The Council of Wise Women

by Izzy Abrahmson, Mark Binder

Magical soup, a secret society, and a young girl, wise beyond her years

When Rachel Cohen is born, her parents’ marriage begins to crack. As she grows, and her village teeters on the brink, it is up to her and The Council of Wise Women to cook up a plan and step in.

Family breakdowns, a village on the edge of famine, and the challenges of a beloved community…
How much meddling is too much?

With a warm sense of humor, Izzy Abrahmson spins a delightful tale of The Village Life that will make you smile, and maybe shed a tear.

A spellbinding novel of love, loss, independence, reconciliation, and the power of women.
You won’t want this book to end.

Reviews of The Village Life Series
“Abrahmson’s prose savvily mixes the homey and the surreal… he’s a master…” – Publishers Weekly

“In the spirit of Sholem Aleichem…” – AudioFile Magazine

“…a world of friendly humor.” – Kirkus Reviews

“In a time when antisemitism appears to be on the rise, it is wonderful to have someone telling Jewish stories that are filled with love and joy. ” – Devorah Phillips

Genres: Audiobook

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2024

About the author

Izzy Abrahmson is an old soul with modern sensibilities. His stories of THE VILLAGE LIFE have been published in books, newspapers and magazines around the world.

Although shy by nature, Izzy loves to tell stories and play his improvised klezmer harmonica.
His live tales have been enjoyed by adults, children and families of all ages at festivals and celebrations in the United States, Ireland, England, The Netherlands, Austria and France.

Izzy Abrahmson is also a pen name for author and storyteller Mark Binder, who lives in Providence and tours the world… virtually and in-person.

Reviews

[Karen G · Rating 5 out of 5]

A feast for the funny bone and the senses.
Izzy Abrahmson made me laugh out loud while reading his latest masterpiece, The Council Of Wise Women. It is the perfect mix of humor, wisdom, and wit. The characters leap off the pages through their antics while problem solving big challenges like moving buildings and maintaining decorum in a first for Chelm, co-ed classroom. Female wisdom is celebrated, and I was delighted to see Chelm in this new way. My senses rejoiced at Izzy’s use of language bringing back the old-world smells of chicken soup and the pungent odors of an outhouse, providing a lens into a long-ago time and place as seen through modern eyes. If you would like to be transported and forget about the woes of the world, this book is for you. I loved it!!

[Simon Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a few Mark Binder/Izzy Abrahmson books, and for me this was his best yet. It is a wonderful read, one of those book you can curl up with, even though there are some sharp moments. Imagine a village where the men think and act as if they were in charge, but also imagine a secret cave filled with chairs, warmth, snacks and only women from that came village who are making sure that their voices are heard, and their needs acted upon.
There are few books I fall in love, although many I greatly like. This is one of the former. It's quiet telling lulls you in, but serious things happen in this village which require serious thought - and what would YOU do? Like any village, there are births and deaths, loves and betrayals, misunderstandings and reconciliations. And those who move on.
The characters are fabulous, even the ones one doesn't really like. They grow throughout the book, and sometimes we see reflections of ourselves, or parts of ourselves, and we feel for these folk, and for me, they became family.
If you only read one Izzy Abrahson book, make it this one, but there are others, too!
I was given a copy to preview, but it didn't stop me from enjoying it!

[Kelly Allen-Kujawski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marks books are always a blast to read. Humor and warmth and relatability all within the pages. Several parts of this book had me hugging it, as a woman, wife, and mother, I could relate to a lot of the women in this story. Always happy to support Mark and his writings, and this one is no exception!

[meliss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling stories about the Fools of Chelm has a long Jewish tradition. And Mark Binder (Izzy Abrahmson) carries this tradition forward magically, taking the best of the history and weaving it wonderfully with modern ways of thinking. I am a long time fan of his work and this one doesn’t disappoint in any way. A delightful read!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It makes me long for a small, poor, tight-knit community because it seems so beautiful here. I became invested in the characters and the cooky world they live in. If you're interested in Jewish literature, it's great! If you're not, it's great! Read it.

[Terri Broemm · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable tale

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun and engaging book! I couldn’t stop laughing and loved all the insider jokes (Jewish humor). I was so drawn in by the food that I made stuffed cabbage the night I finished the book!

[Marsha Rafalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the mountains of Poland, a remote village called Chelm (meaning “dream”) is the fictional site of a set of modern Jewish folktales written by Izzy Abrahmson (pen name for Mark Binder) called “The Village Life.” The Village includes four titles: 1) The Council of Wise Women, 2) The Village Feasts: Stories of Food and Laughter (Novella), 3) Winter Blessings: Warm Stories of the Village (Novella), 4) A Village Romance: A Novella of stories.

Sarah Cohen is thrilled (and surprised) to deliver twins. Rachel, the first baby to be born, is a tiny beauty with a sweet nature, the second twin is Yakov, a big, strong, specimen who is rather lackadaisical and content as long as he is fed, warm and very happy to be his father’s special child. When Benjamin returns from a trip to the neighboring village where he went to ply his trade as a blacksmith and learns of the birth, his first question is “is it a boy?” . When he learns Rachel was born first, he bullies his wife and the midwife to swear that the boy was born first “because a boy should have every advantage.” Sarah correctly surmises that this means Benjamin loves his son more than his daughter. When Sarah suffers from a bout of postpartum depression, the midwife takes her in the middle of the night to meet with the other women of the village who compromise a secret society called “The Council of Wise Women.” The main tenant of the Council is to manage the life of the village and villagers for the common good while allowing the men to believe they are in charge. The Council helps Sarah to choose the name for her daughter, Rachel. So Sarah becomes initiated into the company of women who guard and guide their vision.

As her twins grow from babyhood to childhood to adulthood, they continue to develop their natures that were evident at birth. Rachel is the “adopted granddaughter” to most of the village, she cares for the elderly, the children and even the men where she can. She spearheads a plan to deliver chicken soup made from her grandmother’s magical recipe to a neighboring village where everyone is sick. She has a pleasant nature, an appealing countenance, a voice of an angel. Yakov takes after his father and grows into his potential as a blacksmith. He is even tempered, slow to anger and slow to praise.

The context for this story is the drama taking place within this family but the book is about “The Council of Women”-how they were formed, how they determined what issues they should take on, how to keep their independence and agency from the men in the village, reconciliation, love, and loss. Many of you know that I am not a crier during books I read, but this one had me laughing out loud and tearing up in places. It’s also one of the few books I wanted to hug at the end. It’s filled with quotes I wanted to capture for my commonplace journal. One that I kept coming back to was actually in a review.

“In a time when antisemitism appears to be on the rise, it is wonderful to have someone telling Jewish stories that are filled with love and joy. ” – Devorah Phillips

Recommend to readers who enjoy folktales, magical realism, family drama, found family and mother-daughter stories.

[Stacey B · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Review to come.
Totally enjoyed this read.
11-20 24 Magical Realism


I'm told Izzy Abramson (alias ) Mark Binder(s) newest book took sixteen
years to write. His perseverance was well worth it as this book was a finalist for Family Literature by The Jewish Book Council. In finishing, it left me with a greater sense of feeling satisfied that helped adjust my spirit bit. Laughing works wonders.
Binder does a phenomenal job with character description and development. I honestly could pick each one of these characters out of a crowd. More important, is the way he deals with many relevant topics today and past. Some pertinent issues were "grandfathered- in" or lets say "a given". But as the past moves forward it usually comes with struggles of change due to the fear of the unknown
In this clever story, issues are resolved, although may be not to every reader's liking. With his cushy and kind sense of humor and a little magic, Binder just... makes this book work through challenges thrown at a community and at each other. One of the authors gifts I noticed early on is the banter he creates between husband wife, man to man, and friend to friend. I had to laugh recognizing the familiarity. There isn't a community I know of that hasn't had its fair share of challenges, especially in the world we live in today.

Sarah Cohen is thrilled when she gives birth to Rachel and her brother Yakov. Her husband Benjamin didnt make it home in time during the birth and we see how he is simply overjoyed.
Ah yes, twins. Both will grow to become very different, yet both will grow and excel on opposite paths. However; Benjamin's gnawing curiosity takes over with his need to know which baby was born first. Sure; a good piece of information to know, but not something that should cause a few cracks surfacing shortly thereafter in this family.
"Enter" Mrs. Chaipul, founder of the "The Council of Wise Women."
As a smart, single, but more importantly an independent woman, Mrs.Chaipul's timing in the ability to soothe and fix challenges tackling the village is uncanny. Earning the respect of every man and almost every woman, she is called on as we might call on a mayor.
Of course we are aware human nature shows no-one is exempt from acts of jealousy or envy and its here that I recognize more and more that priorities of values and ethics, morals, and personal character are what envelopes this story.
One final comment..
" The Council of Wise Women" holds interviews for potential board members..
Before any interview, a "test" is given they are not aware of.
On the given day or evening, these woman are escorted to a hidden office at the end of a long dark path. She must stay quiet outside the door for five full minutes until she is called into the office unaware other members are watching and listening for her to
chat and ask questions to her escort.
Omg, I would never pass. How many women can we think of that can actually stay quiet for five minutes.
And so, this Council has brought change in a style of life for their village; securing that a woman has strong beliefs in her own abilities, worth, and judgment.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out 5 stars, and I loved it, but it slowly got worse (too slow a pace) and then got downright hard to finish: literal fart jokes, and parental abandonment, more on that in a second. It’s too bad it wasn’t consistent, because at first I loved it and thought it was well written, and immediately knew it was based in the fictional Chelm of Yiddish jokes. It was a great idea throughout the book to show that the “wise men of Chelm” referred to sarcastically in many an old Jewish joke or story, actually were not as stupid or inept as the stories claimed.

I was behind the author having the women’s community invent a girl’s naming ceremony 70-100 years before they were invented in modern Judaism, but it then was too forced and ridiculous to also have the Chelm rabbi coin the term “Bat Mitzvah” decades before the first Bat Mitzvah was performed (and for a really forced stretch of a concept in this novel, as well).

The biggest problem is that the end section of the book focuses on a plot involving parental abandonment. At the beginning of the book I was sympathetic to the wife’s complaints about her sexist husband, but at the end of the book the author continues to let her off the hook, saying, for instance, that she didn’t abandon her children by disappearing without a word for three years because she “left them in good hands” with the husband she also left. Are you kidding me? I was abandoned by my father when I was 17, and let me tell you, having a hard-working single Mom did not let him off the hook for his egregious behavior! Abandoning your children without a word for years at a time is never forgivable. And as her husband pointed out when she returned: how was he supposed to know there was a problem if she never spoke up? She never told him what was wrong, so how could he improve? She even gets mad at him for being considerate and not prying into what she was doing all those years! She has the audacity to be upset that her daughter had a coming-of-age party without her, when her daughter had no way of knowing if her mother was still alive, nonetheless how to reach her! None of this worked for me at all.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoy Yiddish humor? Fond of the wise citizens of Chelm whose actions make people laugh? Then you’ll enjoy Izzy Abrahmson’s latest Chelm work “The Council of Wise Women” (Light Publications). This is the second book of his that I’ve read and it was as much fun as the first one. (To read The Reporter’s review of “The Village Twins,” visit www.thereportergroup.org/book-reviews....)
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious book at a Jewish community where the men are the rabbi but the women are those who solve the challenges in the community. It will make you cringe on behalf of the community on reading about the year when all they have to eat is cabbage.