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Rocking Horse by Leah Gebber
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amother
Mustard


 

Post Thu, Dec 17 2020, 9:26 am
Thank you everyone for writing what the story is about. I enjoy reading serials and fiction but I found this particular serial hard to read. I read maybe the first three chapters and I felt very lost and confused. Every once in a while I would read that week's chapter and scratch my head what happened earlier.
Am I the only one who found it hard to follow along?
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 17 2020, 9:30 am
PinkFridge wrote:
Yes, I noticed that, and am confused. How far is Hanna's shtetl from Prague U?

It could be a shtetl in Czekoslovakia. Or a part of Poland not so very far (but far enough) away.

Prague and Vienna are not so far from each other, geographically speaking. My grandparents lived in Vienna, and they used to go over the border all the time. Yeah they didn't have cars back then but they did have trains....
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PinkFridge




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 17 2020, 10:31 am
amother [ Mustard ] wrote:
Thank you everyone for writing what the story is about. I enjoy reading serials and fiction but I found this particular serial hard to read. I read maybe the first three chapters and I felt very lost and confused. Every once in a while I would read that week's chapter and scratch my head what happened earlier.
Am I the only one who found it hard to follow along?


Most serials are hard to follow that way, even with recaps.
Try again when it's in book form.
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Chayalle




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Dec 17 2020, 10:52 am
I actually find most serials hard to get into in the beginning....it takes patience to hold on, but usually worth it.

I started getting Mishpacha at the end of Leah Gebber's Chains serial...wish I could get the book to read the whole thing, as it was really fascinating, but it seems to no longer be available in the bookstores.
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 3:07 pm
I am so shocked that Mishpacha is airing in this serial the huge scandal that was called Zvi Migdal, where jewish gangsters took poor shtetl girls and promised them work for good money and smuggled/trafficked them to Argentina where, lo alenu, they became zonahs
A huge stain on yidden of that era and amazing that Mishpacha is shedding some light onto it, even if cloaked on inuendo.
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 3:10 pm
amother [ Taupe ] wrote:
I am so shocked that Mishpacha is airing in this serial the huge scandal that was called Zvi Migdal, where jewish gangsters took poor shtetl girls and promised them work for good money and smuggled/trafficked them to Argentina where, lo alenu, they became zonahs
A huge stain on yidden of that era and amazing that Mishpacha is shedding some light onto it, even if cloaked on inuendo.

Are you sure it's not a coincidence? I have never ever heard of this scandal and I'm sure 99% of their readership hasn't either
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 3:15 pm
amother [ Brunette ] wrote:
Are you sure it's not a coincidence? I have never ever heard of this scandal and I'm sure 99% of their readership hasn't either

It's obviously not taught in Bais Yakov or yeshivas but DH has researched the topic at length and exactly the way it's described, how families sat shiva for the lost girls. The recruiters took the attractive shtetl girls and in the segment of Rocking Horse when Felix and Emmy visit the families of the girls who were taken they are all described as good looking. Also, the way Perla was described in the circus, unfortunately many frum shtetl girls were soiled by these outside forces. Zvi Migdal was a huge huge skandal at the time.
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amother
Seashell


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 3:28 pm
amother [ Taupe ] wrote:
I am so shocked that Mishpacha is airing in this serial the huge scandal that was called Zvi Migdal, where jewish gangsters took poor shtetl girls and promised them work for good money and smuggled/trafficked them to Argentina where, lo alenu, they became zonahs
A huge stain on yidden of that era and amazing that Mishpacha is shedding some light onto it, even if cloaked on inuendo.


Wow.
I wondered if thats what she meant when she wrote that these women were mistreated.
So so sad.
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InnerMe




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 4:24 pm
amother [ Taupe ] wrote:
It's obviously not taught in Bais Yakov or yeshivas but DH has researched the topic at length and exactly the way it's described, how families sat shiva for the lost girls. The recruiters took the attractive shtetl girls and in the segment of Rocking Horse when Felix and Emmy visit the families of the girls who were taken they are all described as good looking. Also, the way Perla was described in the circus, unfortunately many frum shtetl girls were soiled by these outside forces. Zvi Migdal was a huge huge skandal at the time.


I've never heard of this but based on what you're saying a few things aren't the same:

1. In the story they didn't take them to Argentina but rather to other European countries, or the middle East.
2. Based on Raizel's story it doesn't look like they were trafficking's but rather made them work really hard.
3. Perla was from a different generation. Her story goes back to when Hannah was a child, so it couldn't have been the same scandal/ organization that was in charge of Perla's removal and the ones that are happening now in the story unless this went on for decades and decades. Also Perla is certainly not described as good looking, if anything she's called a "freak" because she'd super short.

I am curious to hear more though, this serial has really fascinated and hooked me.
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amother
Taupe


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 4:39 pm
I respectfully disagree. In the December 23rd installment, which I have in front of me because I'm making the baked shnitzel recipe tonight(!) It says "brazil. Buenos aires. Istanbul. Odessa
Berlin. Vienna" referring to the girls. Also describes the girls looks and hair.
This is a tragic chapter in Jewish history that few people know about, of course because it's a shanda thinking that these young girls, who could be distant cousins, or aunt's, or relatives of us who ended up forced into being zonahs
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InnerMe




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 4:45 pm
amother [ Taupe ] wrote:
I respectfully disagree. In the December 23rd installment, which I have in front of me because I'm making the baked shnitzel recipe tonight(!) It says "brazil. Buenos aires. Istanbul. Odessa
Berlin. Vienna" referring to the girls. Also describes the girls looks and hair.
This is a tragic chapter in Jewish history that few people know about, of course because it's a shanda thinking that these young girls, who could be distant cousins, or aunt's, or relatives of us who ended up forced into being zonahs


Fascinating. I'd love to hear from the author about this. Leah, are ya here? Smile
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amother
Gray


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 4:55 pm
amother [ Taupe ] wrote:
I respectfully disagree. In the December 23rd installment, which I have in front of me because I'm making the baked shnitzel recipe tonight(!) It says "brazil. Buenos aires. Istanbul. Odessa
Berlin. Vienna" referring to the girls. Also describes the girls looks and hair.
This is a tragic chapter in Jewish history that few people know about, of course because it's a shanda thinking that these young girls, who could be distant cousins, or aunt's, or relatives of us who ended up forced into being zonahs

I agree with this. I recently read a book called Third Daughter which reminded me of this serial. The book is somewhat explicit and I didn’t love it or particularly recommend it, but it addressed this topic.

That said, I love this serial. It’s the first thing I turn to. Leah Gebber’s plots and character development are so nuanced and well done.
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 5:06 pm
amother [ Taupe ] wrote:
It's obviously not taught in Bais Yakov or yeshivas but DH has researched the topic at length and exactly the way it's described, how families sat shiva for the lost girls. The recruiters took the attractive shtetl girls and in the segment of Rocking Horse when Felix and Emmy visit the families of the girls who were taken they are all described as good looking. Also, the way Perla was described in the circus, unfortunately many frum shtetl girls were soiled by these outside forces. Zvi Migdal was a huge huge skandal at the time.

wow just googled it and yeahhh that's heavy
Yup they definitely didn't teach us this in BY
Leah!! Can you please confirm???
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allthingsblue




 
 
    
 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 5:17 pm
amother [ Brunette ] wrote:
Are you sure it's not a coincidence? I have never ever heard of this scandal and I'm sure 99% of their readership hasn't either


Never heard of the scandal but to me it seemed obvious that the girls were some sort of sx slaves.
I think the mishpacha is great in that way- breaking boundaries and throwing out taboo topics every so cautiously.
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amother
Ginger


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 5:19 pm
InnerMe wrote:
I've never heard of this but based on what you're saying a few things aren't the same:

1. In the story they didn't take them to Argentina but rather to other European countries, or the middle East.
2. Based on Raizel's story it doesn't look like they were trafficking's but rather made them work really hard.
3. Perla was from a different generation. Her story goes back to when Hannah was a child, so it couldn't have been the same scandal/ organization that was in charge of Perla's removal and the ones that are happening now in the story unless this went on for decades and decades. Also Perla is certainly not described as good looking, if anything she's called a "freak" because she'd super short.

I am curious to hear more though, this serial has really fascinated and hooked me.
It focuses on turkey but mentions other countries as well. And never explicit about what happened to Raizel but obvious that it wasn’t just hard work. She also put on nuns clothing when she ran away so that nobody would touch her. And all the references to her now not wanting to be touched... I kept wondering if they were gonna have her open up at one point so we could know more about what she went through but maybe they are assuming we get the allusion? I personally did not know anything about this scandal but kept wondering if this whole raizel subplot was based on a true historical incident. I was assuming we’d be told more as the story evolved.
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amother
Brunette


 

Post Thu, Jan 07 2021, 5:21 pm
amother [ Ginger ] wrote:
It focuses on turkey but mentions other countries as well. And never explicit about what happened to Raizel but obvious that it wasn’t just hard work. She also put on nuns clothing when she ran away so that nobody would touch her. And all the references to her now not wanting to be touched... I kept wondering if they were gonna have her open up at one point so we could know more about what she went through but maybe they are assuming we get the allusion?

If its that then no way will they tell us more... Mishpacha isn't imamother, they have to keep it G-rated Laugh
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kalsee




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 11 2021, 6:36 am
I assumed while reading the story that the girls were s-xually mistreated. It seemed like that was being hinted. Also based on the girl's behaviour, as a poster above mentioned.
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amother
Floralwhite


 

Post Mon, Jan 11 2021, 6:37 am
amother [ Brunette ] wrote:
If its that then no way will they tell us more... Mishpacha isn't imamother, they have to keep it G-rated Laugh


I would not like to read any more specifics about abuse, TYVM
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freilich




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Jan 11 2021, 7:41 am
This is horrific! What a sad part of history.

I've been reading the story, and all along felt like it was alluding to sx abuse.

Leah gebbers writing style "ROCKS"!
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amother
Gray


 

Post Thu, Jan 21 2021, 5:54 pm
Rocking Horse ended this week. Leah Gebber is such a gifted author. I’m sorry to see it end.
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