66How Much Do You Love Me? Eastern European Folktale67The Father Bird and the Fledglings71The Mother, Lebanese Folktale72The Inheritors74True Joy82The Jewbird85The Kiss, Hasidic Tale92from Electricity a Story95The Most Precious Thing in the World, Traditional Midrash110Djuha Seeks a Bride, Sephardic Trickster Tale112The Ruby Serpent, Middle Eastern Folktale114Lanjeh, Moroccan Folktale117The Mouse Seeks a Wife122Three Hairs of a Lion, Moroccan Folktale123The Clever Wife, Iraqi Folktale124The Pomegranate Girl, Egyptian Folktale126In This Country But in Another Language...131Apples from the Desert132Chelm Lights Up the Night, Chelm Tale142Skotsl Kumt, Eastern European Folktale145A Meal for the Poor146The Prince and the White Gazelle, German Folktale150The Bird's Nest157The Sheep of the Hidden Valley158If Not Higher161A Cupboard in the Ghetto164from King of the Jews170King Solomon's Ring, Middle Eastern Folktale176Alexander and the Eyeball180Why Naftali of Ropschitz Wore White Trousers182Fable of the Goat184A House without Suffering188Gimpel the Fool190Reb Eisik's Treasure201It Could Always Be Worse, Eastern European Folktale204The Bridge Who Saved Her Husband from the Angel of Death, German Folktale208The Mysterious Palace211The Eternal Wedding Gown217A Kindness to the Dead220Before the Law223A Hill in Bergen Belsen, Hasidic Tale225The Death Train227Why the Night Watchman Was Denied a Raise, Chelm Tale235Epilogue, Begin With Yourself, Hasidic Tale236Literary/Art Credits238Acknowledgments240
