January 10 • 2019 5
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or readers of classic writing,
may I offer some selections
that will never make the best-
read list.

The Adventures of
Hershel Finnstein
by Shmuel Klemsky.
The book is noted for
its colorful descrip-
tion of people and
places along the
Muldow River. Set
in a society after the
Russian Revolution
that had ceased to exist about 20
years before the work was published,
these adventures try to be a scathing
satire on the proletariat. The pho-
netically written words to emulate a
dialect may leave the reader puzzled.

The Great Katz Boy
by F. Sam Fitzgorel.
The story primarily concerns the
young and mysterious millionaire Jay
Katz and his passion and obsession for
the beautiful former debutante Delores
Buchman. It explores themes of deca-
dence, idealism, resistance to change,
social upheaval and excess, creating a
portrait of the Roaring ’
20s. Flappers
abound but reality does not.

Sounding Furious

by Wilhelm Fleckner.
The tale is set in the Bronx, N.Y. It
centers on the nouveau riche Cohen
family, who are struggling to deal
with the dissolution of their family
and its reputation. Over the course of
the 30 years or so related in the novel,
the family falls into financial ruin,
loses their religious faith and the
respect of the town; many of them
die tragically. Following their trials
and tribulations is a trial in itself. The
reader will sound furious if he per-
mits himself to finish the work.

Kotchke In The Rye
by J.D. Mallinger.
This cookbook shows a basic dis-
regard for ethnic cooking that any
true cook would be wise not to put
on his/her bookshelf. It seems to be
written by an angst-ridden teen who
has no knowledge of self, let alone
the workings of a kitchen.

Kvetch 22

by Yankel Meller.
The novel is set during the 1940s.
Most of the events in the book are
in the form of a diary of an ill-tem-
pered enlistee in the Army. He has
complaints about everything from

his barracks mates to the lack of
variety in the food. It is a decidedly
dull attempt to make complaining an
art form.

Counting On Crisco
by Alexander Mumas.
What starts out to be a helpful kitch-
en reference soon develops into a
rather dull series of kitchen mishaps
that fail to sustain either humor or
interest.

Dr. Yankel and Mr. Fried

by Robbie L. Steinson.
In an attempt to portray the life of
an immigrant who made good, the
author succumbs to the overworked
approach of showing a foreigner
trod upon by the rest of society. He
turns from aiding his fellow man to
seeking revenge on those who would
refuse his recognition as a contrib-
uting member of society. The only
horror in this tale is that of the ama-
teurish writing.
Do not seek these in your local
library or on the internet. To the
best of my knowledge, they have
been relegated to the publishers’

trash bins. (One can only hope.) ■

Sy Manello is an editorial assistant at the JN.

continued on page 6

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Contributions to Humanity
As a longtime Jewish News subscriber,
I want to compliment you on the
Jewish Contributions to Humanity
series, which I read and enjoy weekly.
Its world scope is deeply educational
and enjoyable, and I compliment the
Field family on its decision to create
the series in such a learning form. I
look forward to reading it each week
and hope that it will continue for many
more.

Les Goldstein

West Bloomfield

Let’
s Not Take
Israel for Granted
I want to applaud Peter M. Alter for
his commentary “Do We Take Israel
for Granted?” (Dec. 27, 2018, page 6).

I share the same concerns and I was
so happy to see Mr. Alter articulate
it the way he did. It should alarm
everyone when we read the amount
our Federation dollars contributed to
Israel went from $13.5 million to $8.7
million — without taking inflation into
account.
In addition, Eric Goldstein, chief
executive of the UJA-Federation of New
York, “is reported as stating that ‘
people

who, up to three years ago, were the
biggest supporters of Israel now say to
us they want to throw up their hands
— that all of their love and labor on
behalf of Israel went down the drain.
”
Goldstein went on to note, “… On
top of the list of concerns affecting
American Jewry are the support
that Israel Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu shows U. S. President
Donald Trump, who is generally
loathed by American Jews and their
communal leadership, as well as Israel’
s
inability to reach a two-state settlement
with the Palestinian Authority.
”
Perhaps, I am more sensitive to this
as a child of Holocaust survivors, but

Sy Manello

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