Book

Legends of the Hasidim: an introduction to Hasidic culture and oral tradition in the New World

University of Chicago PressChicago, Ill. • Published In 1968 • Pages:

By: Mintz, Jerome R..

Abstract
This work provides both an ethnographic study (ca. 1959-1961, 1963) of the Hasidim in the New York City area, as well as a collection of their oral traditions in the form of recorded legends. The document is divided into two major parts. Part I attempts to describe and analyze the Hasidic culture through its oral traditions -- a technique utilized by Franz Boas in the early twentieth century because he believed '…that the events, materials, and customs of daily life are reflected in tales' (p. 1). Although this study relies heavily on the analysis of the collected tales, it is further supplemented by data gathered through customary anthropological methods such as participant observation, interviews, photography, and the utilization of life history materials. Part II consists of the texts of the tales collected by Mintz in New York City primarily during the period of 1959-1961 and in the summer of 1963. Topics given specific emphasis in this work are the cultural history of the Hasidim in eastern and central Europe, their settlements in New York City, patterns of Hasidic life, youth and marriage, the Rebbe, the MITSVES or religious commandments, supernatural beings and magic, and general attitudes and relationships within the Hasidic community.
Subjects
Literature
Literary texts
Priesthood
Congregations
Religious denominations
Missions
culture
North American Hasidic Jews
HRAF PubDate
1996
Region
North America
Sub Region
Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures
Document Type
Book
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
John Beierle ; 1995
Field Date
collection of tales: 1959-61, 1963
Coverage Date
variable
Coverage Place
Brooklyn, N.Y., United States
Notes
Jerome R. Mintz
Includes bibliographical references (p. {452}-457) and index
LCCN
68016707
LCSH
Jews