World Apart

Joseph Margoshes was born in Lemberg (Lvov/Lviv) and received a traditional Jewish education in Bible and Talmud as well as German language and European culture. He immigrated to America in 1989, returned to Europe in 1900 and came back to America in 1903 - this time to stay. At this time, he began working in the New York Yiddish Press and contributed to many newspapers and periodicals including the Morgen Journal.

"This delightful memoir, written in Yiddish in the 1930s (and published in Yiddish in 1936), evokes life in Galicia and the author’s own personal saga. Eliezer Margoshes (1866-1955) was born in Lemberg (Lvov) and came to America at the turn of the century. In the States, he wrote for Yiddish newspapers. The book is rich in descriptions of traditional education, famous (and not so famous) rabbis, the process or modernization and change, as well as many topics relevant to social and cultural history. The picture Margoshes offers is honest, detailed, and with a little romanticization or sentimentality. The book is very well translated and preserves the flavor of the Yiddish original without sacrificing readability. The vivid descriptions of religious life make this a useful primary source, especially on Hasidic life, for students who are limited to English, and it can easily be used to illustrate more abstract theories and models. The index adds to the usefulness of the book."

• Introduction by Ira Robinson and Simcha Fishbane1. Family Memoirs2. My Mother’s Family3. My Father4. Reb Mordecai Peltz5. the Belzer Rabbi. 6. Ignatz Deutsch7. The Krakow Rabbi8. The Newspaper9. Hospitality10. The Talner Rebbe11. My Father’s Death12. YaHa”Sh13. Jacob Werber, the Master of Haivri14. My Childhood15. Melamdim16. Gemara Melamdim17. My Two Girlfriends18. Haskalah19. Reb vovtshi’s Kloyz20. In Tornow21. The Tarnow Kloyz22. Kloyz-boys23. Reb Naftoli Reb Pesakh’s24. Shidukhim25. I Become a Khosn (Groom)26. My Wedding27. After the Wedding28. Village Work29. I Get “Shot”30. I Get “Bound”31. Riding a Horse32. I Become a Merchant33. Yozefov34. Velvele Damask35. Radomishla36. A Fallen “Takef”37. At the Rebbe’s in Dembitz38. A Strike in the Zgursk Manor39. Jews and Peasants40. Pritsim, Gendarmes and Priests41. Pritsim, Gendarmes and Priests (continued)42. The “Wedding”43. Shimshen Asheim44. Theft45. Shtsutsin (Szczuczyn)46. The Sold-Off Estate47. Wet and Dry Years48. The Wet Year49. The Dry Year50. Uncle Moshe Lind51. Out of Yozefov52. The Shtsutsin Meadows53. Oshitz54. Uncle Khazkl55. Yitzhok Mordkhe Bernstein56. My Business Ventures in the Shtsutsin Meadows57. My Father-in-law and His Enemies58. Criminal Proceedings59. Pikolovka60. The Takeover of Pikolovka61. Punishment or Coincidence?Margoshes Family GenealogyGlossaryIndex.