A plain factory worker who hides herself from life discovers possibilities when a co-worker invites her to a lecture. A humble shoemaker gains confidence and pride in his work after a yeshiva student introduces him to the philosophy of Spinoza. An unhappy housewife has new emotions stirred in her by an intellectual boarder. An African American man works his entire life standing, only to find himself unable to walk in retirement. A Jewish family waits in sorrow and anger as their loved ones’ fates are played out on the national news. Frume Halpern brings these “slice of life” stories to life in this collection featuring protagonists on the fringes of American society: Holocaust survivors, immigrants, Jews, African Americans, the disabled, the sick, and the poor.
Blessed Hands is the first ever complete English-language translation of Gebentshte hent: dertseylungen, along with the original foreword by Isaac Elchanan Ronch and an afterword by the translator. This collection contains short stories were that were published over several decades in the newspaper Morgn frayhayt [Morning Freedom] and other Yiddish-language publications.
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Fiction
Blessed Hands: Stories
- From the Publisher
September 1, 2023
Discussion Questions
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