Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 63 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

“Asher ga’alanu v’ga’al es avoseinu mi’Mitzrayim…

Kein Hashem Elokeinu yagienu l’moadim…l’shalom, smeichim b’vinyan irecha…

V’nodeh Lecha shir chadash al ge’ulaseinu v’al pedus nafsheinu”

Chani’s little house was the largest of the whole extended family. Her family had moved into it when their youngest child was born. So it was self-understood that the family Seder was regularly held there. The closet that served as a wall between the two rooms of the house was pushed aside before Yom Tov, and three medium-sized tables were pushed against one another to create one long, festive table.

Zeide, seated at the head, raised his Haggadah to show Meir that finally, it was just about time to eat the matzah, and the boy excitedly announced, “Rachtzah!”

“Let’s see when the poritz will come for his regular visit to Moshke,” Binyamin muttered on the left side of Zeide, and stood up. He pushed aside the black curtain that covered the window. “It’s just a shame they didn’t throw a dead monkey in through the window, with a few secrets in its belly.”

“Brrr…” Chani, Naomi, and Rechel all shivered in unison.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 62 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

A note in the office on Elky’s desk:

Elky, please come over to me as soon as possible. It’s urgent. Eva.

“What’s going on, Eva?” Elky fingered the note in her right hand.

Eva Sherer was to the point, as always. “Did you write something on the back of your hours report? Something about having to earn enough, even if you have no energy, because you can’t imagine being poor?”

Elky looked at her silently, neither confirming nor denying.

“I identified the note based on the huge number of hours in the report, and a bit based on your handwriting. I have no idea who you wrote it to, and what you planned to do with the paper, but it landed up in the Wangels’ garden, or near it, and they are very irritated.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 61 of a new online serial novel, Nine A.M., by Esther Rapaport. Check back for a new chapter every week.  Click here for previous chapters.

Copyright © Israel Bookshop Publications. 

The note in the bottle of cleaning soap:

I spoke to someone; she is Jewish. And not only her… The conversation was very strange. I’m very confused. Everything we knew…may not be true.

It’s not clear who rules. Those who we thought did—have long been defeated. Including the leaders and the army.

Maybe they control only these areas nearby? I didn’t quite understand.

Another person listened with me for some of the time, and she’s also confused.

We need to be very careful. Even though I wrote this note in gematria, destroy it right away, and don’t speak about this subject for a few days.

Also, until we see that they are not looking for us, I don’t want to meet.

“Where was this hidden?” Binyamin asked his mother, who had taken a break to run home at exactly the same time as his personal break. He folded the note, keeping a neutral expression on his face. “Is this what was in the bottle Naomi brought here this morning?”

He glanced outside through a slit in the window shade. The area in front of their house was empty. His break would be over in a few minutes, and he’d go back to the factory.