The Shochet (Vol. 1) - by Pinkhes-Dov Goldenshteyn (Paperback)

About the Book

This unique book is the memoirs of a kosher slaughterer, a Jewish functionary, who lived in Ukraine and Crimea from the middle of the nineteenth century until the First World War. For the first time, it gives us a snapshot of Jewish life from a functionary's point of view in the last century of Tsarist rule, and at the same time deals with the eternal questions of antisemitism, minority status, and the life of Jews in Ukraine.

Book Synopsis

This unique book is the memoirs of a kosher slaughterer, a Jewish functionary, who lived in Ukraine and Crimea from the middle of the nineteenth century until the First World War. For the first time, it gives us a snapshot of Jewish life from a functionary's point of view in the last century of Tsarist rule, and at the same time deals with the eternal questions of antisemitism, minority status, and the life of Jews in Ukraine.

Review Quotes

"This is one of those rare books that once you start, it is very difficult to put down. You know you should put it down and go to sleep or go to work or make supper... but you can't! And once you finish it, you want everyone you know and love to read it too... The Shochet is written, edited, and footnoted beautifully. I am in awe of Michoel Rotenfeld's translation, which is not only precise but also eloquent.... I keep The Shochet on my desk just to remember the inspiration I gleaned from reading the life story of this remarkable 'simple Jew.'"

- Rishe Deitsch, N'shei Chabad Newsletter

"Par-tic-u-lar-ly illu-mi-nat-ing are Rotenfeld's analy-ses of day-to-day Hasidic reli-gious life in nine-teenth-cen-tu-ry Ukraine and his explo-ration of Goldensteyn's grow-ing rela-tion-ship with the Chabad movement."

--Katha-ri-na Hadas-sah Wendl, Jewish Book Council

"The book is an engaging read, fast-paced, plot-heavy, and laden with suspense. Masterfully translated and annotated for the English-speaking public by Michoel Rotenfeld, a historical researcher and director of Touro University Library's Project Zikaron, the memoir, full of gawdy descriptions and hyperbolic phrases, suggests Rotenfeld's careful dedication to preserving the original flavor as much as possible.

The Shochet stands almost alone as an authentic work, guileless and lacking in agenda, making it of particular interest to those exploring the period. The granular specifics of this memoir are a windfall for historians. A colorful cast of devout and slovenly figures appears throughout, as well as a mix of everything in between, making this memoir familiar, human, and resonant, a rethinking of the shtetl personalities and perhaps a more honest rendition than any before it. The Shochet is a fundamental piece of beautifully simple moralizing: historic, timeless, and relevant as ever."

--Faigy Grunfeld, Jewish Action

"Rotenfeld's critical translation of The Shochet is a boon for students and scholars of East European Jewry. The memoir includes thick descriptions of everyday life, such as: cures for cholera; the culture of charity for Jewish travelers and wayfarers; and everyday accounts of transportation, weather, prices, housing, and food. This ego-document invites us to consider the history of emotions and interiority from the perspective of a traditionalist, non-elite Jew."

-- Ellie Schainker, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies

"You have to read this book... It's not like anything you read before."

-- Alter Yisrael Shimon Feuerman, Tablet

"Rotenfeld offers readers more than just an English translation in this volume, also providing an abundance of historical context and commentary on the life and times of Goldenshteyn. ... This presentation, combined with the inclusion of maps, photographs, drawings, and other images, will make the book accessible to scholars and general readers alike. ... Most important is the book's emphasis on the lives and beliefs of common Jews within a genre that typically highlights a more secular, middle-class, and elite perspective."

-- Kirkus Reviews

"A historically insightful memoir, The Shochet trades between humorous and grave descriptions of rural Jewish life in nineteenth-century Ukraine. ... [T]he frank central narration stands to captivate all."

-- Foreword Clarion Reviews

"Thanks to Michoel Rotenfeld's new English-language translation of a Yiddish autobiography, The Shochet (1929), we now have a detailed, vivid, and

About the Author

Michoel Rotenfeld is a historical researcher who has long been fascinated by Jewish memory in its myriad forms, especially the genre of Jewish autobiography. He is the director of Touro University Library's Project Zikaron, a permanent collection of previously uncollated and undigitized historical material from Jewish communities across the world. He also coordinated the digitization of David Tidhar's ninеtееn-volume Encyclopedia of the Founders and Builders of Israel (www.tidhar.tourolib.org), which has received over three million page views.