The Dawning of the Day: A Jerusalem Tale - Tapa dura

A humble man and a religious man, who worked as a presser in a laundry, Ezra Siman Tov was also a teller of stories, stories that enthralled and capitivated his friends in their old Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem. His brother-in-law, Dr. Tawil, gave him grudging respect, the Torah scholars listened surreptitiously and the Great Writer - SY Agnon? - took his stories and gave them form. But along with his stories, Ezra also had a source of shame and a secret which overshadowed his family. And his secret suffering never left him quite free.

Yaacob Dweck is assistant professor of history and Judaic studies at Princeton University.