Chanukah Tales from Oykvetchnik

by Scott Hilton Davis, Amy F. Levine (Illustrator)

Winner of a 2018 Silver Ben Franklin Award from the Independent Book Publishers Association and a 2018 Bronze IPPY Medal from the Independent Publisher Awards! Celebrate the holiday of Chanukah with eight original short stories by Jewish storyteller Scott Hilton Davis. Enjoy a fun-filled journey to Oykvetchnik, the tiny shtetl town in Eastern Europe where people complain a lot. Meet Chaim the Chanukiyah, the nine-branched menorah, who feels out of place in his new home, Myzeleh the Mouse who helps a poor orphan boy find his true calling, Pinchas ben Mordechai who survives twenty-five years in the Tsar's army, Reb Shimon the Shammes who has lost the synagogue's big menorah, Channele the Rabbi's daughter who finally meets her besherter (her soul mate), and the kind-hearted Dovidl who fears the town's beggar may be the rightful owner of his family's new pawnshop menorah. One for each night of the holiday, these sweet and heartwarming Chanukah stories will fill your heart with the light of Jewish history, culture, and values. As the candles burn low, spend a few minutes remembering the lives of our ancestors and how they joyfully celebrated their Jewish traditions. Chanukah Tales from Oykvetchnik is a storybook to be read each year as the chanukiyah comes off the shelf, dreidels start spinning, and the smells of freshly fried latkes waft through the house.

Genres: Fiction

118 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2017

About the author

Scott Hilton Davis is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, author, storyteller, and collector of Jewish short stories from turn of the twentieth-century Eastern Europe. For the past several years, Scott has been working to bring English translations of the Yiddish works of Jacob Dinezon to twenty-first-century readers. He is the author of Souls Are Flying! A Celebration of Jewish Stories and Chanukah Tales from Oykvetchnik.

Reviews

[Susan Molloy · Rating 5 out of 5]

🖊 My review: These fictional short stories take place in fictional Oykvethnik, and if you understand Yiddish, the name of the town is just right for this book! Each short story in this collection is a delight to read – fun, insightful, and wildly intelligent! I enjoy reading these tales.
🔻 Genre: Original Jewish short stories.
💠 Setting: Fictional Oykvetchnik.
🖋 The writing style: Cozy and intelligent.
🗝 What I learned: Some modern writers can really write!
💫 What I like best: Each story was a delight.
📌 Would I read this again? Yes.
🤔 My rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
◼️ Fun fact: There is a useful glossary for those who do not know key Yiddish terms.
🏮 Media form: Kindle Unlimited version.
🔲 Excerpts :

🔸 TABLE OF CONTENTS include these short stories: Chaim the Chanukiyah, Myzeleh the Mouse, Dvorah Rohkl’s Chanukah Party, How Oykvetchnik Got Its Name, Reb Shimon the Shammes, Peter Markovich the Soldier, The Rabbi’s Daughter, The Pawnshop Menorah.

This is poignant; I can relate to it:

🔸 [In] Eastern Europe—before the turn of the twentieth century. For many of us who are Jewish, this was the birthplace of our alteh bobehs and zaydehs— our great-grandmothers and grandfathers.

Great passage that made me smile and nod my head:

🔸 “Dear husband,” said Dvorah Rokhl, “you must hear the wonderful plan Reb Sholem has to celebrate Chanukah with his students.” “Oy gevalt,” thought Reb Avrom, “how much is this going to cost me?”

[Audiobook Accomplice (Gillian) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh what lovely tales of Chhhhhhanukah!
My Full Review

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun stories by a wonderful storyteller.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never read or knew much about Hanukkah / Chanukah, so it was super refreshing to read while learning more about this Jewish holiday and some old country stories at the same time.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great first time intro to Jewish culture for kids (menorahs, Mitzvahs, common Yiddish phrases) but the stories are so-so.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

While these short stories were at times heartwarming, they often lacked a strong plot. I read these stories twisty my seven year old who found them enjoyable.

[Erika Dreifus]

I received this one as a gift/complimentary copy from the author, with whom I'm working on publicizing another title from Jewish Storyteller Press. This is a charming, quick read of eight tales sharing a Chanukah theme. As Davis explains in a brief preface, all of the stories are set in the fictional town of Oykvetchnik. "Oykvetchnik? Yes, Oykvetchnik—a place where people complain a lot. (Although at Chanukah time, the citizens of Oykvetchnik seem to be a little more charitable.) Similar to Sholem Aleichem's little villages of Kasrilevke and Anatevka, Oykvetchnik is filled with a variety of characters from the richest philanthropist to the lowliest beggar, all celebrating Chanukah in their own special way.