Shtetl Tales

Eleanore Smith

Description

This multi volume collection of stories takes place in the fictional shtetl of Patchentuch, located somewhere in the backwater of Eastern Poland in the late nineteenth century. The stories tell of the lighthearted adventures and misadventures of the town’s residents, and they transcend the grim reality of shtetl life to a more light hearted place. My hope is that the tales will provide the same pleasure for the reader that I derived from creating them.

Sujets

• Short story
• Short Stories
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse
• Date de parution: 13 avril 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9798823006255
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Shtetl Tales
 
 
Volume Eight
 
 
 
 
 
 
Eleanore Smith
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
Phone: [phone]
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2023 Eleanore Smith. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
Published by AuthorHouse  04/12/2023
 
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0626-2 (sc)
ISBN: 979-8-8230-0625-5 (e)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Contents
Acknowledgements
 
A Tapestry In The Shul
Yentata Goldstein Goes To Town
Froimke Farshimmelt’s Story
Feivish Remembers
Schmendric Learns A Lesson
Batya’s Dilemma
Zelig’s Mishap
A Party For Chaim
Chaim’s Birthday
The Mayor Votes
Rebbe Benny’s Request
The Mayor’s Council
The Ofsaloches Caper
Malkah Meddles
Acknowledgements
I wish to dedicate this collection to the memory of my parents (Bertha and Philip Kastel), to the memory of Dr. Sumner Smith, to Len Paris, my editor, to my children (Karen, David and Heidi) and their spouses, to my grandchildren and their spouses, and to my great grandchildren.
A Tapestry In The Shul

Zelig Schmaltzberger was a long time congregational member of the Patchentuch shul. On the wall behind the Bima of his shul’s sanctuary hung a large and beautiful tapestry of Jerusalem, donated years ago by Chaim Kalman Dubrovsky. When, after so many years, the tapestry came loose from its broken hook and fell to the floor, Zelig and his wife Hetty volunteered to rehang it. They would gather the required hardware and do the job early on a Wednesday morning, a couple of days before Shabbos. The tapestry, which depicted the holy city of Jerusalem in all of its glory, was the focal point of the shul, its golden domes illuminating an otherwise rather dull and dreary space. It had hung on the wall for more years than anyone could remember, and rehanging it did not appear to be difficult.
Early on the assigned Wednesday morning the couple arrived at the shul and went to work. After the tapestry was refastened on the back to the narrow strip of wood at the top which gave it stability, the plan was to attach a new cord and hang it back onto the wall on a new nail. Hetty held the ladder as Zelig climbed up to remove the broken part of the old nail that was still embedded in the wall, and she reached up to steady her husband as he slowly descended the ladder. Once the broken hook had been successfully removed from the wall they proceeded to remove the now brittle tape that covered the small nails on the narrow supporting strip of wood at the top that held the beautiful cloth. The old nails were small and rusted, and the job of removing them was not so easy. Many of the nails broke during the process, and when new nails were hammered in, Zelig hammered several of his fingers, as well. When he attempted to fasten the new cord to the wood from which the tapestry would hang, the cord continued to slip off the nails because the brad heads were too small to secure the cord in place. Hetty then went off in search of more suitable hooks instead of the brads which were unsuited to the purpose. Their old fingers were not as nimble as they once were, and the task of preparing the tapestry for rehanging proved to be more daunting than either had anticipated.
After gluing, hammering and cording the piece of art, Hetty and Zelig were exhausted and worn out from their exertions. They realized that re-hanging the Jerusalem tapestry was a job for the young, not the old, but they had done it and were proud of their achievement. Before hanging the tapestry back on the wall, however, they left the sanctuary and returned home for a light lunch and a short nap.
When they finally awoke from their nap it was too late in the day to return to the shul, and so the next morning, bright and early, Zelig and Hetty returned to the shul to finish the job.
*       *       *
The first thing they did upon their return in the morning was to check the tape that they had placed over the nails on the strip of wood, and Zelig, once again, climbed the ladder to hang the cloth onto the new hook in the wall. When he came down off the ladder, they both stood back to admire their work and to get a better view. One had to be certain that the tapestry did not hang crooked upon the wall. As they stared at the tapestry, however, what they saw shocked them both. They had somehow, inadvertently, refastened the tapestry to the wood to which the cord was also attached to the wrong end of the tapestry, so that the image was upside down. Jerusalem now stood on its head, its golden domes facing downward, not upward toward the heavens above.
Younger members of the congregation were hastily recruited by a frustrated Zelig and Hetty to climb the ladder, remove the upside down tapestry and begin the process all over again. This time, however, the wooden board and cord, once removed from the bottom of the piece was correctly attached to the top, and the beautiful cloth now once again proudly adorned the wall of the little Patchentuch shul.
Yentata Goldstein Goes To Town

In the Jewish faith the operative word is tradition. Most Jews observe, and always have observed the traditions of their fathers, but, of course, like everything else there are always exceptions. There will always be the Jews who have changed their names. Shlemiels have become Sheldons, and Moishkes have become Marvins. Hennoch, Benzion and Lochshen from Patchentuch left for America where they became Harry, Barry and Larry.