ABSTRACT
The relationship to children heralded in a paratext may only seemingly provide a clue as to the text's genre. With Yiddish as a focus of instruction, it became necessary to have Yiddish texts that were specifically written for and directed at school-age children. Yiddish children's literature became esteemed precisely at a time when Jewish collective identity was in flux. Instigating the children's temporary separation from their parents is Elijah the Prophet, 'just about the most popular character in Jewish folklore'. In 'Dos goldene kaykele', the children's journey away from home ends in an empty little house. In Jack Zipes' view, 'what distinguishes a children's book is the fact that the writer must take into account many more audiences and censorships than a writer of work intended for adults does'. The paratextual information available for David Bergelson's children's stories thus presents mixed evidence.
