Book Review

Title: Arguing With The Storm: Stories By Yiddish Women Writers

Edited By: Rhea Tregebov

Publisher: Sumach Press

Number Of Pages: 214

ISBN-13: 978-1-894549-63-9

ISBN-10: 1-894549-63-5

$19.95 US/CDN 

4 Stars 

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey 

Oral history can be a wonderful thing. A passing down from one generation to another, a little extra added by some, others stick to the truths. After all, it was two words passed down from generation to generation that eventually led Alex Haley back to his Roots. At some point however, particularly with today’s blending of cultures an oral tradition, or a culture in itself can become diluted, neglected, absorbed and all too often forgot. 

So projects like Rhea Tregebov’s seems so much more relevant to the evolution of a culture once passed down from word of mouth, now finding the necessity to be committed to page and translated posthumously. Yiddish, of the Judaic tradition, has a strong connection to its culture and heritage, as a homeland may seem all too short in supply; it is the way of life and stories that perpetuates the Yiddish tradition. Arguing With The Storm: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers is a relevant and significant book, not just to the Yiddish community, but to a wider spectrum of committing history and culture to paper for all to see and learn from. 

Tregebov has carefully gathered together the biographies, and short stories of nine enigmatic and richly diverse Yiddish women writers from the 1900s to the 1970s. The collection of stories wrote from authors; Bryna Bercovitch, Rochel Broches, Paula Frankel-Zaltzman, Frume Halpern, Sarah Hamer-Jacklyn, Malka Lee, Rikuda Potash, Chava Rosenfarb, Anne Viderman, tell of love, hurt, war time, family, community, and a gamut of emotions. Every author’s works were translated by an exuberant and feisty bunch of women in Winnipeg with a passion for Yiddish women writer’s stories already. It is easy to see the translations are more than proficient as they are emotive, and showcase a love of the words that both the authors wrote and the translators took pleasure in interpreting.  

Arguing With The Storm: Stories by Yiddish Women Writers would be a delightful collection of short stories to read whatever cultural background you are from, it would make a wonderful textbook, or would be a great interest book for those wanting to learn more of the personal stories from WWII or stories from female authors specifically. Ultimately, when society has blended so well together that we are all a singular doughy substance of ‘one’ and are eagerly seeking a connection to our specific cultural pasts, we will be grateful for works like Arguing With The Storm that celebrates a unique and lively heritage.