Joseph Walks To Warsaw

ABOUT THE BOOK
FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Written by: Shalom Zuckerman and Amit Azaz / Illustrated by: Ron Levin / Publisher: Mizrahi

Distribution: April 2021

Joseph hears that Warsaw is a wonderful city and ponders whether it could possibly be more wonderful than his town of Chelm. He sets off on an adventure-filled journey to Warsaw, but doesn’t manage to get very far. An amusing, rhyming story about belonging, connection to place, and being content with what you have.

Family Activities

Many of the stories about the wise men of Chełm make us smile and trigger our compassion. They are amusing because they remind us of ourselves in moments of ridicule or embarrassment…

Classroom Activities

Video

Joseph from Chełm goes to Warsaw

Written by: Shalom Zuckerman & Amit Azaz

Illustrated by: Ron Levin

Dear Parents,

Many of the stories about the wise men of Chełm make us smile and trigger our compassion. They are amusing because they remind us of ourselves in moments of ridicule or embarrassment…

The tales about the wise men of Chełm are passed down from one generation to the next. They bring worlds that are no longer back to us, while at the same time being relevant to the life of any person, at any time, anywhere. The same is true for this story of Joseph, who leaves Chełm for Warsaw, and inadvertently returns to his beloved town and friends, who love the place in which they live just as much as he does. Like the wise men of Chełm, many people care about the place in which they live, as the Talmud says:

The favor of a place in the estimation of its inhabitants

[Babylonian Talmud, Sotah, 47a]

The story of Joseph invites us to look kindly upon our town, its homes, balconies, and neighbors.

The Wise Men of Chełm

Chełm is a city in Poland, and in Jewish folklore, it is the hometown of the wise men of Chełm, who are not actually all that smart: they are ridiculous and naïve, and their stupidity is often depicted with a smile and much compassion. The wise men of Chełm have become known for their silliness and pointless actions, and are the protagonists of many amusing tales. The term "wise men of Chełm" has come to mean those who act irrationally and absurdly. The stories about the wise men of Chełm can be found in collections and anthologies for both children and adults.

Reading together, experiencing together

פעילות בחיק המשפחה

The Wise Men of Chełm Reading & singing The story about Joseph makes us smile and laugh. You could ask your child: What amused you about this story? What about the illustrations did you think was funny? What usually makes you laugh? Inspired by Joyful Joseph, who began each morning with a song about his beautiful life, you too could write a song and tune, and sing it together.
Landmarks What about your town do you like? You may enjoy taking photographs of places and people you love, or write a short poem about your hometown, using Joseph's song as inspiration. You could even write a tune and turn your poem into a song. How will we remember the way? You may want to step outside, look around you, and identify landmarks, such as a tree, bench, or the name of a street. You could draw a map of the route you'd walked, add your landmarks to it, and take it with you next time you set off on your way.
How beautiful is my town and how lovely is my room! Joseph loves his town and looks kindly upon it. Try to follow Joseph's footsteps and describe your room – what about it is beautiful and good? What do you love about it? And what do you like about your home? You could take a family tour, during which each of you will describe your favorite parts of the house.
A language of signs An arrow pointing right, an arrow pointing left, one pointing forward, and another pointing backward – that's all you need to create a particularly energetic game. You could draw these arrows on dice or directly on the floor, and ask your child to jump in the direction to which the arrow points. You could also throw number dice and jump up and down as many times as shown by the dice. How about playing "treasure hunt", and drawing arrows leading to the sought-after treasure?