A collection of seventy-one folktales from the Israeli Folktale Archives, established by Dov Noy in order to preserve the diverse oral traditions of the many Jewish communities immigrating to Israel in the first few decades of its existence as a nation. Divided into nine sections, including: The Righteous; The Covetous; Talking Animals; Kings and Commoners; Clever Jews; Husbands and Wives; Heroes and Heroines; Wise Men; and Numskulls; these tales are geographically and cultural diverse, with contributions from countries in the Middle East, Northern Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

Each tale is introduced by a short paragraph devoted to themes and folkloric motifs, as well as worldwide variants - a feature that will be most welcome for the scholar. Many of the individual tales will be quite familiar to folktale enthusiasts such as myself, whether from other collections of Jewish lore, or from different traditions altogether. I have frequently encountered tales such as A Dispute in Sign Language or A Servant When He Reigns. I was delighted moreover, to run into The Span of Man's Life, which can also be found in The Moon in the Well, a collection of Macedonian tales I recently reviewed. Highly recommended to anyone with a love of folktales, or an interest in the diversity of folk traditions to be found in Israel. ( )