With the Best Intention

Sixteen sketches whose moving spirit is Chaim Lapidowitz, the schnorrer, who arrives in New York from a tiny town in Lithuania. "A schnorrer, if you have never met one, is a member of a Jewish community who lives by his wits, never works if he can help it, knows every line of the Torah and Talmud that can possibly be used as an appeal for charity, eats, drinks, wears, and smokes anything that is given to him, and is usually quite amiable." The obstacles in the way of living off of other people are surmounted with cleverness ... Read More

Sixteen sketches whose moving spirit is Chaim Lapidowitz, the schnorrer, who arrives in New York from a tiny town in Lithuania. "A schnorrer, if you have never met one, is a member of a Jewish community who lives by his wits, never works if he can help it, knows every line of the Torah and Talmud that can possibly be used as an appeal for charity, eats, drinks, wears, and smokes anything that is given to him, and is usually quite amiable." The obstacles in the way of living off of other people are surmounted with cleverness that amounts to genius. The stories are full of types true to racial characteristics, and they furnish first class entertainment. * * * * * * "The other stories in 'With the best intention' are not up to the level of 'Klein's financial system, ' either in ingenuity or in humor, but they are nevertheless genuine sketches of the comic side of Jewish life in:1 reat city. To call Mr. Lessing. however. the 'Kipling of the Ghetto' is absurd." - Boston Transcript "As with most picaresque tales, there is an abundance of humor, and some of the situations are certain to provoke laughter, though not to arouse sympathy." - Dial "We fear schnorrers are not much given to books, but it would be for their souls' health if all of whatever race would read 'With the best intention, ' as admirable in style as it is interesting in content, it merits a large public, especially as it behooves us to know the qualities of the strange metals daily cast into our American 'melting pot.' " - NY Times . Read Less