Welcome to Deep Shtetl
An inside guide to the world’s misunderstood people, overlooked stories, and unusual ideas
My mother likes to tell the story of how I spoiled my dad’s birthday surprise. When I was a toddler, a new kosher café opened in the neighborhood, and she decided to get my father something from there to celebrate. But as soon as we got home, I dashed inside and excitedly declared, “Abba, Abba, we bought you a surprise! It’s cake!” To which my father reasonably responded, “But if you tell me what it is, then it isn’t a surprise.” Not missing a beat, my 3-year-old self replied: “Well, it could be chocolate cake … It could be
