Book Description
For more than a century, Russian Jews were restricted to residence in the western provinces of Russia, the so-called Pale of Settlement. In this fascinating volume, 125 duotone photographs document the carved tombstones of this region, specifically present-day Ukraine and Moldova. The stones are poignant memorials to the lost world of the shtetl and practically all that remain of a major Jewish art tradition. They are also unique genealogical records for Americans descended from Russian Jewry. The photographs, made by the artist and photographer David Goberman from the 1930s through the 1960s, are in many cases the sole documentation of tombstones that have been effaced or destroyed.

An introduction by Robert Pinsky resonates with the once-vibrant culture of Eastern Jewry. Essays by Goberman and Gershon Hundert, an expert on the history of Jewish life in Russia, place the tombstones in their artistic and cultural setting, and explain the Jewish traditions surrounding their creation. The images are organized by the regions where the cemeteries are located, and captions include translations of the Hebrew and Yiddish inscriptions on the stones. Published to accompany an exhibition organized by The Brooklyn Museum of Art, this book is an essential contribution to the history of Jewish art and culture.


About the Author
David Goberman has published widely in Russia on folk art traditions.

Robert Pinsky is the Poet Laureate of the United States.

Gershon Hundert is Chairman of the Jewish Studies Program at McGill University, Montreal.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In 1786, Catherine the Great ordered all Jews in her domain to move to an area in southwestern Russia and Poland known as the "Pale of Settlement," outer provinces that would now include parts of the Ukraine and Moldova. Arriving in massive numbers, the Jews eventually dispersed and settled throughout this region, bringing with them their religious and artistic traditions. In this fascinating book, 125 duotone photographs document carved tombstones of the Pale, fascinating examples of the Jewish stone art tradition that eventually were destroyed by decades of political turmoil and time. Comprising an important exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, these photographs are memorials to the lost world of the shtetl. Moreover, as the great majority of Jews in America today are descendants of Russian Jews who lived in the Pale, these photos are invaluable genealogical records for Jews of Russian descent.

FROM THE CRITICS

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