I L Peretz

"Uniformly excellent."--The Jewish StandardThis rich medley of stories, poems, and essays features evocations of Chanukah by classic and contemporary authors including Sholom Aleichem, Nobel laureates S. Y. Agnon and Elie Wiesel, I. L. Peretz, Emma Lazarus, Theodor Herzl, Chaim Potok, Mark Strand, A. B. Yehoshua, Emma Green, Joanna Rakoff, and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. There are humorous as well as meditative tales from Israel, Central Europe, and the United States--works that capture the Festival of Lights as observed on Manhattan's Upper West Side alongside accounts of celebrations in shtetls of the Old Country and far reaches of the Diaspora including Africa. The writings underscore what it means to be Jewish in a world that's not always welcoming and include intriguing commentary about Chanukah's origins and what it means now.

Ten stories by a master of Yiddish literature, charmingly retold and illustrated. Readers of all ages will be charmed by Hautzig's skillful and sensitive translations of I. L. Peretz's tales from Eastern Europe. Peretz, considered one of the greatest writers of modern Yiddish literature, wrote of the magical quality of kindness and the bitter fruits of blind faith. The charming stories and evocative drawings make this collection a timeless treasure that will delight children and adults alike.