presents to us a poor Jewish handyman living in Russia

during the early 1900’s, before the Russian

revolution had begun. Destroyed by his wife’s

disavowal, Yakov Shepsovitch Bok leaves his shtetl in

search of opportunities for a better life. After a

few months of desperate searching, Yakov sneaks out of

the ghetto to look for work among the goyim. As he

searches the streets, he stumbles upon a man who lay

drunk on the floor. Yakov immediately recognizes a pin

on the man’s coat as belonging to the anti-Semite

organization called the Black Hundreds. Putting his

doubts behind him, Yakov decides to help the fat

Russian. Not aware of Yakov’s origins, the Russian

offers him a job as a reward. The job, however,

requires him to live in a district prohibited to Jews.

Out of desperation, Yakov agrees. Only a few months

later, honest, hard-working Yakov, is caught.

Authorities had found out he is a Jew. Less than a

week before that, however, an awful murder had been

committed and they accuse Yakov of being the murderer,

when in fact the true killer is the young boy’s own

mother. Yakov is charged with murder for religious

the truth, I’m not a religious man, I’m a

stupidity-of living in the Luskianovsky without

One thing I must learn is to say less-much less, or

to better understand Russian history but to try to

Some topics in this essay:
Hundreds Putting, Yakov Fixer, Shepsovitch Bok, Bernard Malamud, Zhenia Golov, Prosecuting Attorney, Imperial Army, Tsar Nicholas, Bok Jewish, Raisl Shmuel, living russia, district prohibited jews, yakov shepsovitch, shepsovitch bok, complicated murder, district prohibited, prohibited jews, falsely accused, bernard malamud, charged murder, yakov shepsovitch bok,