Encyclopedia of Jewish Folklore and Traditions

The study of folklore has burgeoned on college campuses as has the publication of academic works on this fascinating interdisciplinary topic. This encyclopedia covers the long and multifarious history of Jewish folklore and customs from the Bible to bagels. Edited by Bar-Itzhak (Univ. of Haifa, Israel), who succeeded Patai, an anthropologist and founding editor who died during the project, the work contains entries ranging from a few paragraphs to several pages. Written by international scholars, each entry contains a useful bibliography, while superb color and black-and-white illustrations enhance the text. The eclectic content covers holidays (Purim), material artifacts (illuminated manuscripts), and mythical beliefs (Dybbuk) and offers country studies (Afghanistan, Iran) and biographies of notable Jewish ethnographers, as well as much more.