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The breathtaking views of Yemen were the natural backdrop for the charming folktales told to Shalom Ashbel in his youth by the traditional storytellers in his village. Some were Jewish, some were Muslim, but foremost among them was his own mother. Drama and mystery, magic and miracles, women of incomparable beauty and men of immeasurable heroism the young boy was spellbound by these tales, which stay with him to this very day.
An excerpt, from”Seven Calves and a Sister:
He finally reached the door of his house, but suddenly she stood in the doorframe facing him as a woman in inviting silence, blocking the entrance to the house with her body. Her sculpted arms rested on the two doorposts, while her hands, decorated with henna, beckoned him to her lap. Abu Ghanim paused, pursing his lips tightly, determinedly gazing at his feet, not daring to look up at her face.
This is an excerpt from one of four enchanting tales to be discovered in Spring of Wonder, a journey to an era and place beyond time and space which the reader will never forget.
Shalom Ashbel was born in Yemen in 1939 and immigrated to Israel in 1949 with Operation Eagles’ Wings. He settled in Hadera and pursued his education in the Holy Land, graduating from Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a degree in Bible and Hebrew literature. He spent his career as an educator: teacher, principal and director of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport in Hadera until his retirement in 1998. He is married to Ora, father of four and grandfather of eight.
