Newly published “Gitel Goes to Cheder” by Frieda Miriam (Givon) gives the young reader a charming glimpse into life in a small, Polish shtetl before the onset of the Holocaust. Every page of this engaging story hosts Malka Michaela Barshishat’s vivid illustrations in colorful and creative Slavic folk-art style. Currently available only on Amazon, the book is a precious addition to the personal libraries of all Jewish children.
The book relates the true story of Gitel, a young, Jewish girl growing up in a small Polish village called Miory in the 1920s. Her family consists of Mama, Papa, sister Esther and brother Izzy. Gitel loves to imitate her brother’s playful activities but is not always successful. There is one activity she craves but it is not available to her—that of attending cheder and learning the aleph- beis. At this time in a small Polish shtetl, cheder was only attended by boys, to Gitel’s chagrin. Happily though, Gitel prevails and her father convinces Reb Isser, the melamed, to allow Gitel to attend the cheder. With a new pair of boots and a jar of Mama’s Rosh Hashanah honey for all to enjoy, Gitel’s dream comes true.
The backstory of the charming book is that it is a tribute to the memory of Gita Aron, z”l (known as Gitel), mother of the author. Gitel grew up in the tiny Polish shtetl of Miory. Only Gitel and her beloved brother, Izzy, survived the Holocaust as brave partisans. They came to America after the war and established families in the New York area. Givon wrote the story as a tribute to her beloved mother, who was widowed at a young age and yet continued raising her family with fortitude and providing them with a yeshiva education. Givon depicts her mother as a child displaying the characteristics of determination and strength that she remembers always got her through the rough patches in life. Givon’s intention was to share this inspiring story with her own family and Jewish families across the world as a remembrance of the life that was lost but which serves as the underlying foundation for our traditional Jewish lives today.
Frieda Miriam Givon grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where she attended Shulamith and Flatbush Yeshiva. She is married to Yokhai Givon and they are the parents of Lev Givon and family of Pittsburgh and Shai Dov Givon and family, who reside in Bergenfield.
As a graduate of Bank Street College of Education in New York City, Givon completed a 30-year career as a special educator, specializing in children with autism. She and Yokhai, who was born in Israel, made aliyah in February of 2020, shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic. They settled in Ein Hod, an artists’ village in the northern part of Israel near the Carmel mountains, where Yokhai’s parents lived for 40 years. His mother, Gila, was a gifted painter. In Israel, Yokhai resumed his own artwork as a sculptor. The Givons cared for their property and its lush olive, lemon and pomegranate trees until the shemitah year began. On Shabbat, they climb the hill to Nir Etzion, a nearby yishuv, where they are part of a vibrant religious community.
Givon had written the story of Gitel while in America after her beloved mother passed away. Fortuitously, she located Malka Michaela Barshishat through the internet. A talented illustrator who lives in Netanya, Barshishat designed the charming and detailed paintings of the book throughout the year of the pandemic. The book was published after Sukkot in 2021 by Rabbi Eliyahu Miller of Jewish Self Publishing Company in Jerusalem. Givon gifted the Gitel story to her sons, who grew up with their grandmother in Brooklyn as well as to relatives in Teaneck, New York, California and Arizona. It is currently available to the public only on Amazon Books. She feels that the appropriate audience for “Gitel Goes to Cheder” are children ages 6 to 8, but it has an appeal for all ages and across the whole spectrum of the Jewish community. Her second book is in the works.
In the short time since its publication, “Gitel Goes to Cheder” has received several rave reviews that were posted on Amazon:
“‘Gitel Goes to Cheder’ is a lively, poignant and tender story that serves as a remembrance of the author’s mother, as a narrative of a young girl’s empowerment and as a glimpse of the shtetl. It is inspiring and uplifting, speaking to the protagonist’s nobility of character, dignity and determination.The drawings illustrate the engrossing tale in vivid colors and are remarkably accurate in historical detail of Jewish life including clothing, furnishings and surrounding objects in early 20th-century Eastern Europe. This is a stimulating and heartening read for children, entertaining and the same time edifying.”
“I read this book because the story resonates with my family’s history. It is a fantastic book to teach young children about pre-Holocaust Eastern Europe and has a wonderful and surprising ending.The language is rich and the illustrations are beautifully detailed. Highly recommended!”
By Pearl Markovitz
