(RNS) — An outrageous pun — a pun that’s nonetheless related, though Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are many weeks behind us.
There’s a prayer that we sing within the type of a music — Avinu Malcheinu — actually, Our Father, Our King. That’s in all probability essentially the most well-known model, written by Max Janowski and recorded by Barbra Streisand. There may be additionally the folks model, which the rock band Phish typically sings in concert events.
The final line goes like this: Have compassion upon us, ki ain banu maasim. “Have compassion upon us, as a result of we have now no worthy deeds to our credit score.”
Now comes the pun, which comes within the type of a mischievous mis-translation.
Ain banu maasim: “We’ve got no maisehs inside us. We don’t have any tales.”
Woe to those that don’t have any tales inside them.
That’s actually not the issue of the Jewish folks.
Take heed to the dialog on this podcast episode — and resolve to all the time have tales inside you.
I first encountered Nora Gold once I learn her superb novel, “Fields of Exile,” which is in regards to the anti-Israel ideologies that at the moment are sweeping throughout the tutorial world — in her case, with a singular deal with what is going on in Canada. It’s about antisemitism on the school campus. That ebook was sufficient to make me a complete fan.
“18: Jewish Tales Translated From 18 Languages,” edited by Nora Gold. (Courtesy picture)
Immediately, we’re speaking to her about her new assortment — “18: Jewish Stories Translated From 18 Languages.” That is the primary anthology of this type in 25 years.
And, no, these aren’t mere maisehs. These are vital Jewish quick tales, all of them initially printed in Jewish Fiction.net.
Within the ebook’s introductory paragraph, Nora tells a narrative about an smug, ignorant pundit who informed his listeners that there was no Jewish fiction being created anyplace aside from the USA (and maybe in Israel).
This assortment is a response to that cost. It completely blows out of the water the concept that Jewish tradition comes solely from this continent and from Israel.
These aren’t quick tales that you’d learn anyplace. These are quick tales that you’ll solely be capable of learn between the covers of this essential ebook.
Among the authors are already well-known, comparable to Elie Wiesel, Shai Agnon and Isaac Babel, however most of the authors could be new to any reader.
These are tales that first appeared in Russian, Ladino, Portuguese, Turkish, Danish, Yiddish, Hebrew, Greek, Romanian, French, Spanish, Hungarian, Italian, Croatian, Czech, German, Albanian and Polish.
After I talked about Isaac Babel — let me make one other pun — this ebook, with its assortment of tales in so many languages, is a literary Tower of Babel.
