Strauss,
Linda Leopold The Elijah Door
Holiday
House 2012 unp $16.95
978-0-8234-1911-1 elem VG-BN Historical
A long time ago in a small village "that was
sometimes Poland and sometimes Russia", two loving families lived side-by-side
for generations until a misunderstanding drove them apart and necessitated the
building of an extra door in the Galinsky house so they would never have to see
each other again. David Lippa and Rachel
Galinsky always knew they would marry until their families’ feud separated
them. Like a Jewish Romeo and Juliet,
they would not be swayed by the dispute and went to the Rabbi for advice. When Passover arrived, the families decided
that there would be no jointly-held traditional Seder that year.
However, the villagers came to the Galinsky and Lippa families with
tales of woe so dire that their invitations to Seder caused the customary feast
to spread out of each house and into the yards. The great
circle was completed when the Rabbi joined the ceremonial meal in "one great
celebration of love and freedom and family", and the extra door was now opened to
allow the entrance of Elijah. This
delightful folk tale is enhanced by hand-colored wood- and linoleum-block prints
inspired by the traditional Eastern European woodcuts of the nineteenth century. They highlight this charming Passover story and the
Jews' celebration
of the Exodus from Egypt and their freedom from slavery.
VG-BN Susan Ogintz Passover, Jewish Folk tales
