Grigory Kanovich. Candles in the Wind

The novel trilogy "Candles in the Wind" tells the story of the life and death of a Jewish shtetl in Lithuania. It is dedicated to the memory of the quarter-million-strong community of Lithuanian Jews exterminated by the Germans and their collaborators during World War II. This community is personified by the author's meticulously and lovingly depicted characters, most notably the trilogy's protagonist, the young gravedigger Daniil, who, in the inhumane conditions of the ghetto, retained his humanity, his unwavering faith in goodness and justice, and the triumph of saving and all-conquering love over the forces of evil and hatred raging around him, deceiving us with their apparent invincibility. Despite its tragic nature, the novel is permeated with optimism and gently teaches the courage that everyone needs at those fateful turns in history when all of God's commandments are flagrantly violated.