Heshel's Kingdom - Tapa dura

A rabbi in rural Lithuania, Heshel Melamed's greatest gift to his children was his death at 51, thereby prompting all of them to leave the country for South Africa and escape the Nazi holocaust. Inspired by a few of his grandfather's possesions, DanJacobson tells Heshel's story and that of his descendants. Everywhere he discovers puzzles, ambiguities and fateful turning points. Why in his short life did Heshel change his identity not once but twice? What happened to the rest of the family left behind in Lithuania? What became of Heshel's children in South Africa? And the final quest: the poignant 'homecoming' to the Lithuanian village where they came from.