Celebrating the Jewish Holidays is a comprehensive collection of Jewish writing pertaining to the six most celebrated Jewish holidays (Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Purim, and Passover). This impressive volume brings together literature from eastern and western Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America, and contains work by some of the most renowned Jewish poets and writers from throughout the centuries. Among the many selections included are works by the medieval poets Yehuda Halevi and Solomon Ibn Gabirol; fiction by the great Yiddish-language authors Sholom Aleichem, I. L. Peretz, and Isaac Bashevis Singer; autobiographical essays by Golda Meir, Theodor Herzl, and Elie Wiesel; and selections from such well-known contemporary American-Jewish writers as Allegra Goodman, Grace Paley, Cynthia Ozick, Marge Piercy, and Nathan Englander. Rubin’s informative introductory essays discuss the cultural and historical significance of each holiday and give context to the individual literary selections. The collection also includes useful biographic notes for all authors represented. This memorable volume will be a perfect and valued gift for any holiday throughout the year. CONTRIBUTORS Marjorie Agosín, Sholom Aleichem, Yehuda Amichai, Sholom Asch, Robin Becker, Dunash Ha-Levi Ben Labrat, Hayim Nahman Bialik, Chana Bloch, Ruth F. Brin, Bella Chagall, Richard Chess, Elizabeth Ehrlich, Nathan Englander, Marcia Falk, Merle Feld, Isaac Goldemberg, Rebecca Goldstein, Allegra Goodman, Chaim Grade, Yehuda Halevi, Michelle Herman, Theodor Herzl, John Hollander, Solomon Ibn Gabirol, Alfred Kazin, Abraham M. Klein, Irena Klepfisz, Maxine Kumin, Emma Lazarus, Meyer Levin, A. Leyeles, Abraham Linik, Issac Luria, Golda Meir, Marga Minco, Tova Mirvis, Penina Moise, Kadya Molodowsky, Faye Moskowitz, Howard Nemerov, Joseph Opatoshu, Alicia Suskin Ostriker, Cynthia Ozick, Grace Paley, Linda Pastan, I. L. Peretz, Marge Piercy, Robert Pinsky, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Chaim Potok, Philip M. Raskin, Abraham Reisen, Charles Reznikoff, Adrienne Rich, Anne Roiphe, Norma Rosen, Muriel Rukeyser, Jessie E. Sampter, Alan Shapiro, Harvey Shapiro, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Israel Joseph Singer, Myra Sklarew, Ilan Stavans, Gerald Stern, Menahem Stern, Saul Tchernichovsky, Elie Wiesel, Eleanor Wilner, and Israel Zangwill. “This collection of brief primary sources features some of Judaism’s most celebrated figures reflecting about the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays. . . . It’s a rich and varied collection. . . .This literary reader gives new meaning to the Jewish holidays by offering imaginative, individual interpretations of ancient rites.”—Publishers Weekly "...Celebrating the Jewish Holidays is a valuable teaching tool for congregations and organizations who wish to approach the holiday cycle through the pathway of classic and contemporary Jewish literature. It will make a welcome and enlightening addition to anyone's basic library of Jewish resources." — J.Books.Com, The Online Jewish Community “Steven J. Rubin has assembled a remarkable anthology of poetry, memoir, and fiction by Jewish writers inspired by the Jewish holidays. The table of contents reads like a 'Who's Who' of Jewish literature . . . This entertaining collection serves as a welcome companion to Jewish holiday celebration.”—Reform Judaism "While Rubin "hopes that readers will . . incorporate various poems, stories, or essays . . . into their own 'celebration' of the holdiays, " I think the anthology could also be used as the starting point for discussions of Jewish identity, family relationships and community issues. Lovers of Jewish literature will find it an excellent introduction to a wide variety of Jewish writing styles, while the Biographic Notes will help them place the writers in historical perspective."—The Reporter (Vestal, NY) 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 trim. LC 2002-151143 DEREK RUBIN teaches in the English Department and the American Studies Program at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. His essay anthology Who We Are: On Being (and Not Being) a Jewish American Writer won the 2005 National Jewish Book Award. Used Book in Good Condition