The Golem and the Wondrous Deeds of the Maharal of Prague

by Yudl Rosenberg, Curt Leviant (Translation)

This collection of interrelated stories about a sixteenth-century Prague rabbi and the golem he created became an immediate bestseller upon its publication in 1909. So widely popular and influential was Yudl Rosenberg’s book, it is no exaggeration to claim that the author transformed the centuries-old understanding of the creature of clay and single-handedly created the myth of the golem as protector of the Jewish people during times of persecution.
In addition to translating Rosenberg’s classic golem story into English for the first time, Curt Leviant also offers an introduction in which he sets Rosenberg’s writing in historical context and discusses the golem legend before and after Rosenberg’s contributions. Generous annotations are provided for the curious reader.
The book is full of adventures, surprises, romance, suspense, mysticism, Jewish pride, and storytelling at its best. The Chief Rabbi of Prague, known as the Maharal, brings the golem Yossele to life to help the Jews fight false accusations of ritual murder—the infamous blood libel. More human, more capable, and more reliable as a protector than any golem imagined before, Rosenberg’s Golem irrevocably changed one of the most widely influential icons of Jewish folklore.

Genres: Fiction, Jewish, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Judaica, Short Stories

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1909

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a translation from the original manuscript written by Yudl Rosenberg in 1909.
It was a response to the terrible blood libels which had gained credence in the 1890s and was leading to greater attacks on Jews. Rosenberg relies on age-old Hassidic hagiography and folklore to create this folk tale of Rabbi Liva and his creation through kabbalah of the Golem, a manlike creature made from dust and ashes, that Rabbi Liva uses to perform great miracles and to save the innocent and punish the evil.
He uses the Golem to frustrate the evil designs of the spiteful and malicious anti-Semite Father Tadeus. A young Jewish girl is kidnapped and forcibly converted to Christianity before being rescued by the Golem, and forgeries of the blood libel are disproved through the Golem's deeds and the evildoers aiming to frame the Jews unmasked.
The tragedy of a brother (who was swapped at birth) and sister marrying each other, is averted, amidst much supernatural and metaphysical phenomena.
This is a tale of Jewish folklore, fantasy and kabbalah and is both glorious and intriguing.
It is also a commentary, on the fate of the Jews through the ages.

[Erik Champenois · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd never even heard about the concept of the golem before reading this book. The golem is a being of Jewish folklore, created out of clay to serve for a specific purpose. In this 1909 story, the golem is created by the Maharal, the 16th century rabbi of Prague, to protect the Jews against anti-Semitic attacks and accusations of blood libel. The golem stories in this book are entertaining and sometimes even humorous - but the anti-Semitic accusations and persecution that serve as a backdrop to the stories make for a more tragic background, as ten years prior to the publication of the book Prague experienced a blood libel case, and pogroms had been recurring in Eastern Europe generally in that period, as they had been many times before. A lighthearted book in a difficult, depressing historical context, these golem stories contain elements of mysticism seemingly not kosher to more orthodox Judaism. Very entertaining and highly recommended.

[Abi (The Knights Who Say Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little collection -- lots of inspiration to make me want to write my own Golem story. Plus the whole backstory of how the real author faked the book's provenance is very amusing and interesting.

[Alexa Duchesneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether these stories are real or not (with or without the golem), it was so timely and inspiring to read about a superhero standing up for injustices against the Jewish people.

I loved these stories, and I loved all of the interwoven Kabbalah.

[Noah Lederman Greis]

Formative, interesting and beyond influential... Some of this is surprisingly raw stuff for the time and subject matter as well. Did not expect that many kids to get straight up killed.

[Leylamaría]

Yossele <3

[Miquel Codony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llegit amb sensibilitat moderna és un llibre molt curiós. El recomano als interessats en aquestes coses i en la creació de mites populars. Té un to solemne que xoca amb algunes de les barbaritats que explica com si res.

L'he de processar. D'aquest en vull fer ressenya per Fantastik.cat i no serà fàcil no dir bajanades.

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book--mostly because it is the root of the Golem myths I've read about for so long. Can't wait for Prague next year to visit the synagogue of the Maharal of Prague.