Softcover

7″ x 10″

Written by: Marci Stillerman

Illustrated by: Pesach Gerber

Published by: Hachai

As her grandchildren gather around Oma at the family Chanukah party, she tells them a familiar and beloved story.  Years ago, when she was a young woman in a Nazi concentration camp, her bunkmate declared she would create a menorah for the children in the barracks if only she had nine spoons.

In the camps, spoons were rare, valuable utensils, but the interned women began making sacrifices and taking risks to collect them.

How these brave prisoners obtain each spoon is also a story of their work life, camp conditions and their devotion to mitzvah observance in the face of darkness and despair.

As Oma recounts her experiences, her grandchildren join in with the parts they know, promising always to remember.

Based on true events, Nine Spoons is more than a Chanukah story. It can be cherished throughout the year for its sensitive portrayal of mesiras nefesh, self-sacrifice for the performance of a mitzvah, which is a timeless quality of the Jewish people.

1998 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Picture book Division winner