Shtetl Book

Once, most of world Jewry was divided along The Gefilte Fish Line: cold and calculated Litvaks to the north, warm-blooded mystics to the south. Once, the majority of Jews lived in medieval market towns, surrounded by rivers, lakes, and forests. They were linked to each other through The Three K's: kahal (community), kley-koydesh (religious functionaries), and khevres (societies of common interest); linked to the gentile population through the marketplace; and linked to God through their institutions of learning and prayer. Once, they all spoke Yiddish. The Shtetl Book is their story, told through memoirs, legends, sayings, songs, games, maps, photos, facts and figures. This wonderful mishmash is now back in print, to delight a new generation of readers.