Reviews for Yankee at the Seder

The average rating for Yankee at the Seder based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-05-12 00:00:00 Geoffrey Stone I read 2 books this past weekend about celebrating Passover during the Civil War. Well, this one actually takes place just after the war had ended and a few days before Lincoln was assassinated. It's based upon a true story of how a Jewish Union soldier was invited to the seder of a Confederate family. The tension in the situation was portrayed through the narration by the young boy whose family held the seder. The best part of the story was when everyone began to realize that the story of the Hebrews escaping from slavery in Egypt had similarities to the slaves being freed in the south, a comparison that the Confederate family apparently hadn't seen before. I especially enjoyed reading at the end of the book about the real Myer Levy, the Jewish Union soldier from Philadelphia, and seeing the pictures of him and his wife, his parents, and his saber. Very nicely done, with illustrations by Adam Gustavson, whose work I like and I'd like to see more of. I do wonder, though, at the blue striped chair in one picture--is that an authentic pattern for the time period? Highly recommended!

Review # 2 was written on 2014-02-16 00:00:00 Debbie Vondervoort Genre: Fiction/Multicultural Grade Level: 5th Grade Awards: Sydney Taylor Honor Award - Honors new books for children and teens that exemplify high literacy standards and portray authentic Jewish experiences. Based on a true story, this book takes place in Virginia immediately after the end of the American Civil War. It is told from the perspective of a ten year old boy named Jacob Josephson. Jacob is frustrated about the Yankees winning the war and is shocked when he sees "a Yankee soldier, the real thing, came walking down the street." He was approached by the Yankee soldier, Myer Levy who is on leave for Passover. Mrs. Josephson welcomes Mr. Levy to enjoy seder, a feast at the beginning of Passover, at their house that evening. During the reading of the Haggadah, Myer makes a comment that Passover is about "how no man wants to be a slave and about how wonderful it is to be free." This makes everyone, including the reader self reflect on how their common values differ from their actions. The drawings add an old age feel, as well as enhance the feeling of tension between the Josephson's and Mr. Levy. The picture where Myer introduces himself to Mr. Josephson and his father, Jacobs father and grandfather, there is an unnatural distance between the men as they shake hands. On the following page, all you see is there feet portraying how the men stared at their feet, not able to come up with anything other than war to talk about. The beginning of the book offers definitions of Passover terms to help the reader gain background knowledge before reading. At the end of the book, there is an explanation and real photographs of the real story of Mr. Myer Levy and the Josephson family. There is also an explanation of Passover. I feel this book would add to a civil war unit by allowing students to learn about how people were enslaved in other countries as well and how they came about their freedom. It also helps students to understand that even after the war ended, there was still a lot of work to do to bring the country back together.