Description:
There is an old Jewish proverb that goes, "God could not be everywhere so God invented Jewish mothers." Proof positive is found in the faces and stories of these exquisite Jewish mothers photographed by native son Lloyd Wolf. In assembling this loving tribute to Jewish mothers, Wolf and interviewer Paula Wolfson hoped to dispel the unflattering American myths of smothering mothers (á la Portnoy's Complaint), while elevating the honorable traditions and virtues of Jewish mothering. Wolf's black-and-white photos offer compelling stories in and of themselves--intimate portraits that capture each woman's essence page after page. Every photo spread is accompanied by a first-person narrative in which these women peel back the layers of their life stories. Psychologist Dr. Carolyn Goodman tells of her son being killed by the Ku Klux Klan during the Civil Rights Movement. Entertainer Shari Lewis speaks of her first Chanukah special with her brainchild puppet Lamb Chop. Patricia Lunior speaks of mothering a son who contracted the HIV virus from a blood transfusion. The paths of these mothers are very different--rabbi, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, mystery writer, Auschwitz survivor, mother of triplets, puppeteer, Nobel Prize winner--but they have much in common, including an unwavering commitment to children, community, and their Jewish heritage. One would be hard-pressed to find a more loving gift book to bestow upon a Jewish mother of any generation. --Gail Hudson
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