The Books of Jacob

Yente observes Jacob leading his retinue of 18 people across the Polish border into Moravia. The retinue is largely made up of the younger followers, including his daughter Avacha (now known as Eva), but he leaves behind his younger, introverted sons. They reach the town of Brunn. Jacob and Eva visit their cousins, the Dobrushkas, who live nearby. Solomon and Sheyndel have four daughters: Blumele, Sara, Gitla, and Esther. They have three sons, including Moshe, to whom Eva is immediately attracted. As the adults talk, Eva sits with the daughters.

Several days later, Jacob rents a house in Brunn. The neophytes’ right to remain in Moravia is hotly debated by the authorities. Jacob is restless. Eva is sent to “learn good manners” (212) with her cousins. She learns quickly and wants to please her father, though he scares her and she prefers to be with the Dobrushkas. Moshe is studying law and has a fiancée in Vienna named Elke. When Solomon dies in January 1774, Moshe speaks to Jacob and is pleased by their discussion of “the philosophy of the Enlightenment” (206). Over the coming months, Jacob tells the young women among his followers to come and join him.