ETRuscan Fugnyruize Destos op ITaly CT.c(usive icuhu_n impoRcs the United States. "I never saw or spoke to Natasha or the Karashkas again. But my mother didn't let me for- get them. She always talked about how marvelous they were to us." R obert Browning, Dante Rosetti and Anatole France all had something to say about her. So did I.L. Peretz and S.Y. Agnon. And you can be certain Bella Abzug wouldn't leave this subject un- touched. T iilith was a mystical being de- scribed in biblical writings and the frequent subject of East Eu- ropean folklore (where she often was portrayed as a seductive de- mon). She has been the focus of books, poems and plays. Exactly how she appears in these writ- ings is considered in Eve's Jour- ney: Feminine Images in Hebraic Literary Tradition (Wayne State University Press) by Nehama Aschkenasy. Ms. Aschkenasy's book ana- lyzes the many ways Hebrew writings portray Jewish women, from Eve to "the collective femi- nine protagonist." Among the works she reviews are those by S.Y. Agnon, Aharon Appelfeld and A.B. Yehoshua. She also writes of women in the Bible: Deborah and Judith are strong women, who, in their resource- fulness and charisma, save their people from brutal tyrants. Yet these two women's inner strength stems from the firm confidence of people who dwell on their own land, and are called upon to pro- tect their territory from a foreign intruder. But as the fate of the Jewish people changes and their existence becomes more precari- ous, the feminine strategy for sur- vival is no longer spirited militancy, but passive, yet tena- cious endurance. I he rabbi was flanked on the left by men in guns. On his right were men with guns. Behind him: men with guns. That's how it started that day at the Riker's Island New York City jail, where the rabbi, active with the Lubavitch Youth Orga- nization's prison outreach pro- gram, was a visitor. When he met with a group of Jewish inmates, the rabbi told a story about a song. It was called "Shpoler Zeide's Niggun," and it was no ordinary song. Niggun: Stories Behind the Chasidic Songs That Inspire Jews (Jason Aronson), by Mordechai Staiman, tells 38 re- markable stories behind niggu- nim (Jewish tunes that accompany prayers). There are tales of niggunim that saved Jews from the Nazis, of a tune that so touched com- poser Leonard Bernstein that, for the first time, he picked up tefill- Leonard Bernstein was so smitten with a niggun that he decided to put on tefillin. in, and the tale of the "Shpoler Zeide's Niggun." The story begins with Reb Aryeh Leib, an 18th-century rab- bi from Shpola in the Ukraine. Known as the Shpoler Zeide, he was said to be passionately com- mitted to helping all Jews. According to legend, Reb Aryeh was determined to save the life of a certain Jew who had been thrown into a pit for not paying his taxes. The man's one chance of escape was to appear before the Cossacks and outdance a carefully selected competitor. (Tithe Jew fell first, he was killed. If the competitor was the first to go down, the Jew was allowed to live.) After he heard of this, the Sh- poler Zeide had a dream in which Elijah the prophet came, teach- ing him an extraordinary dance and a remarkable tune certain to outwit the Jew's competitor. The story goes that Reb Aryeh managed to switch places with the man in the well, then ap- peared before the Cossacks. When he started singing the nig- gun Elijah had taught him, everyone began singing and danc- ing. Finally, the Shpoler Zeide's competitor fell, and the Jew, whose place the rabbi had thken, was allowed to go free. That's when the rabbi at Rik- er's Island began to sing the Sh- poler Zeide's niggun. The prisoners soon joined in. Later, author Mordechai Staiman writes, the rabbi would say, "Some of these Jews hardly had spent more than five minutes with another Jew outside. Nev- ertheless, in this long-silent room with a heart, their Jewish spark was kindled, and they all were thoroughly involved in this dance with me...these people were danc- ing around and around and around and around, and some- body shouted, 'Hey, I think I see the Shpoler Zeide in the circle op- posite me'...There was no doubt these inmates were being touched by the hand of God." ❑ cRANO opeNiNg sALe 3 0_5 .96 OFF STOREWIDE Dining Room, Bedrooms, Genuine Leather* special discountsforfloor models Any purchase (f $3,000 Or more receive 2 FREE airfare return tickets to any (f these destinations: Miami, Cancun, Bahamas, & Turk & Caicos. 304 Hamilton • DoWntoWn Birmingham • 810-647-4272 Everyone Claims To Specialize In T lift ltique Enierkirment Concepts & R:rly Kewsciss VALE_ T "pariers vvrth personal' Dj's & Dancers Band Bookings Photo Keepsakes Old Tyme Photos Glow Products Tee Shirts r6 \PPC n the Orchard Mall Valet Parking Music Videos Big Screens Invitations Giveaways Karaoke (810) 932-5990 Marc Schechter Renee therrin Erlich ROLEX REPAIR We Are Michigan's Largest Certified Rolex Technician (Factory Trained by Rolex) COATS UNLIMITED Oak Park Lincoln Center 26150 Greenfield Road Oak Park, MI 48237 (313) 968-2060 West Bloomfield Orchard Mall 6337 Orchard Lake Road West Bloomfield, MI 48322 (313) 855-9955 Troy Troy Commons 871 E. 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