"An indispensable sourcebook... Emphasis falls on the variegated, often joyful, culture of the Polish Jews, on what existed before the garden was ruined." Geoffrey Hartmann, The New Republic

"From these marvelous selections, one can see an entire culture unfolding." Curt Leviant, New York Times Book Review

"This newly revised version of the classic study... is a pleasure for the eye and the soul One of the seminal studies of the impact of the Shoah on European Jewry, it is even more moving in its new incarnation than in its original version. More than a collection of studies of books of remembrance and mourning, this volume asks how one can mourn for a world lost and still live in the present and the future." Sander L. Gilman

"Kugelmass and Boyarin have done a splendid job of combing the vast memorial book literature to select the most revealing accounts of Jewish life in interbellum Poland. Ordinary people speak in this volume with an immediacy and poignancy that cannot help but touch the reader. In the time since it first appeared, From a Ruined Garden has become a classic. Its reappearance in an updated and expanded form is most welcome." Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett

"In this magnificent collection, the editors combine a profound feel for the vanished world of Polish Jewry, the anthologist s skill at selecting the telling example, and the anthropologist s sophisticated understanding of how these testimonies should be read. A marvelous introduction to this rich literature." Peter Novick

Polish Jewish survivors of the Holocaust compiled memorial books to preserve the memory of their destroyed communities. They describe daily life in the shtetl as well as everyday life during the Holocaust and the experiences of returning survivors. These memories paint a haunting picture of a way of life lost forever."

Located in the ravaged urban landscape of th South Bronx, the Intervale Jewish Center is the last synagogue still in regular use in a rapidly changing neighborhood. This unique congregation represents the struggle of individuals to maintain their dignity, independence, and faith over the years.

In "The Miracle of Intervale Avenue," Jack Kugelmass tells the inspiring story of a community that continues to see the area as its own, as a place they steadfastly refuse to abandon despite a major shift in the ethnic demography of the South Bronx and an increase in violent crime.

A classic ethnography of American Jewish life, "The MIracle of Intervale Avenue" has now been brought up to date. In a new closing chapter and epilogue, Kugelmass shows how the congregation has adapted to the radical changes in the neighborhood, bringing closure to this poignant work. Now with 38 photographs of the community over the years, the book covers the slow econmic resurgence of the South Bronx and discusses the revitalizing effect of the congregation's new members, including blacks and Latinos.