{"product_id":"hasidic-warsaw-reb-zalmen-and-the-aleksander-shtibl","title":"(PREORDER) Hasidic Warsaw: Reb Zalmen and the Aleksander Shtibl","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBy Yechiel Hofer\u003cbr\u003eEdited and translated by Jonathan Boyarin\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBloomsbury Publishing in partnership with YIVO\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublished in 2026\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e208 pages, 8 x 5 in\u003cbr\u003ePaperback\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis book provides the first English translation of Yechiel Hofer's book, \u003cem\u003eReb Zalmen\u003c\/em\u003e. Centering on a particular denizen of the Aleksander Hasidim's shtibl (prayer house), it offers a unique and intimate portrait of the lives of those who went inside to pray, eat, study, and argue there in the early 20th century. It is hard to imagine that Reb Zalmen was not an actual figure - someone the young Yechiel Hofer actually knew and loved - although finding any trace of him today would be a daunting task. Reb Zalmen was that rare thing, a traditional Jew without a family. His last name is never given; all we are told is that he had originally come to Warsaw from the town of Siedlec.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRegardless of Reb Zalmen's historical existence, \u003cem\u003eHasidic Warsaw\u003c\/em\u003e provides rich material for the ethnography of Polish Hasidism in the early 20th century. It reveals what it was like to experience 'Gentile' Warsaw for someone who spends all his time in the Jewish quarter; to confront the new waves of doubt and fashion that threatened the folkways followed there; the rivalries and alliances between different Hasidic courts and their followers; the bitterness of poverty and the struggle to transcend hunger.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJonathan Boyarin's introduction orients the reader toward the changing demographic and political situation of Polish Hasidim in the early 20th century. It points to the distinct facets of Warsaw Hasidic life and law that structure the chapters of \u003cem\u003eHasidic Warsaw\u003c\/em\u003e, guiding the reader towards their own contemplation of the interplay between fiction and memory.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease note this book has limited availability.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis item is a preorder and will ship in late August 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"YIVO Institute for Jewish Research","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47943114424538,"sku":null,"price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0648\/4587\/3370\/files\/9781350517370.jpg?v=1780331338","url":"https:\/\/yivo-institute.myshopify.com\/products\/hasidic-warsaw-reb-zalmen-and-the-aleksander-shtibl","provider":"YIVO Institute for Jewish Research","version":"1.0","type":"link"}