Edaleh
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Edaleh — who almost makes her debut at the morgue — is held upside-down like a chicken to be flicked in the Bronx Maternity Ward; is plied with cod-liver oil and culture; and in 1962, is evicted from her Cradle of Steel by the nyet of Mr. Khruschev and G–d’s Finger Pointing to Israel where hydrogen bombs and strontium are unknown.
Edaleh, Madré, and Dickie arrive with an overload of toilet paper which bounces off their heads whenever a door is opened. They settle in Tel-Aviv where Edaleh is confronted with brain-boggling mispronunciations, quickie marriage proposals, sphinx-like bus-drivers, a green egg and the missing Dr. Vissenshaft, ‘friends’ and tenants who bite and kick, deposit lambs’ wool under the bed, nap on the piano and paint it buttercup-yellow, threaten Squatters’ Rights, and turn Edaleh’s home into a house!
The Scary Eye of Destiny ogles Chaimkeh (Edaleh’s ‘sweetheart’ at the age of two), now Dr. Thomas Callahan, and G–d’s Finger points to a shotgun wedding — after which Edaleh is abandoned for ten months!
Israelis, including grandmas and toddlers, are threatened with expulsion into the sea — and the Six-Day Miracle erupts, as a result of which Israel is branded as an ‘occupier’ and world-menace!
Her missing spouse rushes three tickets for the SS Anna Maria and enough money to cover Bat-Sheva’s stay in the doggie quarters — destination U.S.A.! Madré, Dickie, and their ‘surrogate child’ are deposited in the farthest stitch of Staten Island with enough food to cover any calamity — natural or unnatural.
A honeymoon of sorts takes place and Edaleh escapes into the bathtub, after the waving at her of what looks like a silver dagger! Edaleh leaves Dr. Chaim-Itcheh Callahan/Cohen but is reunited with him thanks to The New York Times which contains G–d’s Finger...
Edaleh, Dr. Itchy, Madré, Dickie, and Edaleh's friend Gina — and the pot-bellied Bat-Sheva — board the SS Shalom. On October 3rd, 1967, the ship reaches Israel in time for Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year; and three buxom ladies with high calcium levels and a small yipping angry dog, accompanied by two lean gentlemen, smuggle six new-born pups into the City of Haifa!
Eat-eat-eat Madré’s cure-all chicken soup and sniff her camphor-bag! A feast of 235 pages with hilarious cartoons and book-cover — spiced with Yiddish names like Profs. Vissenshaft and Fehrd (Science and Horse), Llewellyn (Lemeleh — Little Lamb) the huge Welsh immigrant, Feygeleh (Florence), the Rooster, etc.!
Portions of Edaleh were published in the 1970s in Hebrew.
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All text and illustrations copyright © by Edith Helen Papert. All rights reserved.