©2000-2010 Diane Wolkstein / Cloudstone Productions, New York City. All rights are reserved.
“Diane Wolkstein brings her poetic insight to the Bible stories. We are present with Hannah, Judith, and Ruth, as we were with the stories of our forefathers.”
— Grace Paley, author of The Little Disturbances of Man
Synopsis
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Diane Wolkstein seamlessly weaves oral legends into the fabric of the ancient texts, creating new stories that remain true to the spirit of their original sources. Drawing on a lifetime of study of world myths and tribal cultures, she chooses the legends that best illuminate the text and reveal its hidden wisdom. Biblical characters such as Moses, Ruth, and Solomon — their passions, ethical dilemmas, and changing relationships with God —are rendered with astonishing immediacy, achieved through careful research and a storyteller’s grace.
In Diane’s own words:
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“Bible stories are my heritage; I grew up with them. They're about my ancestors, so when I wanted to know who I am part of, they helped me to know where I came from. The people in the Bible, whether they were real or legendary, help form my image of myself. You can't read the Bible without commentary, without discussion. When you read the Bible it helps if you know the different legends that have existed all through the times of those Bible stories. Bible stories differ from other stories, in that folktales, fairytales, and even some epics go in a straight line; they start in one place and go forward, whereas the Bible stories have a different medium from which they are operating. They are operating as much from the process as where you get to. They circle and spiral until they get to where they are coming from and there are references to all the other stories ‐ that's what's so interesting. It's a different harmony. It's like you're listening to one melody, but the melodies have harmonies which go to all the other songs. The song becomes deeper, because there are so many harmonies that are taking place at the same time, because of the inner references from the stories.” -
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Video preview
Reviews
"Diane Wolkstein has woven biblical, rabbinic, Hassidic, and feminist Jewish stories into the cycle of Jewish festivals to give new energy and life to both the stories and the celebrations."
‐ Rabbi Phyllis Berman & Rabbi Arthur Waskow, authors, Seasons of Our Joy
"In Treasures of the Heart, Diane Wolkstein writes with grace and power, seamlessly weaving midrashic traditions into the Biblical narratives. She illuminates her texts with profound spiritual understandings of the past, nuanced so as to address the contemporary reader. A master storyteller."
‐ Avivah Zornberg, author, The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis
"Treasures of the Heart will be treasured by all those who seek to join the temporal with the spiritual in Jewish tradition. With her bold and deep understanding of our most compelling Biblical and rabbinic stories, Diane Wolkstein lets Jewish holy days shed a new light on how we live now ‐‐ and how we can live in the future."
‐ Alicia Ostriker, author, The Nakedness of the Fathers: Biblical Visions and Revisions
Performance Photos
Available Books & Media
TREASURES OF THE HEART
Holiday Stories That Reflect the Soul of Judaism
Random House-Schocken, New York, 2003, hardcover.
ISBN 0‐8052‐4144‐2.
A unique rendition of stories in the Hebrew Bible that are part of the foundation of Judaism and Western literature.
Also available: Esther’s Story
JOSEPH, THE MASTER DREAMER
Cloudstone, New York, 2003, audio CD, 54:10 min .
ISBN 1–879846–16–0.
The classic story, recorded at the 92nd Street Y in New York City. Recommended for all ages and religious backgrounds.
