The Purim Spiel and Other Stories
by
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“It will be Purim six weeks from now,” said Samuel Isaacs, nervously drumming his fingers on the table. “I think we should have a Purim Spiel.”
The Board of Directors of Temple Balagun who were gathered round the table in the
“What’s a Purim Spiel?” ventured Irv Putznik, a diminutive accountant who looked sixty but was actually only forty-five.
Sarah Shpritzer suddenly brightened. She was an anorexic schoolteacher who always wore too much makeup. “Why a Purim Spiel is one of those spinning tops. It tells how much you win or lose.”
“Idiot!” snapped Yetta Blumenthal, the three-hundred-pound widow of the late Herman Blumenthal D.D.S. “That’s a dildo. Even a fool knows that! A Purim Spiel is a kind of rattle.” She folded her massive arms and looked triumphantly at Sarah Shpritzer.
“Please, please!” interjected the Rabbi. “Let’s have some courtesy.”
Mrs. Blumenthal’s face reddened.
“A Purim Spiel is a play traditionally performed on Purim,” the Rabbi explained.
“Oh, you mean that kind of Purim Spiel,” said Mrs. Blumenthal, not to be outdone. “I thought you were referring to the rattle kind.”
The Rabbi wisely decided not to cross swords with Mrs. Blumenthal. After pausing a moment, he smiled sweetly and said, “I take it
“I don’t think so,” said Gerald Knoblach,
Everyone looked at Abe Cohen who’d lived in
“What’s this Purim Spiel about?” asked Irv Putznik.
“It’s the story in the Book of Esther,” the Rabbi replied.
“I got that book once through the Book-of-the-Month Club,” observed Mrs. Blumenthal. “But I only read a few chapters. It wasn’t as exciting as Agatha Christie.”
“Actually,” said the Rabbi, somewhat timorously in the face of Mrs. Blumenthal’s superior knowledge, “I was speaking of a book in The Hebrew Bible.”
“How confusing!” exclaimed Mrs. Blumenthal. “I didn’t realize there’s another book with the same name, and in The Bible too.”
Gerald Knoblach suppressed a snigger; Sarah Shpritzer began to giggle but managed to cover her mouth with a crumpled handkerchief. Mrs. Blumenthal gave both of them one of her most withering looks and they straightened up and stared down at the table to avoid the Gorgon’s gaze.
The Rabbi coughed then looked around at his audience. “We shall need a play director. Does anyone here have any experience at directing plays?”
There was a brief silence then Ken Simonson, Tinpot’s intellectual, removed the pipe from his mouth and raised his hand. “I directed quite a few plays, Rabbi. When I lived in
“Did Dickens write plays?” queried Sarah Shpritzer recklessly.
“Humph!” retorted Mrs. Blumenthal. “Did Dickens write plays indeed! And you call yourself a school teacher! Haven’t you ever heard of King Leah?”
“You mean King Lear,” said Sarah Shpritzer.
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About the Book
Purim Spiel was simmering inside Harry Geduld’s mind for many years. It boiled over at last into this brew of thirty short stories on various Jewish themes. They range from the farcical, and the fantastic to the ironic, the sardonic and the deadly serious. Some, such as "My Friend Sinclair," "Detective Story," and "God Will Know!" contain autobiographical elements. Others, most notably "Mrs. Goldberg Goes Back,"are based on or inspired by real-life experiences of the author’s parents.
The book is affectionately dedicated to the author’s most honest and constructive critic: his wife Carolyn.
About the Author
Harry M. Geduld, an Englishman by birth and an American by choice, was educated at His publications in Literature and Film reflect his wide-ranging interests in twentieth century Literature, Popular Culture and Film. His articles and reviews have appeared in numerous journals. His many books include Prince of Publishers, J.M.Barrie, Birth of the Talkies, Chapliniana, an anthology on Robots, critical editions of works by Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells, and volumes devoted to D.W.Griffith and Sergei Eisenstein. Advisory Editor of The New York Times Film Encyclopedia, he is also General Editor of several series, totaling upwards of 100 volumes. These are the series:- Film Focus, Filmguides, Visions (devoted to science fiction), Perspectives on Film, and The Literature of Mystery and Detection. Among his recent, yet to be published works are Ropes, a full-length play set in The present book is his first venture into self-publishing.