SELECTED AND ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
OF JEWISH STORY COLLECTIONS
Compiled by Peninnah Schram
Storyteller, Author, Educator, and Recording Artist
Professor Emerita at Yeshiva University
Ausubel, Nathan, ed. A Treasury of Jewish Folklore: The Stories, Traditions, Legends, Humor, and Wisdom of the Jewish People. NY: Crown Publishers, 1990
A comprehensive treasury containing 750 stories organized according to themes and characters with introductions which synthesize wideranging knowledge and scholarship of Jewish folklore and traditions. The book also includes humor, sayings, and 75 songs. This “classic” popular anthology was originally published in 1948.
Cone, Molly. Who Knows Ten? Children’s Tales of the Ten Commandments. Illustrated by Robin Brickman. NY: URJ Press, 1998
These 10 stories are gems. Based on folktales and talmudic stories, and with added originality, each tale deals with the theme of one of the Ten Commandments.
Frankel, Ellen. The Classic Tales: 4000 Years of Jewish Lore. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., 1989
A representative collection containing 300 Jewish tales which span 4,000 years of Jewish literature, from biblical to modern times. In addition to the introduction there are appendixes of sources, bibliography, glossary, and indexes.
Goldin, Barbara Diamond. A Child’s Book of Midrash: 52 Jewish Stories from the Sages. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson Inc., 1990.
52 brief stories collected from the Talmud and other sources of midrashim, especially for children, that illuminate Jewish ethical and moral values. Included are an introduction to midrash, a glossary, and story sources.
Jaffe, Nina and Steven Zeitlin. While Standing on One Foot: Puzzle Stories and Wisdom Tales from the Jewish Tradition. Illustrated by John Segal. NY: Henry Holt, 1993
17 stories that challenge the young reader to solve a puzzle or dilemma or to answer a riddle. The traditional folklore endings are also given. Sources of each tale and a bibliography are included.
Milgram, Goldie and Ellen Frankel with Peninnah Schram, Cherie Karo Schwartz & Arthur Strimling. Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning, Phila: Reclaiming Judaism Press, 2011.
60 mitzvah-centered stories by leading storytellers, rabbis and educators. It includes essays about the Jewish oral tradition and techniques of storytelling.
The book is dedicated in honor of Peninnah Schram.
Discussion Guide: www.reclaimingjudaism.org/node/336
Milgram, Goldie and Ellen Frankel, Eds. With Arthur Kurzweil, Batya Podos, Peninnah Schram, Mindy Shapiro, Danny Siegel & Shoshana Silberman.
New Mitzvah Stories for the Whole Family.
Philadelphia: Reclaiming Judaism Press, 2014.
43 mitzvah-centered stories of traditional and original tales and modern “it really happened” stories by leading storytellers, rabbis and educators that are geared for reading and retelling across the generations. A Study Guide for reflection, discussion and action accompanies each story. The book is dedicated in honor of Danny Siegel.
Oberman, Sheldon. King Solomon and the Ant and Other Jewish Folktales. Introduction and
Commentary by Peninnah Schram. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2006.
This treasure of 44 humorous folktales feature clever and resourceful heroes, including Elijah the Prophet, King Solomon, and citizens of Chelm. Notes and commentaries set each tale in context, also glossary and bibliography.
Rossel, Seymour. The Essential Jewish Stories: God, Torah, Israel & Faith. NJ: KTAV, 2011.
This collection contains more than 300 stories from every period of Jewish history and every Jewish tradition. Stories are arranged thematically with three indices of notes and sources.
Schram, Peninnah and Sandy Eisenberg Sasso. Jewish Stories of Love and Marriage: Folktales, Legends and Letters. NY: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. hc & sc
Biblical/Rabbinic love stories, folktales of love, historic love letters, contemporary love stories and “How to Write Your Own Love Story.”
A celebration of love in print.
Schram, Peninnah. Jewish Stories One Generation Tells Another. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, 1987
64 wideranging stories and folktales culled from various Jewish oral and written traditions with sourcefilled introductions to each story and an index. The tales capture the oral style of this storyteller. Several stories incorporate music, such as a nigun or a lullaby. The foreword is by Elie Wiesel.
Schram, Peninnah. Tales of Elijah the Prophet. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, 1991
36 stories of Elijah the Prophet, the master of miracles, gathered from various sources and centuries with a major introduction and endnotes and written in an oral style. The foreword is by folklorist Dov Noy.
Schram, Peninnah, ed. Chosen Tales: Stories Told by Jewish Storytellers. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, 1995
A great variety of 68 favorite and meaningful stories chosen by Jewish storytellers and presented as if the book was a “literary storytelling festival”. The tales are written to be heard and retold. Introductions accompany each story plus photographs and bios of the teller. Lists of books and recordings by contributors. Winner of a National Jewish Book Award.
Schram, Peninnah. Ten Classic Jewish Children’s Stories. Illustrated by Jeffrey Allon. NY: Pitspopany Press, 1998
Ten stories, all but one from Talmudic sources, including the debate of the sun and the moon, how Miriam’s wisdom saved the Jewish people, and a love story of Akiva and Rachel.
Schram, Peninnah. Stories Within Stories: From the Jewish Oral Tradition. Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson, an Imprint of Rowman & Littlefield, 2000
The fifty stories in this book, drawn from Talmudic and midrashic sources, medieval sources, and especially the Israel Folktale Archives, are frame narratives. Stories are embedded within stories. The intriguing stories range from witty tall tales to Hasidic tales. The foreword is by Howard Schwartz.
The following 4 anthologies by Howard Schwartz cover the 4 main genres of stories: fairytales, folktales, supernatural tales, and mystical tales. In each of these volumes, Schwartz has collected tales from talmudic and medieval sources, other collections of stories published throughout the centuries, as well as from the Israel Folktale Archives, and reworked these tales. The tales come from many countries. Extensive notes and bibliographies at the end of each volume in addition to a major introduction.
Schwartz, Howard. Elijah’s Violin & Other Jewish Fairy Tales. Illustrated by Linda Heller. NY: Oxford University Press, 1994
36 Jewish fairy tales from around the world.
Schwartz, Howard. Miriam’s Tambourine: Jewish Folktales from Around the World. Illustrated by Lloyd Bloom. NY: Oxford University Press, 1988
50 Jewish folktales from around the world. Foreword is by folklorist Dov Noy.
Schwartz, Howard. Lilith’s Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural. Illustrated by Uri Shulevitz. NY: Oxford University Press, 1991
50 mostly brief but dreadfilled supernatural tales full of fantasy and folklore.
Schwartz, Howard. Gabriel’s Palace: Jewish Mystical Tales. NY: Oxford University Press, 1993
150 spellbinding tales recounting mystical experiences from sacred and secular sources.
Schwartz, Howard. Leaves from the Garden of Eden: One Hundred Classic Jewish Tales.
NY: Oxford University Press, 2008.
The four most popular types of Jewish tales are gathered here: fairy tales, folktales, supernatural tales, and mystical tales, dating back to the first century, from over twenty countries.
Weinreich, Beatrice S. Yiddish Folktales. (Translated by Leonard Wolf) NY: Pantheon, 1988
These wisdom filled 178 brief Yiddish tales from the archives of the YIVO Institute are divided into 7 sections: allegorical tales, children’s tales, wonder tales, pious tales, humorous tales, legends and supernatural tales. Endnotes.
MAJOR RESOURCE BOOK:
Elswit, Sharon Barcan. The Jewish Story Finder: A Guide to 668 Tales Listing Subjects and Sources, 2d ed. Foreword by Peninnah Schram. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2012.
This valuable resource is a guide to finding Jewish folktales to fit a theme or subject under eleven major categories, including The Torah, the Talmud and Their Study, Biblical Characters and Events, Trickster and Fools, and Tales for Festivals and Holidays. There are numerous tales that are summarized with variants given, along with complete citations and a list of connecting themes. Extensive bibliography, Story Title Index, and Subject Index. Print/Ebook.
WEBSITE FOR THE ISRAEL FOLKTALE ARCHIVES: http://ifa.haifa.ac.il/index.php/en/
For other Selected Bibliography of Jewish Story Collections and Recordings: contact Peninnah1@aol.com.