The Inexhaustible Wellspring: Reaping the Rewards of Shtetl Life

The Inexhaustible Wellspring: Reaping the Rewards of Shtetl Life
by Heszel, Dr. Klepfisz
Edition: Hardcover
Product Details
Hardcover: 312 pages ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.12 x 9.30 x 6.40
Publisher: Devora Publishing; (September 23, 2003)
ISBN: 1930143753
From the Publisher
1) Presents, for the first time, the positive affect of shtetl life on the modern world. 2) Focuses on the heroes of the shtetl; those that did not give up their Jewish life in order to become respected and well known in the world at large. 3) Shows how the common shtetl image depicting destitute, ignorant and close-minded people was, in large measure, far from the truth.
About the Author
Heszel Klepfisz was born in 1910 into a rabbinical family that lived near Warsaw. He studied philosophy, history and literature at universities in Warsaw, Brussels and Zurich earning a Ph.D. in Philosophy. By the age of 19, he began writing articles in the Jewish newspapers attacking anti-Semitism in Poland. In 1933, he was one of the first to warn of the menace of fascism.
During World War II, Dr. Klepfisz served as a military chaplain, with the rank of Major, in the Polish army. He trained in... read more
Book Description
Modern science, philosophy, thought and reason owe a great debt to the Jewish ghettos that comprises shtetl life in Europe. Contrary to popular belief, the shtetl was not a place where fiddlers on the roof watched the world pass them by.
Quite the contrary. The author presents clear historical data to show that many great minds which grew out of the shtetl refused to shed their Jewishness in order to achieve fame in the world at large.
In his cogent analysis, the author reveals the great personalities that blossomed in the caldron of shetetl life, greats like The Baal Shem Tov, Y.I. Peretz, Franz Rosenzweig, Januz Korczak, and many others.
A work of impressive scholarship , December 12, 2003
Reviewer: Midwest Book Review from Oregon, WI USA
The Inexhaustible Wellspring: Reaping The Rewards Of Shtetl Life by Heszel Klepfisz (formerly Chief Rabbi of Panama and Professor of Judaic Studies and History at the University of Panama), knowledgeably examines the thousand-year-old "Shtetl" Jewish community in Poland, and how it maintained its own language, forms of social life, educational network, moral discipline and more. This community declared an economic boycott of Nazi Germany in the early 1930's and broke relations with that country even though it meant losing income. The Inexhaustible Wellspring insightfully examines the Jewish spirit, its ramifications, the deadly toll of the Holocaust, and more. Offering new ways to look upon what Shtetl life was and its contribution to Judaism as a whole, The Inexhaustible Wellspring is a work of impressive scholarship and a welcome contribution to personal and academic Judaic Studies reading lists.
Jewish - General