Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 68 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. 

H-A-N-T-E-R

Binyamin’s finger etched the letters deep into the ground. After a minute, he shook himself, rubbed the letters with the palm of his hand until there was no trace of the incriminating word, and pressed the top button on the device. A long, monotonous tone came through the earpiece, and he pressed the buttons of the numbers that he remembered by heart. Then he pressed the phone to his right ear. Hashem, sefasai tiftach…

The tone became intermittent. On and off. But no one answered.

Should he try again later?

By then, the Wangels might be awake already.

***

“Is it possible that the phone in the office is ringing?” Bentzy, passing by the locked door with his tallis bag, tilted his head toward the sound.

“Maybe,” his father said. “Yes. That’s the phone.”

“Who is calling at this hour? The workday hasn’t started yet.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 67 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. 

Binyamin,

This animal was wounded, and they weren’t able to take off the skin properly in the back and rib area. We dealt with it this way, but the soaking only made the tear worse, as you’ll see for yourself. Please check if it’s not better to divide it into two furs, a small one and a big one, instead of the strange shape it is in now.

Pinchas

Binyamin carefully removed the note attached with a pin to the shiny black fur resting on the low table to his left. It was a good thing that he had time until he had to decide what to do. It wasn’t really nice of Pinchas to throw this onto him. If Sherer would blow a fuse that they’d cut a good fur, slashing its value at once, why should he, Binyamin, be to blame that they hadn’t handled the animal better?

He wanted to speak to Pinchas, to gently probe about the details of what had happened, but Pinchas wasn’t there now. He had no reason to make up lost hours. He’d worked normally the week before.

“Chol Hamoed work.” Binyamin sighed to the wall in front of him. “That’s what your work is worth. Wouldn’t it have been much better had you taken off then, like all of us?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 66 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. 

Permit to be outside for worker David Elkovitz

In order to complete lost work hours, David Elkovitz has hereby been granted permission to be outside of his residence after official work hours until 3:00 a.m. for the coming week. The permit is valid only for the area of the factory, the residential area, and the route between them.

Signed,

Leo Sherer

Foreman

“And your father-in-law gave me a permit to come early each day—and only that.” Toward the end of the meal in the communal dining room, Binyamin glanced at the paper that Elkovitz had put on the table. “I’m supposed to finish at the regular time with everyone else, and then I have to come back at three in the morning.”

“Yes, I heard him. That’s why I wanted to show this to you now.”

“I wonder if it’s intentional.”

“I’m afraid it is.” Elkovitz put the paper back in his pocket and picked up his soup spoon again. “He told me clearly that he doesn’t like our friendship.”

“And what did you answer him?”

“That it’s not a personal friendship, and that I’m just getting closer to your community in general.”

“So maybe it isn’t good that we’re sitting next to each other now.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 65 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. 

Isru Chag Pesach

Binyamin,

We’d appreciate if you’d come on your personal break to change a light-bulb for us and to check if the connections are okay. The bulbs have been burning out very quickly lately.

Bring a bulb from the store, and write it down on our account.

Thanks,

Babbe

“You need to know how to do things,” Babbe said as Binyamin dragged a chair into the middle of the dim room. He looked at her, somewhat surprised.

“Yes,” he replied after a moment.

“If, for example, I would try to change this light-bulb myself, it would end with me falling from the chair, chalilah; the bulb breaking; and maybe even the whole building burning down. You see, when you start getting busy with something, you have to be very, very careful, and think about every step, because there’s no way to know where it will lead you.”

Binyamin looked at Babbe from his position on the chair, nodding.

“And even if you think you have all the knowledge you need, it’s always better to consult with experts who are older than you.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 64 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. 

Child – Boy

Weight – 2.100 kg

Time of birth – 23:00

Health – Appears normal

“Mazel tov, Elky!” Naomi smiled carefully; she hadn’t exactly planned to meet the Hauptmann herself over here.

Katarina cast a light smile in Naomi’s direction and said, “Still friends, or what?”

“You could say,” a pale-faced Elky replied.

“So I’ll go, and I won’t disturb your wonderful, friendly conversation.” It was hard to discern if she was being cynical or serious. “In any case, I would have brought you our gift—as one of the best workers in the office, you would have deserved that—but because we received your apology note regarding the paper you threw on the floor of the camp grounds—”

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.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 60 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. 

1.5 marks – 500 grams sugar – March 23

2 marks – 250 grams fish – March 24

2 marks – 5 kg potatoes and carrots – March 24

1.5 marks – 200 grams white cheese – March 24

4 marks – 2 bottles cleaning soap – March 30

Total for payment: 10 marks

“The bill is really big already. Will you pay it now, Naomi?” The young cashier was really sweet, but Naomi knew that the payment had nothing to do with her. She had also spent a long time behind that counter.

“Is it alright if I wait two more days to pay, until we get our salaries?”

“I hope so,” Chaika Shmuelson replied as she rubbed her forehead. “I mean, if they don’t make an inspection tomorrow morning.”

“If they come, send someone to call me quickly from the preschool, and I’ll come to take the scolding.” If she’d even go to work tomorrow. Based on her headache right now, she had no idea whether she’d be up to doing anything tomorrow.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 59 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 torn page flying around on the ground in the camp, near the Wangels’ garden:

I have no energy anymore,

But I have to earn enough.

It’s impossible for me to imagine life when we are destitute—like others here.

The little paper had the misfortune of getting stuck to the sole of Wangel’s left boot, as he entered the manor house’s garden from the direction of the camp. With repulsion, Wangel removed the stained paper that had stuck to his boot and crumpled it into a ball. After a minute, regretting it, he opened the paper and smoothed it out. He would find the one who had thrown trash on the ground!

But there was no name on the paper. It was a torn paper from a work hours report, and on the other side, there was Hungarian writing. Wangel wondered who he could ask to translate the words for him. Of course, Leo Sherer would be a good choice, but he might perceive it as belittling to be asked to translate two lines on a torn note. Maybe his younger daughter Eva could do it.

At that moment, his wife and two daughters entered the front gate of the manor house’s garden.

“Hi, Josef!”