One of the greatest Jewish historians on the clash of civilizations that played out within the psyches of young Odessan Jews.
A teenaged boy skips his violin lessons.
What he shared with Isaac Babel.
A humorous and poignant picture of the author’s hometown.
Brilliant Russian writer, great Zionist leader: the two sides come together in The Five (1935), a novel exploring Judaism and assimilation in his native Odessa.
Old Odessa was tempting: a Vegas-like playground free of restrictions where “you can see the flames of hell.” But what does Odessa tell us. . .