If They Would Only Look Up

It is a time of starvation and upheaval in the decaying remnants of the empire. In the farthest corners of its boundaries exists the decrepit town of Sirota. There, a microcosm of the greater empire exists. The peasants--forced off their lands and starving--endure brutal, humiliating servitude to what employers they can find. Meanwhile, the Jewish population of the town is denied even that hope of continued existence. The Jewish ghetto of Sirota is brutalized by outside violence, crippled by starvation, and denied even the option of leaving the borders of the province to seek a better life elsewhere.It is during this harrowing time that a stranger manages to evade the provincial authorities to enter the ghetto. His name is Anschel, and he comes with a warning for his fellow Jews. A pogrom unlike any the empire has known is planned, and the Jews of Sirota are the target. None will be spared, but the community cannot leave under orders of the emperor. It seems all hope for his people's continued existence is extinguished.Conspiring to aid this beleaguered community are the rabbi Haskel and his sister, Leia. Together they concoct a plan to steal enough money to bribe the provincial officials to let the community escape. It is Anschel who takes on the greatest risk and responsibility to enact this plan. A mere stranger to the town, Anschel is driven by his haunted past to atone for what he has done and fulfill a purpose beyond his understanding. Will Anschel manage to save his people and atone for his past, or will he fall into the darkness that has haunted his entire life?

by Mason D. Snyder

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