{"product_id":"a-fire-burns-in-kotsk-jonathan-boyarin-9780814338131","title":"A Fire Burns in Kotsk: A Tale of Hasidism in the Kingdom of Poland","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eA vivid novelistic account that details a crucial period in the evolution of Polish Hasidism, translated from Yiddish.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHalf a century after Hasidism blossomed in Eastern Europe, its members were making deep inroads into the institutional structure of Polish Jewish communities, but some devotees believed that the movement had drifted away from its revolutionary ideals. Menashe Unger's \u003ci\u003eA Fire Burns in Kotsk\u003c\/i\u003e dramatizes this moment of division among Polish Hasidim in a historical account that reads like a novel, though the book was never billed as such. Originally published in Buenos Aires in 1949 and translated for the first time from Yiddish by Jonathan Boyarin, this volume captures an important period in the evolution of the Hasidic movement, and is itself a missing link to Hasidic oral traditions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e A non-observant journalist who had grown up as the son of a prominent Hasidic rabbi, Unger incorporates stories that were told by his family into his historical account. \u003ci\u003eA Fire Burns in Kotsk\u003c\/i\u003e begins with a threat to the new, rebellious movement within Hasidism known as \"the school of Pshiskhe,\" led by the good-humored Reb Simkhe Bunim. When Bunim is succeeded by the fiery and forbidding Rebbe of Kotsk, Menachem Mendl Morgenstern, the new leader's disdain for the vast majority of his followers will lead to a crisis in his court. Around this core narrative of reform and crisis in Hasidic leadership, Unger offers a rich account of the everyday Hasidic court life--filled with plenty of alcohol, stolen geese, and wives pleading with their husbands to come back home. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Unger's volume reflects a period when Eastern European Jewish immigrants enjoyed reading about Hasidic culture in Yiddish articles and books, even as they themselves were rapidly assimilating into American culture. Historians of literature, Polish culture, and Jewish studies will welcome this lively translation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Menashe Unger\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0814338135\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780814338131\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Wayne State University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/16\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.91lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.79h x 6.96w x 0.62d","brand":"Menashe Unger","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43947310153983,"sku":"9780814338131","price":31.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_563fd98e-2f0c-4f3e-814f-9b562b331c14.jpg?v=1681517960","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/a-fire-burns-in-kotsk-jonathan-boyarin-9780814338131","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}