Live and Be Well: A Celebration of Yiddish Culture in America - Hardcover

Levi, Vicki

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0813528127 ISBN 13: 9780813528120

Publisher: Rutgers University Press, 2000

Synopsis

 Like a warm family album, this lively book heralds and documents the rich and vibrant traditions of Yiddish-speaking immigrants and their children in “the golden land,” from the first arrivals to the Second World War.

             Meet the famous, the infamous, and the unknown—from hotelier Jenny Grossinger to mobster Jake “Greasy Thumb” Guzik to Moses Solomon, the would-be “Jewish Babe Ruth;” from anarchist Emma Goldman to entertainer Eddie Cantor.

            Share the struggles and the triumphs of the labor unions, of Yiddish playwrights and poets. Enter the sweatshops of New York’s Lower East Side and the first Jewish settlements in Los Angeles and Chicago. Taste pastrami from Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles, knishes from Yonah Shimmel’s in New York City, and the famous “smookmit” of the Montreal ghetto.

            Lavishly illustrated with photos, cartoons, theater posters, and song sheets, here is a book to delight and inform. It is a joyous celebration of life.

About this title

About the Author

RICHARD F. SHEPARD (1932-1998) was a cultural news writer, columnist, and editor for the New York Times. He was also the author of several books, including Broadway: From the Battery to the Bronx and The Paper's Papers: A Reporter's Journey Through the Archives of the New York Times. VICKI GOLD LEVI is co-author of Atlantic City: 125 Years of Ocean Madness and You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby: Baby Pictures of the Stars.

Review

"Live and Be Well is the best history of Yiddish culture in America I've ever read. It's a celebration and a delightful read." -- Larry King, USA Today

"More than the usual appreciation of the Yiddish Language, Live and Be Well is as its subtitle advertises, 'A Celebration of Yiddish Culture in America,'... Some of the material is hilariously familiar... while some entries are more serious.... A beautiful book." -- The New York Times Book Review

"This is a handsomely illustrated catalogue of Yiddishkeit, an alphabetically arranged potpourri of entries ranging from Yiddishisms to cultural institutions and memorable personalities. The effect of turning the pages is somewhat like taking a leisurely afternoon tour through the old neighborhood." -- The New York Times

Edition details

• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0813528127
• ISBN 13: 9780813528120
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192