Yiddish folktales were a ubiquitous part of shtetl
life. Anyone could tell them, though some men and
women, such as Sonye Naymark (right) gained reputations
as storytellers.
One sort of folktale featured vitslers (pranksters).
This folktale, "The Congregation Loves Jam,"
features Motke Khabad, the legendary vitsler of Vilna.
Folktales were told at home, at the synagogue in the
intervals between afternoon and evening prayers, and
at festive occasions such as weddings. They included
parables, fables, stories of wonder, or humorous tales
about everyday life. Some aimed at moral edification,
while others were told simply for entertainment. Many
were versions of Talmudic aggadot (legends) or were
drawn from the sixteenth-century Mayse-Bukh (Book
of Tales). Others were adaptations of local Slavic
folktales or unique products of the storyteller’s
imagination.
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Storyteller Sonye Naymark, nicknamed "Sonye di Khakhome"
(Sonye the Wise), Mogilev province, Russia, c. 1915.
(YIVO Institute for Jewish Research)
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