ALEPH BET CONSPIRACY

A band of Jewish vigilantes formed out of the crucible of World War II attempt to stop a neo-Nazi group from rising to political power in America.

In 1944, Ben Zvi Kantorwicz, barely a teenager, escapes Auschwitz, though his sisters and parents never make it out alive. Longing for vengeance, he becomes one of the founding members of Aleph Bet, an “organization born out of the ashes of Auschwitz and committed to the discovery and punishment of all surviving Nazis.” Over the years, the group grows from a ragtag band of soldiers in the woods of Krakow into an “international brotherhood of Jews.” One of their principal missions is to find and capture Helmut Mussman, the commandant of Auschwitz and its “stoker of the ovens” when Ben Zvi was imprisoned there. Now, in 1964, he’s the leader of Thor, a neo-Nazi group with plans to take over the state of Colorado. Shabel’s portrayal of him is as melodramatic as it is formulaic, reducing him to a cartoonish villain. “His dedication has no bounds. He wriggles, cajoles, and kills with reckless abandon. He wears blinders; his only direction is toward one end. Domination.” Meanwhile, Ben Zvi stands trial for the murder of Albert Horst, a rabid antisemite who beat an elderly Jewish man to death in front of his 7-year-old granddaughter, and then attempted to rape her. Indeed, Ben Zvi did kill Horst, but defends himself on the grounds that it was morally justified, especially during a precarious time for Jews everywhere, a movingly depicted position that’s the best part of the story. The pacing is breakneck, and the pages abound with eventful action and intrigue. However, it’s far too generously packed; there are too many subplots, including two different murder trials, pushing a complex tale into incoherence. The novel’s principal vice is its histrionic tone—the book reads like a combination of soap opera and action-adventure movie—but readers may appreciate the high-stakes storytelling.

A moving novel, albeit more theatrical than thrilling.