Polish Jews and their culture

How can one possibly describe such a complex and colourful tradition in just a few hundred pages? Maybe the best way is to follow this example: "My grandfather walked with a limp. One day he was asked to say something about the pious Baalshem and how he would jump and dance while praying. And granddad stood up and became so involved in the story that he himself started jumping and dancing so as to demonstrate exactly how his master used to do it..."