Legends of the Hasidim: An Introduction to Hasidic Culture and Oral Tradition in the New World [Paperback]

Jerome Mintz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

This study of the New York Hasidim was originally published in 1968 by the University of Chicago. The author, a professor of anthropology and Jewish Studies, explores the relaitonship of the community to its legends and examines the legends for their cultural content.

Product Details

• Paperback: 462 pages
• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc. (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568215304
• ISBN-13: 978-1568215303
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,523,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Judaism > Hasidism

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great classic back in print!, July 19, 1999

By 

Rabbi Yonassan Gershom (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Legends of the Hasidim: An Introduction to Hasidic Culture and Oral Tradition in the New World (Paperback)

This book was first published back in 1968, and I have referred to my old, worn, second-hand copy again and again in my own writing about Hasidic stories. One of the earliest studies of Hasidism in America, it includes material collected right after WWII, from the last generation of Jews to actually experience the pre-Holocaust Hasidic culture in Eastern Europe.

There are Hasidic stories in this book that appear nowhere else, including some about the Holocaust that would be considered "politically incorrect" today -- which is one of the things that makes the book so valuable. Mintz did not attempt to censor his subjects, nor did he try to polish up their storytelling styles. These are field-collected stories in all their original candor. The result is a book that speaks to us across the decades.