The author of "Zlateh the Goat", Isaac Bashevis Singer, was a Polish Jewish author. In the story, not only are the main characters Jewish, but also the story is set around Hanukkah (and contains references to specific Hanukkah traditions and preparations), an important Jewish holiday. You should also note that the text was initially written in Yiddish, which is a dialect central to Jewish (especially Ashkenazi Jewish) culture.
The unbalanced rhythm emphasizes the subject's lack of beauty. The stressed syllables highlight the speaker's dislike for the subject. The consistent rhythm softens the speaker's unkind words about the subject.
