Loving Sons and Brothers

In the early 19th century, the man called "The Angel of Death" is feared by those who harm his people. His form of justice is swift and brutal, designed to terrify and to forestall acts of oppression against the Jews of Bohemia. To his devoted followers who join him in his secret group called Nokmim, the Revengers, he is called "Nagid," or the prince. Only a few people ever have seen the real person behind the fierce glare and the brutal vengance he metes out. In this latest Tale from the Judah Halevi Journals, the feared Ezekiel Benzion is revealed as he is known to those closest to him: as a devoted father, a loving husband, a loyal son and a dear brother. He is a man yearns for the day he can lay down his weapons to live free from oppression in peace and dignity. Until that day, however, he is willing to do whatever is needed to keep his family and his people safe. In his own words, "I never regret justice done. I am haunted only by justice not yet delivered." Then one day, he is ordered to perform a Biblical act of sacrifice with his own hands to save his community. On that day he becomes an outcast by the very rules he lives by, a man tormented by the terrible deed he performs. It is left to men outside his community who face a different form of oppression to help him discover a pathway back through acts of loving kindness.