If Shirley Jackson had been a Jewish garment factory manager, she might have written a book much like Leonard S. Bernstein’s terse short story collection Death by Pastrami. In 2014, this was a first book of fiction for Bernstein, an octogenarian retired owner of a garment factory himself.
Taking a broad view of the mostly vanished world of New York’s garment district, an anonymous old-world village, and their surrounding societies, the stories read like cautionary fables: a funeral salesman who haunts delis to wait for people to die of smoked-meat overdose finds himself alone on a block full of pastrami shops at night with a pressing hunger; a man determined to wear the same suit every day becomes a kind of symbol for the dangers of over-certainty. With a wide-angle lens, Bernstein steers his series of flawed white-collar workers into damning conclusions — sometimes moralistically, sometimes absurdly.
It’s an old fashioned approach, but in the closed borders of Bernstein’s fictional downtown New York, it works — every character is the sum of his schemes, desires, and mistakes. What can a modern reader take from such a world? Let the title be your talisman: Save some of that Katz’s for the dog.
Help ensure Jewish news remains accessible to all. Your donation to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency powers the trusted journalism that has connected Jewish communities worldwide for more than 100 years. With your help, JTA can continue to deliver vital news and insights. Donate today.
