Prairie Kaddish.

Ronald Charles Epstein is a Toronto-based freelance writer and published poet.

Isa Milman, a Victoria occupational therapist, explores her Jewish heritage by writing about the sites of old immigrant Saskatchewan farming colonies in Prairie Kaddish. Although the publisher classifies this book as “poetry,” it was not written to serve the cause of Canadian and/or Jewish literature, as its inert verse proves. Milman uses her poetic licence to create an emotional connection between the subject, her audience, and herself. This does not mean that she neglects history; archival photos and maps are included. The various sources cited in the “Notes and Credits” section may inspire further research, as it implicitly refutes those who dismiss this work as light reading. The introductory sections, a “Mourner’s Kaddish” (Jewish prayer) and a Yiddish-English glossary brief Gentile readers. They will take the glossary on faith, while Jewish ones may challenge Milman’s transliterations. She lists “yortsayt—anniversary of the death of a loved one”—many spell that term yarhzeit. Some poems may also be of interest to First Nations readers because they link Old World refugees with New World Aboriginals. She points out that some Metis spoke “Michif, a hybrid language” of “French nouns and Cree verbs.” It reminds her of Yiddish, which is Hebraicized German. This effort can only earn a qualified recommendation because it presents poetry as pedagogy. Those who want to learn about regional/Jewish history will find understandable, imaginative lessons. Literature students will discover verse that is overwhelmed by content.