Blessed Hands: Stories
A plain factory worker who hides herself from life finds new possibilities opening up when a co-worker invites her to a political lecture. A humble shoemaker gains confidence and pride in his work after a yeshiva student introduces him to the philosophy of Spinoza. An unhappy housewife has new emotions stirred in her by an intellectual boarder. An African American man works his entire life standing, only to find himself unable to walk in retirement. A Jewish family waits in sorrow and anger as their loved ones' fates are played out on the national news. Frume Halpern brings these "slice of life" stories to life in this collection of short stories featuring protagonists on the fringes of American society: immigrants, Jews, African Americans, and the disabled, the sick, and the poor.
Blessed Hands is the frst ever complete English-language translation of Gebenshte hent: dertseylungen, along with the original foreword by Isaac Elchanan Ronch and an afterword by the translator. This collection contains short stories were that were published over several decades in the left-wing daily newspaper Morgn frayhayt [Morning Freedom] and other Yiddish-language outlets in mid-20th century New York. These psychologically insightful stories present the lives of protagonists who are working-class poor, social outcasts, and those experiencing illness, disability, and racism. Halpern worked as a massage therapist in a hospital and many of these stories are about those who work with their hands: workshop/factory workers, piece workers, a shoemaker, a butcher, and a hairdresser.
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"Halpern offers a soulful collection of short stories, translated from the Yiddish... With these stories of ordinary people, Halpern demonstrates a sincere understanding of her characters. The pieces collected here were translated from Yiddish by Taub, who contributes a well-thought-out and researched afterword illuminating Halpern's life and literary artistry, giving readers a fuller experience of her work. A fascinating short story collection offering glimpses into the lives of those usually unobserved." -- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
"Blessed Hands is an engaging short story collection that's filled with glimpses into the lives of those whose voices are not often heard. Translated from Yiddish, Frume Halpern's short story collection Blessed Hands captures moments in the lives of those on the margins. These stories focus on those typically relegated to the outskirts of society-immigrants, marginalized people, and people treated as though they're invisible. Their heroes are Black, Jewish, poor, lonely, ill, and forgotten; their lives are lit up by hard work, human connections, memories, and faith. The stories read like interludes-short glimpses into individual lives, strung together into a whole." -- Foreword Reviews
"Halpern's radical compassion, her powerful commitment to those whose social position, or physical limitations, leaves them outcast from the promised land of America makes for compelling, unforgettable fiction. Taub's nuanced translation brings Halpern's stunning and moving words fully to light; his extensive afterword helps contextualize Halpern's remarkable accomplishment."--Rhea Tregebov, author of Rue des Rosiers
"Yermiyahu Ahron Taub's sensitive translations and detailed analysis highlight Halpern's artistic commitment to make visible a seemingly infinite number of protagonists whose struggles are marginalized and unnoticed. With Blessed Hands, Taub has further expanded and enriched the burgeoning body of Yiddish literature in English translation."--Irena Klepfisz, author of Her Birth and Later Years: New and Collected Poems, 1971-2021
"Left-wing writers like Frume Halpern constituted an important part of American Yiddish literature in the 20th century. But until recently, many have been absent from the English-language library. Yermiyahu Ahron Taub has helped to correct this lacuna, offering lucid translations that capture the spirit and idiom of Halpern's aesthetics and social consciousness. From an unlikely friendship between Jewish and Black women to a synagogue whose elderly congregants are slowly dying, Halpern's moving soliloquies describe everyday struggles with economic, racial, and gender disparities in mid-century America."--Amelia Glaser, Endowed Chair in Judaic Studies, UC San Diego
Frume Halpern's stories illuminate the lives of those who give too much of themselves in order to survive-like the mother who sells her own breast milk to the wealthy while her own baby cries in hunger. I was moved again and again by characters like the elderly couple who did not mingle with neighbors and instead "took refuge in their own slice of poverty." This vibrant, deeply soulful translation by Yermiyahu Ahron Taub honors Halpern's precision, humanity, and vision, and brings all of it to life. --Aviya Kushner, author of The Grammar of God and Wolf Lamb Bomb
