Maxine Rose Schur is the author of the children's picture book Day of Delight: A Jewish Sabbath in Ethiopia, which is now available in a new edition. Her other books include When I Left My Village.
Q: What initially inspired you to write Day of Delight, and how did this new edition of the book come about?
A: I’ve always been interested in learning about Jewish cultures in faraway places and in other times.
As an example, my middle-grade novel The Circlemaker tells of the little-known Cantonist period in Russia when Jewish boys, some as young as 8, were conscripted into the army for a 25-year service, or Sacred Shadows, my YA novel about life for Jews in Poland, not during the Holocaust but between the two world wars.
In the early ‘90s I first heard of the Beta Israel with news of the Ethiopian famine and their persecution. I wanted to know more and write about them for young people.
The book was originally published in the ‘90s by Dial Books for Young Readers. I’m grateful to Kalaniot Books for creating the opportunity for Day of Delight to be available to a new generation of children. I am hoping that its 2026 publication will inspire new interest and appreciation for the lives of the Beta Israel.
I am also grateful to Kalaniot for including a note in the book by Rabbi Sharon Zewde Shalom. He works in a program that supports the integration of Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society. As an Ethiopian Jew who immigrated to Israel, he also lectures on Jewish ritual and tradition.
Q: How did you research the book, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: I did a lot of research in libraries because the Internet wasn’t as robust as it is now. I used the Jewish Library in San Francisco and the public library to piece together as much information as I could.
In doing so, I learned about their history and their way of life. I also learned that they believe themselves to be descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Certainly, archaeology supports a Jewish presence in Ethiopia dating to about 600 BCE.
The Beta Israel speak Amharic like other Ethiopians, but their sacred texts are not in Hebrew; they are in the ancient language of Ge’ez.
Another important fact I learned is that in Ethiopia, the Beta Israel have been persecuted by their non-Jewish neighbors. The Beta Israel men traditionally have worked as blacksmiths, and in Ethiopia there is a superstition that those who can mold and shape metal can also reshape themselves —just as the devil can. So many of their neighbors believe that the Beta Israel have the powers of witchcraft.
I think the thing that surprised me the most was to learn that for centuries the Beta Israel were so isolated that they believed themselves to be the only Jews left in the world. They didn’t know that white Jews existed!
In addition to my book research, I was fortunate to be able to interview Beta Israel immigrants in Los Angeles. In those interviews I learned important details of their daily life that I incorporated into my story.
Q: What do you think Brian Pinkney’s illustrations add to the book?
A: Brian Pinkney’s illustrations added authenticity to the story. I had sent him photos of the Beta Israel and being the artist he is, he evoked the very look and feel of the people and the countryside in Gondar province.
Brian is a Caldecott award-winning illustrator, so I was honored that he was the illustrator for my book. He works in the scratchboard technique, which allows both fine detail and emotional power.
Brian also illustrated When I Left My Village, the sequel to Day of Delight, and his pictures beautifully expressed the deep emotion and suspense of the story.
Q: How did readers react to the book when it first came out, and what do you hope people take away from it now?
A: After five years of rejections, the reaction to Day of Delight was so gratifying to me. The reviewers said such nice things about it.
For example, Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it “[f]ascinating” and calling it “[a]n economical evocation of an entire way of life.” School Library Journal called it “a gem.” And The Horn Book described it as “[s]imple and tenderly told— a beautifully crafted book.”
The book became the winner of the 1994 Parent’s Choice Award and was a Sydney Taylor Award nominee and a Smithsonian Best Children’s Book of 1994. It was also an honor to have the story narrated in an audiobook by the late Gregory Hines.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Several things! For adults, I just finished my second book of travel essays, titled How I Came to Fear French Doors, and I’m starting a new book on the appreciation of beauty in our lives.
For children, I’m seeking a publisher for a picture book I completed about a remarkable woman who as a teenager escaped Kristallnacht in Austria and sought asylum in Mexico where she became the world’s expert on Mexican folk art and a champion of the Indigenous people of Mexico.
It’s a beautiful story of being persecuted for being “the Other” in Austria and in Mexico sticking up for “the Other” through retaining curiosity, empathy, and love.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: The success of Day of Delight is just one example in my long writing career in which, after years of rejection, a manuscript is at last accepted and appreciated. That has taught me that if you believe in the value of your work, don’t give up, for it will ultimately find its audience.
I also want to stress the importance of learning about Jews in all locations and times. The Jewish people have lived in countless countries across the globe, yet we often focus only on the lives of Jews in Europe and North America. Our history is rich with diverse customs, beliefs, and lifestyles, so there are endless more Jewish stories to learn and share.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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