How We Avenged the Blums by Nathan Englander

A great story about Zvi Blum, a young boy living in Greenheath, Long Island, who gets beaten up by "the Anti-Semite". This story describes the struggle of a band of Jewish boys trying to even the odds with those around them. But mostly they just want to get revenge on the Anti-

Semite. So, they begin to train and fight each other to build up their courage. Even with all the courage they still ask an older boy, Ace Cohen, to help them exact revenge. "We begged him on leadership. He showed us his empty hands. 'One punch,' he said, 'Take it or leave it.'"

And so he takes his one punch that breaks the Anti-Semite's jaw.

"Anyone who stood with us that day will tell you the same. With the Anti-Semite at our feet, confusion came over us all. We stood there looking at that crushed by. And none of us knew when to run."

The Gilgul of Park Avenue by Nathan Englander

Charles Luger receives a revelation one day while riding in a cab that he is Jewish. He simply decides that if he is Jewish he better begin living like a Jew. The bad news is that he decides to tell his wife after he has received this revelation. What makes it worse is that he decides to spring the news on her after she has been at a long day at work and has just finished the day with a root canal. She doesn't take the news well. So Charles decides to talk to someone who he believes can help: a Rabbi. Not just any Rabbi, but one that he simply finds looking in the phone book: Rabbi Meintz. The Rabbi helps Charles see less of the need to see his shrink and more to see the Rabbi. His wife gets even and invites the shrink to dinner where a full kosher meal will be served. He invites Rabbi Meintz. (You can imagine how it turns out) Charles eventually becomes a zealot fanatic of Jewish customs and laws to the point that he won't push elevator buttons on the Sabbath.

The Glass Cup of Elijah, Bohemian, 19th century.