Empty the Ocean With a Spoon: Growing Up With the Customs, Traditions and Superstitions of a Jewish Home [Paperback]

Rosalie Sogolow (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1999

A cornucopia of culture, this book is filled with Yiddish expressions and proverbs; traditions of love, marriage, food, and children; home remedies and cooking; manners and morals; religion; folk tales; and superstitions (bubbe meises). It also includes colorful accounts by people from all walks of life, including two rabbis, a cantor who is a seventh- generation Sabra, comedy writers, and journalists--all recalling their own formative years and the Jewish influence in their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Sogolow, an English as a Second Language teacher with Jewish Family Services in California, looks back on her childhood and the stories her grandparents told along with those told her by current students, friends, and family and attempts to empty the vast ocean of our [Jewish] heritage in spoon-sized observations and anecdotes so that the heritage will continue to live on in us, and through us into the future. Aspects of Jewish life and traditionfrom the observation of the Sabbath and Jewish holidays to folk remedies, proverbs, wit and wisdom, and Jews personal connection to Israelare included in a broad, discursive style and affectionate tone that make the book a loving surrogate grandmother for younger Jews and an ideal discussion-starter for older ones. Highly recommended.Marcia G. Welsh, Guilford Free Lib., CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Daniel & Daniel Pub (May 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564742938
• ISBN-13: 978-1564742933
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,011,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Empty the Ocean With a Spoon: Growing Up With the Customs, Traditions and Superstitions of a Jewish Home (Paperback)

This book touched me emotionally in many different ways. It brought back a lot of memories of growing up, and the traditions that permeated our home and our life. It also made me appreciate the fact that how I was raised was not unique. All of us were raised with superstitions, customs and traditions that effect the way we live our lives today. I actually laughed out loud in a number of sections and cried in several others.

I would recommend this book to people of all ages. For some it will bring back many memories of their childhood and young adulthood. To other's it will reflect how they lived their lives and raised their children. For other's, it is a nice link to who our parents and our grandparents (and in some cases our great grandparent's) were, and what makes us who we are today. Definitely, a must read!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, unusual book!, September 23, 1999

By 

Melonmist (Nanuet, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Empty the Ocean With a Spoon: Growing Up With the Customs, Traditions and Superstitions of a Jewish Home (Paperback)

This is such a beautiful, memorable book! It's an interesting, unusual topic and I really enjoyed reading it. If you like to read about Jewish culture, or if Jewish culture is new to you, this is the perfect book. Highly recommended by me!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Insight into Jewish Traditions, February 13, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Empty the Ocean With a Spoon: Growing Up With the Customs, Traditions and Superstitions of a Jewish Home (Paperback)

This is a lovely book that I would recommend to anyone. I'm not Jewish but you don't need to be to appreciate the author's tales of family ties and tradition. There's a lot of insight into the Jewish culture and what a beautiful culture it is. After reading books like Ms. Sogolow's it's hard for me to understand why the world is so full of anti-semitism. We could all stand to learn from a culture of people that embraces their traditions with so much pride, loyalty and love.