Book

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

University of Chicago Press • Chicago, 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.

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