The Bamboo Cradle

An American professor on a Fulbright Fellowship to Taiwan finds a newborn baby girl abandoned in a railroad station. In China, with overpopulation and where, traditionally, little value was placed on female offspring, this almost commonplace occurrence could hardly be considered noteworthy. But for Allan Schwartzbaum, it was an event that would alter his life irrevocably.

The Schwartzbaums, married for nine years and unable to have children of their own, adopt the child and bring her back to America with them. Because they are Jewish, although not observant, they want to provide their new daughter with a basic Jewish education, but this turns out to be far from simple. In order to qualify for enrollment in the local Jewish Day School, the child has to first be converted to Judaism. And in order to qualify for a legitimate conversion, she has to first be guaranteed an Orthodox upbringing.

This heartwarming, true story, filled with humor and pathos, joy, frustration, and ultimately, fulfillment, describes the providential chain of events that lead the Schwartzbaums from the discovery of a Chinese infant to the discovery of their Jewish heritage. Along the way, they also discover that the burdens and obligations of authentic Judaism are outweighed by its myriad benefits. 

Paperback, 248 pages, 8 x 5". Feldheim Publishers.