In Polish Woods, which was first published in its English translation from its original Yiddish in 1938, is a historical novel describing the devolution of the Kotzker dynasty between the age of Napoleon and the Polish Revolt of 1863.Author Joseph Opatoshu reflects on the conflicting and even opposite tendencies in development of the Jewish ideology during this era, which would largely determine the future of the Jewish people: Hasidism, enlightenment, and assimilation. A thoroughly engaging read.