Because God Loves Stories: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling [Paperback]

Steve Zeitlin (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1997

An exciting new treasury of Jewish stories and storytellers, from ancient tales and classics re-imagined to contemporary family stories, parables, and humor

"Why were human beings created?" goes a traditional Jewish saying. "Because God loves stories." Storytelling has been part of Jewish religion and custom from earliest times and it remains a defining aspect of Jewish life. In Because God Loves Stories, folklorist Steve Zeitlin assembles the work of thirty-six Jewish storytellers, each of whom spins tales that express his or her own distinctive visions of Jewish culture. Contemporary storytellers re-interpret stories from the Talmud for modern sensibilities, the Grand Rabbi of Bluzhov tells tales of the Holocaust, beloved comedian Sam Levenson regales readers with hilarious vignettes of Jewish life in America, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Leonard Nimoy In Because god Loves Stories, I recognize actors I performed with on the Jewish stages, the parents and people I grew up with, and a few of the shlemiels I've come across...I don't know how I ever did without it.

Jimmy Neil Smith Founder and Executive Director of the National Storytelling Association A Superb contribution to Jewish folklore. From stories that re-create the lost world of the Easter European Jewish shtetl to a selection of Ladino-inflected pieces from Sephardic Jews, Because God Loves Stories brings to vivid life the role of storytelling both as entertainment and as a way of re-invigorating a precious tradition.

About the Author

Steve Zeitlin received his Ph.D. in folklore from the University of Pennsylvania. He is the director and co-founder of City Lore: The New York Center for Urban Folk Culture and a regular commentator for National Public Radio. Zeitlin is the co-author of several books, including A Celebration of American Family Folklore. He lives in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (April 2, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684811758
• ISBN-13: 978-0684811758
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #712,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures Jewish "philosophy of life" if there is one., December 21, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Birmingham, Alabama) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Because God Loves Stories: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling (Paperback)

It is said that when three Jews have a discussion they will have at least four opinions, so there may not be any such thing as a Jewish outlook on, or philosophy of, life itself. But if there is, Because God Loves Stories captures its flavor. This is a collection of tales, memories, family stories, and anecdotes -- most of them short, and all of them fascinating -- that captures the tension and conflict between demanding the sweetness of the ideal world from God (who should certainly understand it the way WE do) while grudgingly, cynically, and mockingly accepting the frequent bitterness (or at least the tartness) of reality. It is a collection that shows how one can see humans as made in the image of God while still being fallible, troublesome, and even sinful, and that shows Jews loving God while being poignantly aware of the disappointments in much of His work, and letting Him know about it.

I have given copies of this book to my (Jewish) father who is as easily impressed as all Jewish parents -- and he loved it and reads the stories to friends he visits in a Jewish nursing home. They love them. I have also shared the stories with the non-Jews of a library literary discussion group to which I belong, and they have loved them. So, nu, what are you waiting for? Buy the book already. It's not like it costs so much money; the pleasure will be worth the few pennies you spend.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Because we love stories..., February 15, 2000

By 

Esther Nebenzahl - See all my reviews

This review is from: Because God Loves Stories: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling (Paperback)

What a joy to read this anthology! In a world where the media is constantly on our nerves with the ever-going show of human misery, to read this set of stories is a therapy. It makes you laugh, it makes you wonder, it brings you closer to God and His creation, it revives a deep-rooted "jewishness" that we seldom are aware off or have simple forgotten. It makes you feel like a child savoring his favorite ice cream: when it is finished, he cries out for more!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointingly light, July 26, 2008

By 

Bruce D. Wilner "Bruce David Wilner" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Because God Loves Stories: An Anthology of Jewish Storytelling (Paperback)

I was not impressed in the least by this collection, for several reasons. First, a great deal of introductory material is offered--discussing the context of the contributor's life and works--generally at the expense of the material per se. Second, the material is weighted toward anecdotes and away from folktales, myths, legends, and other traditional literary forms. Third, with so much coverage devoted to the modern period--where Judaism has all but unraveled into bits here and nits there--any sense of continuity of cultural momentum is sacrificed altogether. The author endeavors to give us a realistic taste of such crucial institutions as the American Yiddish theater but ultimately fails to do so in any cogent manner. Indeed, to any reader who is familiar with the corpus of Jewish fantastic literature, the material is as repetitive in places as it is lightweight in others. You should most definitely take a "pass" on this work and instead stock your library with important collections by Sadeh, Frankel, and Schwartz. For the more scholarly material that hearkens of the Hasidic era, stick to Patai: both Schwartz (in this particular context) and Buber are stand-out disappointments.