Daniel Stein, Interpreter

Book excerpt: This epic biographical novel based on true events shares a “moving depiction of how Holocaust survivors struggle to rebuild their lives” (Historical Novel Society). This innovative novel tells the story of Daniel Stein, a Polish Jew who narrowly survives the Holocaust by working for the Gestapo as an interpreter. Meanwhile, he secretly helps hundreds of Jews escape the ghetto. After the war, he converts to Catholicism, becomes a priest, and finally emigrates to Israel. Despite this seemingly far-fetched progression, the life of Daniel Stein is not an invention—he is based on a real person, Oswald Rufeisen, a Carmelite priest. Daniel Stein, Interpreter ranges from before World War II to modern times, and from the shtetl to Israel to America. It portrays a life full of amazing contradictions and undaunted faith.