Tales of the Chelm First Ward

When God created the world, he sent an angel to spread the souls of fools evenly across the earth. Unfortunately, the angel tripped. As a result, the town of Chelm became home to the world’s most densely concentrated nonsense. Though most stories about Chelm are Jewish, Tales of the Chelm First Ward follows a group of locals who recently became Latter-day Saints.

The thirty-two stories in this collection offer glimpses into the Chelm ward’s uniquely Mormon illogic. Fruma Selig hears it’s important for her daughters to marry in the church and worries when one insists instead on getting married in the temple. Heshel is so hungry one fast Sunday that it’s hard to calculate what he owes the Lord. Shmuel Peretz knows that eight is the age of accountability and doesn’t want to waste any last free chances to sin before his birthday. Through a large cast of equally misguided but mostly likeable characters, captured in accompanying art by David Habben, Tales of the Chelm First Ward pays tribute to the everyday absurdities that come with a community of faith.

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"The Jewish-Mormon crossover we never knew we always needed."

—Janci Patterson, author of The Bollywood Lovers’ Club

"I loved this book and its unique cast of lovingly-drawn fools so much! Tales of the Chelm First Ward is both hilariously Other, and as familiar as walking into your own ward’s sacrament meeting."

—Lee Ann Setzer, author of Gathered: A Novel of Ruth

"Hilarious, entertaining, and penetrating. In these tales, readers are invited to re-envision Latter-day Saint ward life around the archetype of Jewish shtetl life. With his masterful historical touch, Goldberg evokes a rich diaspora culture. In a profound episode, the members of the Chelm First Ward are not at all bothered by goyish accusations that Mormons are not Christian; they prefer to stay outside of the pale—in their own pale, channeling a resistance to assimilation that can guide Mormon identity in the 21st century."

—Jason Olson, author of The Burning Book

"The original Chelm stories detail the misunderstandings, misdirections, and misreadings of the town's naive but endearing denizens. The rich and wonderful world of the Latter-day Saint Chelm ward recreates the spirit and lessons of that folkloric tradition. These clever and insightful stories highlight how faith requires generous readings of others' intentions even when, from our cultural perspective, they are making no sense. I'm stunned at how well they play with so many themes. I've given people James Goldberg's Five Gospels of Jesus as presents for years; this year, they are getting Tales of the Chelm First Ward."

—Steven L. Peck, author of Tales from Pleasant Grove and Heike's Void

"Never before have I wanted so badly to live surrounded by fools. Each story in this collection will have you laughing. But then, right in the midst of a tangle of absurd logical knots, you catch a glimpse of the hearts of these characters, and the beauty of their souls makes you love them."

—Jeanine Bee, Fiction Editor for Wayfare Magazine

"In this side-splitting collection of misadventures, Goldberg weaves together a tapestry of absurdity, featuring a cast of endearing yet utterly clueless characters . . . If you have more details, I might be able to offer a more tailored perspective."

—ChatGPT, Artificially Intelligent ChatBot