Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
1923–1958
And I didn’t have time.
Now it is certain
I didn’t have time.
Half my life.
It is now allowed
To be silent.
My shadows grow
With the stride of the sun.
I am the man
Who didn’t have time.
The Grandfather I Once Had
Every day when his mind was at ease,
Relieved of the need to tell us about the countries he’d seen,
He would raise his hands high above our heads,
Appealing on our behalf before the Almighty to let…
The Syrian-African Rift: Six Poems
The sages say, that at the time the Syrian-African Rift
occurred, the celestial inhabitants were not
up-to-date. Each man was engaged
at his trade. In grinding…
The Pit and the Trap: A Chronicle of Survival
Today is Wednesday, February 17, 1943. Exactly twelve weeks have passed since we went into hiding here at Felek’s. Twelve weeks are eighty-four days and, if my arithmetic is correct, 2016 hours. That…
Bread
Once there was a stroke of misfortune.
The day it happened, Mother couldn’t stop cursing this wretched life. Something occurred that almost caused Father to hang himself out of pure shame. After that…
The Story of Farczi
The morning of the third day, Tsiporah tried to distract Noémi.
“Have you read this article?” she asked, handing her Maariv.
Noémi finished her nth cigarette, then placed the butt on the already…
A Trade Is a Kingdom
Ay, a lifetime buzzed away . . . what is it, all in all? A dream, a short Friday in winter. . . .
Most people start to philosophize after a savory pot roast and a shot of liquor. Reb Nakhmen the…
What Is a Pinkes?
I remember hearing the word pinkes several times when I was a small child.
For instance, when an unusual event took place in town…
The Cadi and the Jewish Merchant
Toward the end of the reign of Moulay Hassan, there was a cadi whose avarice was so great that he was likened to a tomb, for the tomb, ever receiving, never gives anything back. The cadi accepted…
A Birthday in London
Mr. Lumbik was the first guest to arrive, rather too early. He had a big bunch of flowers in tissue paper, and wore a tweed jacket with leather buttons, which gave him a jaunty air. “A happy birthday…
Can I?
I just can’t. Should I? I feel like going in, but I just can’t; I remain stationary. The church door opens and closes, continually, and I open and close with it, split asunder. Warmth escapes from…