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June 16, 2006
Chanukah in summer
Books for young readers connect them to the past.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Most people feel that it is vital to pass onto the next generations
a connection with their culture's past and traditions. Judaism,
of course, heavily stresses this practice and there are a few recently
released publications that will help you in this regard - as well
as keep your older children (aged nine and up) quietly occupied
for a while when they're at home this summer.
Kathy Kacer (The Underground Reporters, The Secret of
Gabi's Dresser) has written another Holocaust remembrance book.
Hiding Edith (Second Story Press, $13.95) is the
true story of Edith Schwalb, a young Jewish girl who is separated
from her family during the Second World War and must hide from the
Nazis. She finds a haven in the town of Moissac, France, and she
survives with the help of many people, who risk their lives to save
hundreds of Jewish children.
Once again, Kacer manages to write about a very difficult subject
in a way that makes it engaging, rather than scary, yet without
shying away from the reality of the situation. Archival photographs,
as well as pictures of Edith and her family – including a wedding
photo and pictures from a return visit to Mossaic in 2004 with other
child survivors – make the story more tangible. Edith now lives
in Toronto and her brother, Gaston, also moved to Toronto after
the war. The fact that the "protagonist" is alive and
living in Canada no doubt also makes her story more relevant to
young readers.
Hiding Edith can be found in (or ordered at) local bookstores,
but is also available online from www.secondstorypress.ca.
Moving from the real to the fantastical, Sharon Abron Drache's The
Lubavitchers are Coming to Second Avenue: A Hanukkah Story
(L'Dor Vador Publications, $11.99) recounts a little of the history
of Israel Ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, or Besht, the founder
of the Chassidic movement, who lived in Poland. He was born in 1700
and died in 1760, and many stories about him have been told and
recorded.
In Drache's tale, two Lubavitchers visit the Bernsteins' house on
Second Avenue in Ottawa. The Bernsteins are the only Jews on the
block and they are surrounded by Christmas. Through mystical manouevres,
the Lubavitchers bring the Besht to life in the Bernsteins' living
room and they – and their Christian neighbors, the Racines
– learn from the Besht how he came to serve his people. He
leaves the children with mementos of his visit that will keep the
experience and Jerusalem dear to them, as well as increase the significance
of Chanukah in their eyes.
The Lubavitchers are Coming to Second Avenue is a nice introduction
to Chassidism. The illustrations by Jayne Lemon add to the esthetics
of the book, but much of their impact is lost in black and white.
Anyone wanting to order The Lubavitchers should call 613-225-6454
or e-mail [email protected].
For children wanting to learn more about Judaism in general, there
is Honest Answers to Your Children's Questions: A Rabbi's
Insights (URJ Press, 16.95 US). In it, Reform Rabbi Sharon
G. Forman, who currently teaches at Westchester Reform Temple in
Westchester County, N.Y., skirts over no topic and manages to inform
readers about traditional, as well as more liberal, views of Judaism
and being Jewish.
The book is divided into seven chapters: Jewish Identity and Jewish
Learning, God, the Jewish Life Cycle, the Bible, Israel, Anti-Semitism
and Jewish Diversity. Forman answers such questions as, "If
one of my parents is not Jewish, am I really Jewish?" "Is
God Jewish?" "What happens when someone Jewish dies?"
"Why should I try to be like the people in the Torah when they
were not always so great?" "Why should I visit Israel?"
"What should I do if someone says something bad about Jews
or Judaism?" and "What do Jews look like?" She even
includes a (very) brief history of the Arab-Jewish conflict and
a seven-page glossary.
While not going in-depth on any one aspect, Forman highlights the
essentials. Many adults will also learn something from this book.
To order it, visit www.urjpress.com
or call 1-888-489-8242.
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