Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 37 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 letter that Binyamin wrote to his mother when he was seven years old:

To my dear Mamme!

I am lying in bed but I can’t fall asleep. I don’t like the end of the month, when there is no moon in the sky and everything is dark and you are also sleeping. Do you think that when Mashiach comes, the moon will be round all the time, or that we’ll be able to turn on as many lights as we want then, anyway?

Please tell me in the morning that you read this letter and that you are not laughing at someone who is afraid of the dark. Because the night is sometimes so long!

And also tell me what I can do so that I won’t be scared, because I already said Krias Shema and all the pesukim, and it’s just darker than ever.

From, Binyamin

The letter was kept in an upper cabinet in the house, with Naomi’s compositions and drawings by them both, along with a few other mementos of days past.

The door of the cabinet opened, and pages upon pages slid down in the darkness to the floor. He was again a little boy of seven, sad and hesitant, waiting for his mother to come and maybe sing something for him. He sat on the cold floor, with all the papers scattered around him. Maybe that little piece of paper was Tatte’s hospital card? It certainly looked like a medical document.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 36 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. 

On the bulletin board in the main dining room:

For a nominal fee, you can have your clothes laundered in the factory’s washing machine. Anyone interested should please contact Elky Kush.

“Elky?” Rochel Cohen put the big ladle down on the counter when she saw her daughter approaching, and came out from behind the counter. “How are you?”

“Baruch Hashem, everything is fine.”

“What’s the sign I saw this morning all about?”

“Oh, nothing major. Peri, who is in charge of laundry at the factory, told me that the new machine is faster and has a bigger drum, so the factory workers’ overalls and aprons get laundered faster. So now the old machine is standing empty.”

“And the office decided to give people a chance to enjoy it?”

“Yes…sort of.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 35 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. 

Excerpted from “The Kindergarten Book”:

There was a father and mother who lived in Eretz Yisrael, and they had three children. The father went to learn Torah every day in the Beis Hamikdash, and the mother prepared food for the children who came home each day from their kindergarten and ate happily. (Surele F.)

The non-Jewish Hauptmanns did not come to tell them what to do. They would go all day to pick flowers for Shabbos, and they also gave them out to the poor neighbors, so they should be happy. (Chana R.)

Once, a heavy snow fell, and no flowers grew. Outside it was cold, but the children and their father and mother had heavy, thick blankets and lots of clothes that Mashiach gave them all. No one was cold. (Dror E.)

“It’s really nice.” Binyamin closed the thick notebook, whose pages were tied together with a colorful, curly ribbon. “You wrote a whole story together?”

“Each one of the children contributed a sentence when it was their turn,” Naomi said. She was sitting on a small chair in the corner of the clinic. “We made a few rounds, until the whole story came together. Don’t ask, it went through a bunch of different versions of really captivating plots… I just hope the kids won’t talk about it too much outside, and that they have enough brains to realize  it’s not a good idea for the Nazis to read the story. There are a lot of expressions about wanting to get out of here, and to see the beautiful world.”

“And if they do hear about it?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 34 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. 

Name: Schvirtz, Binyamin

Son of: Asher and Rechel Schvirtz

Hospitalized on: 01-01-78

Reason: Intestinal Infection

Discharge: 05-01-78

Did he remember that? Very vaguely. He remembered having painful stomachaches, and figures passing by near his bed. Was his father one of them? Most likely; based on the date, it was half a year before his passing.

Binyamin stood near the open drawer, one of dozens, and held the precious card file. It was easy to get to—much easier than he’d thought. The whole wall unit was made up of endless drawers, and they were divided clearly into half-year periods. He easily found the card file for the first half of 1978, and there he was, the name on the first card.

With a bit more patience, he’d find his father’s file.

Aside for him, there were only two others in the infirmary right now, and their even breathing hummed in his ears like an all-clear siren that could change at any moment. He wasn’t worried about Zuretzky from the bakery; he was an innocent youth, a bit of a nebbach, who would easily accept any excuse for what Binyamin was doing in the event he’d suddenly wake up and ask.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 33 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 Lion’s Tooth –

A flower found in the temperate climates of the planet. Its head is yellow when it first blooms, and it then turns into a ball of white-silver hairs. It can serve as food and as a healing plant. Its leaves can be eaten, despite tasting a bit bitter. They are rich in vitamins and good for the improvement of liver function.

Naomi read the caption under the dried leaves of the yellowish flower. “This is wonderful, Zuska,” she said, and turned the page over. “All the pages here…you worked so hard on this, didn’t you? I think that your collection of dried flowers is the biggest one of all the children in the camp.”

Zuska, lying in the bed, smiled shyly and nodded.

“How do you know so much about these plants?”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 32 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. 

Newspaper article:

More than five years after Henry Sauter, an American biologist, discovered a special gene that is found in the blood of Jews and their descendants for at least five generations hence, finally, the C&D Company has managed to develop a testing method for this gene. Scattering a certain substance in the air will detect those who have it.

The gene has been named “J1000,” and it was discovered randomly in private laboratory tests taken by the students at the University of Ohio in the United States of the Reich. Eighteen students out of 1,279 were found to have this specific gene. After extensive research, it was discovered that indeed, all eighteen students are descendants, in some form or another, of the known Semitic nation.

Already during the first stages of the gene study, the scientist Sauter spoke about developing a method where the carriers of this gene could be detected by scattering the contrast agent in the air.

“The next stage,” says C&D CEO Professor Herbert Sokol, “is to place detectors in central places, like main roads and shopping centers, and we hope that we can do this already at the end of this coming month. The significance of this achievement is the expansive implementation of thorough global testing, and separating those with this gene from the rest of the population.”

Sauter himself blesses C&D on their impressive accomplishment and notes that it is possible that they will use this substance in additional ways, like by using helicopters to scatter it over places with large populations. And so, within a few years, the world will march toward a new, completely safe future.

“A new, completely safe future.” Babbe folded the newspaper and pushed it onto the windowsill. “Children, notice one thing: how much they continue to be afraid of us. Years have passed since, in their view, they triumphed over the Jewish people. They don’t even know we exist…” She sighed and pointed to the newspaper that was slipping to the floor, though no one made the effort to pick it up. “And still, they are traumatized at the idea that there might still be Jews in existence.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 31 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. 

Suesse Paprika estklassig

Max Hanter Geselschaft

Gueltigheitsdatum auf der Dose

(Translation from German: High-quality sweet paprika, Max Hanter spices, last date for use stamped on the cover)

“It’s a new package,” their father said as he took the package of spices out of his van. He pointed to the shiny orange-green label. “Check it well.”

“Definitely recommended,” Bernard added, as his sisters loaded bags with products on a wheelbarrow.

“Stop giving out orders as if you were a real officer in the Wehrmacht,” his sister Helena snapped. “As it is, I’m going out of my mind at this point. We’ve got tons of pairs of hands working for us on the other side of the house, but we still have to schlep this monthly shopping order as if we were slaves. At least they bring the firewood, and Father agrees that they can come in to clean too.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 30 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. 

Tuesday 2.11.93

I would like to sincerely request that you enable Elka Kush to make up the hours she has missed from work due to feeling unwell, so that she can get her regular monthly salary.

With respect,

Dr. Annie Katzburg

The doctor raised her head from the pen and paper and looked at Sara Liba. “In the normal world, before the rise of the Reich,” she spat out in an angry whisper, “there were workers’ rights. Rights! Basic ones! Someone who was sick had sick days, and was paid by his employer for those days!”

“I heard about it,” Sara Liba said. “My father, Hashem yinkom damo, had a shoe store, so those rules probably didn’t apply to him. But for people who worked for someone else, I’m sure it was significant.”

“Very, very significant.” The doctor shook her head. “I imagine that there were conditions, and you couldn’t announce that you were sick every day and get paid as if you worked normally. But it was a basic law that favored the workers. And here? People are choking themselves not to miss even one hour of work. It’s dreadful.”

Babbe sighed and took the sheet of paper. “They choke themselves?” she asked quietly. Was Elky choking? There had been something strange in her eyes when they’d spoken about the party and the work she would be missing. Was it possible that they were simply starving for bread at home? But why? He worked, she worked…why shouldn’t the money be enough for them to buy food?

“Choking, definitely. Should I give you an example? If Bilhah, the preschool teacher, would have been able to rest a bit more over the years, she wouldn’t be in the state that she’s in today.”

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 29 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. 

In exchange for this document, products and merchandise will be supplied for a value of up to 5 Reichsmarks.
Supply of the merchandise is conditioned on the original document being complete, and affirmed by a stamp from the lager management and the signature of an authorized person.

The letters were not prominent or etched onto a highly valuable piece of paper, but Elky passed her finger over them as if she could actually feel them. She slipped the last paper in the pile into the new bag her mother-in-law had given her and stood up. Now where would be the right place for this to go?

Until now, the vouchers she’d gotten from Naomi were squirrelled away in a cabinet under the Shabbos towel. But it made much more sense to store them in a good handbag with a solid clasp, like the one she’d received just right now. Maybe she’d put the handbag with the vouchers in it at the bottom of her linen chest.

Israel Book Shop presents Chapter 28 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. 

Dearest Elky!

Embroidered with the loving hand and heart of a shvigger, in honor of your promotion at the office!

Mama (Mottel’s Mother)

Elky rubbed a finger over the small leather bag and the buttons that closed it, and raised shining eyes to Chaya Kush. “Thank you!” she said. “It’s so beautiful!”

“I’m happy you like it,” Mottel’s mother replied with a smile. “I saw a few of the younger women with such handbags in the last two weeks, so I thought it could be a good gift for you.”

“Yes, Katarina has been giving handbags as payment for embroidery and sewing work that she likes. They must have bought stock somewhere, so she can distribute them.”

“Do you like that style better?” her mother-in-law asked, somewhat hesitantly.

“No, this is much more special. It’s wider and more comfortable on the shoulder, and your stitching…” She studied the tiny, perfect, maroon stitching, and the satin flower affixed to the strap. “It’s gorgeous. Thanks so much again! It really makes me happy!”