Welcome to Rabbi's Daughter

from Chapter 10
IN THE END

As newlyweds, Poppa and Momma make a pact. He'll die first since he is, after all, fifteen years older. But it doesn’t work out that way.

In her sixty-fifth year, with little warning, Momma reneges on her part of the bargain. Poppa agrees to come live with me.

“I’ll be dead in a month,” he says. “You’ll see. Without her I won’t last a month. Six weeks, tops. I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

Six weeks, six months, ten months later, Poppa is still in fine fettle. Strong as an ox. Sleeping on the pullout couch in my den, fully dressed with his hat on.

“I need to be ready,” he explains.

On Momma’s one-year yarzheit, Poppa knocks back his breakfast shot of Wild Turkey, and mutters, “Where is he, the delinquent?” and starts hunting for the Angel of Death.

__________________________________

So begins one of the stories in Joseph’s Bones. From magical marbles and gifts from the Czar, to snow angels and the Angel of Death, these stories grew out of Ozzie Nogg’s life as a rabbi’s daughter and reflect the rich Jewish oral tradition in which she was raised.

Read more here: Peek Inside the Book

My latest offering:

Joseph's Bones
A collection of stories written
and illustrated by Ozzie Nogg

Table of Contents

Jewish writer, Ozzie Nogg, shares personal essays, off-beat Talmudic tidbits, and random observations on life, all inspired by her upbringing as a rabbi's daughter who now (sigh . . . ) views the world through trifocals.

NEW!
Take a peek at
my book of stories:
Joseph's Bones

Here's what they're saying about Joseph's Bones:

"Readers of Joseph's Bones will not only enjoy the charm of Ozzie Nogg's writing. They will be transported along with her to sweet reminiscences of life with their own families in times gone by. This book is a delight; it informs and inspires. Do not be misled by its small size; its message is love, tenderness, and joy writ large. You will want to read it more than once."

— Rabbi Jules Harlow
Editor and translator of Sim Shalom, the Conservative movement's prayer book

“…One of the most moving, well-written memoirs of life in small Jewish communities, Joseph's Bones is a wonderful read. I laughed, I cried, I loved it! This honest, intimate work proves that Ozzie Nogg is Omaha's gift to Jewish literature.”

— Dr. Ron Wolfson
Vice President,
University of Judaism

"Three generations of my family sat and read Joseph's Bones together. We laughed, gasped, shed a tear, and genuinely enjoyed sharing them. Ozzie's delightful stories touched all of us."

— Betsy Dolgin Katz
North American Director, Florence Melton
Adult Mini-School