The Rebbe's Daughter: Memoir of a Hasidic Childhood [Hardcover]

Malka Shapiro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2002

Malkah Shapiro grew up in Poland, the daughter of a noted Hasidic master. The Rebbe’s Daughter tells her story: a rare glimpse of the world of the Hasidic Jew in pre-World War I Eastern Europe. This is a learned text, filled with biblical, talmudic, kabbalistic, and hasidic allusions and direct quotations, demonstrating that, in contrast to the stereotype of traditional Jewish girls’ education at the turn of the century, the author was blessed with a thorough education in Judaic classics. Shapiro’s tale, translated and presented in Rabbi Polen’s capable hands, is poetic and sensitive, providing a rich and inviting history for its readers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...opens a window to the Hasidic way of life that, in its being [the author's] own experience, is revelatory." -- Jewish Book World, Winter 2003

Polen masterfully translates Shapiro's lush descriptons, which offer an insider's view of a Hasidic master's family. -- Publishers Weekly, April 29, 2002

We are greatly indebted to Polen for making a remarkable contribution to the Jewish chronicle. -- The Jewish Press, August 23, 2002

From the Publisher

Winner of a 2002 National Jewish Book Award

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: The Jewish Publication Society (March 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827607253
• ISBN-13: 978-0827607255
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 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: #1,237,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Window into a remarkable world, April 2, 2002

By 

Diana Muir "Diana Muir" (Newton, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rebbe's Daughter: Memoir of a Hasidic Childhood (Hardcover)

This beautiful memoir opened a window into a world that I knew once existed, but that I had never actually seen before. We have all heard rebbe stories, have learned from the books left by these men, and have read of the lives of their followers. This, however, is a glimpse into the private lives of the aristocrats of European Hasidism. I do not use the word aristocracy lightly. The world of European Hasidism was highly stratified. The Rebbe's Daughter was top drawer. She lived in a large compound of servants, storerooms, and guest rooms for visitors to her father. There were coachmen, cooks, and governesses. There was no idle luxury. Every member of the rebbe's family lived a life of constant and devoted service. They served the Rebbe's followers, but also, and far more importantly, they served God.

Devotion to Torah pervaded every aspect and every moment of life. There is a kind of awe-filled beauty to a life in which every action, every thought is examined and consecrated to divine service. Devotion to Torah was so complete that even in the icy Polish winter the family shunned clothing made of wool. Better to shiver in silk and cotton than to risk a chance linen fiber that may render a woolen coat forbidden shatnes.

I cannot decide which aspect of the Rebbe's Daughter is more remarkable. The way it shows us a vivid picture of a vanished time and place, or the way it opens before us the way of thinking of a mind totally devoted to Torah.