“I don’t believe in [demons], but I’m afraid of them,” said Rabbi Jay Brickman, quoting Isaac Bashevis Singer’s response when asked if he believed in demons.
But last Monday, Brickman transcended that fear and joined 25 other community members at the North Shore Library in Glendale to talk about demons in Jewish literature, beginning with Singer’s first novel, “Satan in Goray.”
The event, the first of a five part series, is themed “Demons, Golems and Dybbuks: Monsters of the Jewish Imagination.”
Brickman said that he came to Monday’s discussion, which was facilitated by Sherry H. Blumberg, Ph.D., because of his interest in demons and Singer’s work, and also because of his admiration for Blumberg.
Other participants’ motivations echoed Brickman’s and added to them.
“I came because of the teacher. She’s the best. She’s a walking encyclopedia and she carries the encyclopedia in her heart,” said Linda Kimmel of Brookfield.
Delores Kramer of Glendale, a self-described voracious reader, said, “I have read this before and I wanted to see who would show up. [I wanted to see] what people are thinking about.”
Scheduled once a month for February through May, the “Let’s Talk About It” series has been made possible by a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) in partnership with Nextbook, a national initiative to promote books that illuminate 3,000 years of Jewish civilization, according to a packet prepared for participants by the sponsoring organizations.
The North Shore Library in Glendale and the Manitowoc Public Library. are the only two Wisconsin libraries, among only 200 nationwide, to be awarded the grant.
The ALA and Nextbook proposed five well-developed themes, together with five pre-selected literary works per theme, for applicant libraries to choose from at the time they applied for the grants.
The Manitowoc Public Library chose a different theme — “Between Two Worlds: Stories of Estrangement and Homecoming” — “because exploring the sense of belonging (or not belonging) resonated with our community,” said Kathy Schmidt, head of information and adult services at the Manitowoc Public Library.
In deciding on a theme for the Glendale series Jewish scholar and educator Blumberg said that when she showed the themes to a variety of people in the community and asked which they would choose, “Demons, Golems and Dybbuks” seemed to draw the most interest.
“There seems to be a great interest in Kabbalah and mysticism and this [theme] seemed closest,” she said in a telephone interview with The Chronicle.
Blumberg also admitted that her love of drama — she majored in drama and dance, as well as Oriental studies as an undergraduate at the University of Arizona — may have prejudiced her slightly in favor of this theme, which includes two plays.
She introduced the first discussion in the series with background information about the author, the novel and the historical events surrounding both.
The group considered such issues as the anti-Semitism in the countryside surrounding the shtetls as fuel feeding the Jewish belief in demons and devils; the question of what kinds of ideas keep oppressed people going; the line between superstition and belief and what happens when an old order breaks down.
For the last part of the evening, participants broke into small discussion groups to exchange thoughts about the questions posed in their packets that interested them most. Blumberg circulated among the small groups and joined each discussion.
The next book in the series, “The Dybbuk,” a play by S. Ansky, will be discussed in the conference room of the North Shore Library, Monday, Feb. 28, 6:30-8 p.m.
New participants are welcome to join, however they must pre-register and read the book before attending. Call 414-351-3461 or stop by the library’s reference desk to sign up.
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