Hanukah money

Shalom Rabinowitz, the prolific Russian-Ukrainian-Jewish author who published under the pseudonym Sholem Aleichem, is probably best known for his series of short stories about Tevye the Milkman - stories which form the basis of the musical Fiddler on the Roof. A master storyteller, and one of the

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giants of late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Yiddish literature, Sholem Aleichem's stories are frequently set in the small Jewish shtetls of Eastern Europe.

Hanukah Money, adapted and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz for children, falls into this category, and relates the story of two young boys and their family at Hanukkah time. The narrator and his younger brother, Motl, witness their father lighting the Hanukkah candles and saying the blessing, play with dreidels as their father and uncle play checkers, and enjoy the delicious holiday food prepared by their mother.

This is a very old-fashioned story, with traditional gender roles. Mother only emerges to watch the blessing said over the candles, and to deliver the food. That said, the story is still engaging, and Shulevitz's illustrations are (as always) superb! I still get shivers when I recall reading his The Magician as a child! His style is unmistakable, and I pounced on this vintage holiday tale with glee! This might not be the first Hanukkah title I would recommend to the contemporary child, but it is still a pleasure!

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