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THE MATZO MITZVAH Life in the 19th-century Jewish ghettos of Russia and Eastern Europe was not so different from life today. Of course, there was no electricity, no gas, and no television. But there were people, all shapes, sizes, and kinds of them, and just like today each of them was trying to make the best of his or her life despite the vagaries, dilemmas, and curve balls thrown at them by fate. And, more often than not, they found that bad luck often has good fortune following close on its heels. Such seems the be the underlying message in Dr. Herman I. Kantor's four volumes of imaginary tales from the ghetto, including the most recent, The Matzo Mitzvah-Even More Tales My Great-Great-Grandfather Might Tell About Life in a Ghetto of Russia in the Time of the Czars. For example, in the title story we meet Malka-Vana, a woman deprived (or is it relieved?) of the task of providing Passover matzo for her extended family when she breaks her leg; her relatives pitch in to help her out-each unaware of the others' involvement-until Malka-Vana's family is so swamped with matzo that she actually finds it coming out of her child's ear. In another story, "The Salesman's Donation," a family's sabbath housekeeper turns out to be a kleptomaniac; but when she lifts a visiting shoe salesman's bag and donates the left-foot-only samples to the poor, the vendor is so moved that he donates the right shoes as well. No doubt about it, one had to keep his sense of humor in the face of life's travails-then just as much as now. In "The Cow Who Ate Meat," a cow who eats gophers raises an intricate debate on the fine points of koshreth that only the wisdom of Rabbi Shmul can answer-or at least try to answer. And in the charming story "The Hat in the Horsetrough," an old man who hordes hats has his favorite ruined by the cleaning woman, only to find it a few days later in a horsetrough-repaired beyond recognition. The Matzo Mitzvah is the fourth in Kantor's series of ghetto stories. The first three, The Merchant of Groski, The Miraculous Milk Cow, and The Bear and The Baby (all with similary unwieldy subtitles) are also available from Fithian Press.
Visit Dr.
Kantor's own web site! PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS VOLUMES OF
"Charming and funny, [these tales] reflect the humor of the people despite ever-present danger. A natural for book-talks, storytelling, and for readers of Sholom Aleichem, the book adds a very human dimension to Russian History." -School Library Journal "Succeeds beautifully in capturing the spirit of life
in the nineteenth-century ghettos of Eastern Europe. His stories
should be treasured and preserved to be read and re-read. They
add considerably and impressively to the record of a bygone era
that has great historical significance and lasting influence
on world Jewry." -Manhattan Jewish Sentinel
"The warm tone of folk tales characterizes these fictional accounts of the author's great-great grandfather. Kantor's tales depict day-to-day life in the shtetls of the Russian Pale-scandals, gossip, marital problems, questions of religious observance-as the people of Orsha enjoy life in a country where they are barely tolerated. Parents might want to read these stories aloud." -Los Angeles Times "Aided by a fertile imagination and a sure feeling for nineteenth-century Eastern European Culture, Kantor has woven a rich tapestry of folklore depicting Jewish life in the village of Orsha. Engaging. Vividly told." -School Library Journal |
About the Author: Herman I. Kantor
is a retired obstetrician and gynecologist and former professor
of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Texas. He currently
lives and writes in San Jose, California.
The
Merchant of Groski
The
Miraculous Milk Cow |
The Matzo Mitzvah 144 pages, illustrated, paperback, $9.95 For ordering information, click here or phone (800) 662-8351 |