PRESERVING THE PAST AS A GIFT TO THE FUTURE
Rosalie Sogolow explores the rich cultural heritage of her people
"Growing up in my grandparents' Jewish home in a Jewish neighborhood in Chicago during the 1940s and 1950s gave me a particularly distinctive perspective on life. If I got too impatient about something, I was told, 'You can't empty the ocean with a spoon.' This is an old Yiddish proverb and typical of the kind of Jewish wisdom I heard in their home every day. How did they get so smart?" --from the Introduction
It is often said of Jewish immigrants to America that the first generation tried to preserve, the second generation tried to forget, and the third generation wants to remember. Rosalie Sogolow, a third-generation Jewish American, has written a book to help her generation remember, and to pass important lore on to future generations.
Empty the Ocean With a Spoon is all about traditions involving love and marriage, food and children, home remedies and cooking, manners and morals, folk tales and superstitions. Some of these traditions and customs come from religious beliefs; some come from old-country behaviors; some come from the way family and friends did things, or even from movies or literature; and some come from age-old superstitions that may have no rhyme or reason, except that they just are.
The rich heritage of Jewish immigrants has enriched all of American culture. Indeed, one doesn't have to be Jewish to enjoy this treasury of Jewish-American history and tradition. But it couldn't hurt.
The book contains a glossary of Yiddish expressions and a bibliography for further reading, and is delightfully illustrated by contemporary artist Jan Golden.
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About the Author. Rosalie Sogolow first learned of her Russian-Jewish roots growing up in her grandfather's tailor shop on Chicago's near north side. She was educated at the University of Illinois, National College of Education, and San Jose State University. She is now a teacher of English as a Second Language and Principal of the Senior ESL program of Jewish Family Service of Santa Clara County, California. She is past editor of the award-winning San Jose Hadassah Lifeline and is the editor of the book Memories from a Russian Kitchen-From Shtetl to the Golden Land. Sogolow also composes and performs music "with a Jewish soul," and together with her group Side by Side has recently recorded a collection of original songs entitled "Arise and Shine." The songs, which celebrate a full spectrum of Jewish traditions and customs, are sung in English, Hebrew and Yiddish. |
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