Shabbath

Set in the Polish-Jewish shtetl of Wolbrom in the 1930s where Josef Erlich spent his youth, his account of how the character Feivel and his family observe the Sabbath has the flavor of a documentary narrative rather than a novel in the strictest sense. The author describes in intricate detail the religious observance and folkways of this holiest of days from the order of communal prayer to the preparation of the meals. A rich archive for readers unfamiliar with the Orthodox religious tradition -- as it was practiced in Europe for centuries and continues to be practiced by pious descendants today -- this book, writes Erlich, is for a generation wishing to know something of this enduring folk culture.