The Fortune Teller's Light

Fanny, a spirited teenager, lives in the confines of her Jewish village in pre-Communist Russia. She discovers that a Gypsy band has camped near her home, and forms a bond of friendship with the young girl, Durga. They become students of Kalisara, a woman of wisdom, who unfolds before them the mystic arts of fortune-telling. And when the Gypsies break camp to wander away, Fanny begins an apprenticeship in tea leaf reading with Mrs. Rosenthal, an elder in her community who is wise in the ways of folklore. Harsh economic times and the cruelty of the Tzar's anti-Semitic pogroms lead Fanny's parents to decide that their children's best future lies in immigrating to America. Facing mandatory conscription in the Tzar's army, Fanny's older brother Arthur is the first to make the arduous and dangerous journey. He escapes from Russia as a stowaway, makes his way to the port city of Hamburg, and sets sail for America. During the voyage, he endures the humiliating ordeal of steerage. And as he confronts the culture of his adopted country, he finds his religious beliefs are challenged. After settling in Cleveland, Ohio, Arthur feels isolated from his family, and sends for Fanny to join him. Eager to leave the poverty of the Jewish village, she then journeys to America, taking with her a steamer trunk, the innocence of youth, and her skills as a fortune teller. In Cleveland, Fanny meets Hyman Shaw. They marry and have six children. While still pregnant with her youngest child, Bernard, she separates from Hyman. On her own, she runs a variety of small businesses-staying afloat by bootlegging during prohibition and by running the numbers racket during the depression era. While enduring much heartbreak and facing unexpected trials as a mother, she continues to knit her immigrant community together through the arts of tea leaf reading and fortune-telling. Fanny's story is lovingly told by her granddaughter, Edythe Shaw, and sheds light upon the realities of the immigrant experience in early 20th century America.