One for Each Night - (Very Christmas) (Hardcover)

About the Book

A continuation of the very popular Very Christmas series filled with festive as well as meditative Chanukah stories from Israel, Central Europe and the United States. Contemporary works that capture the Festival of Lights as observed on Manhattan's Upper West Side along with classics that remind readers of Chanukah celebrations in shtetls of the Old Country. A rewarding, never predictable literary treasure trove.

Book Synopsis

"Uniformly excellent."--The Jewish Standard

This rich medley of stories, poems, and essays features evocations of Chanukah by classic and contemporary authors including Sholom Aleichem, Nobel laureates S. Y. Agnon and Elie Wiesel, I. L. Peretz, Emma Lazarus, Theodor Herzl, Chaim Potok, Mark Strand, A. B. Yehoshua, Emma Green, Joanna Rakoff, and Rebecca Newberger Goldstein. There are humorous as well as meditative tales from Israel, Central Europe, and the United States--works that capture the Festival of Lights as observed on Manhattan's Upper West Side alongside accounts of celebrations in shtetls of the Old Country and far reaches of the Diaspora including Africa. The writings underscore what it means to be Jewish in a world that's not always welcoming and include intriguing commentary about Chanukah's origins and what it means now.

Review Quotes

"The stories collected here are often moving, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but all in some way evoke the spirit of the holiday. It is a perfect addition to any Jewish library."--Hadassah Magazine

"The pieces are uniformly excellent, not surprising given the reputations of the authors."--The Jewish Standard

"In a rich collection of essays by the most important Jewish voices of our time, Chanukah comes to life with humor and heart."--New York Family

"Opening this book, one might expect to find familiar tales about the Festival of Lights. But in fact, over half of the twenty-one pieces have never been published in English before . . . An exploration of Jewish behavior during the holiday season."--Jewish Book Council

"Fantastic stories that will have you glued to the edge of your seat. A fabulous collection."--Becky Anderson, Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, Illinois

About the Author

S. Y. Agnon (1888-1970) was a Nobel Prize-winning writer and one of the principal voices of modern Hebrew literature.

Sholom Aleichem (1856-1916), one of the fathers of modern Yiddish literature, was born in what is now Ukraine. He wrote many books including Tevye the Dairyman, which would be adapted into the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Theodor Herzl (1860-1904) was a journalist and playwright, and the founder of the political form of Zionism.

Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) was a poet and essayist best known for writing "The New Colossus," the sonnet excerpted in an inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein (1950- ) is a writer and philosopher whose books include the novel The Mind-Body Problem and the nonfiction work Plato at the Googleplex.

Chaim Potok (1929-2002) was a rabbi and author of The Chosen, The Promise, and other novels.

Joanna Rakoff (1972- ) is a memoirist and novelist.

Mark Strand (1934-2014) was poet laureate of the United States.

Elie Wiesel (1928-2016) was a writer known for his literary accounts of surviving the Holocaust.