SHABBAS HELPER Amsterdam 1930 aap Penraat knew how to turn a challenge into an adventure April had come to Amsterdam making his route home from the market into a maze of vegetable carts and flower stalls He had just five minutes to run through the course holding a pickle in one hand and a bundle of eels in the other Otherwise his neighbors would be sitting in the dark Nothing could stop him now Except perhaps Mrs Greenberg Jaapy called the neighbor lady Your poor mother’s going hoarse from calling you It’s Friday you know and you’re coming right But be quiet because Ira is having a gallstone and Jaap nodded and raced onward The sun was just sinking behind the rooftops when he ran through the kitchen door Well it’s about time said Jaap’s mother taking the eels from him Mr Mandelbaum was just here looking for you You know they’re on the dark side of the building You’d better do their lights first I always do said Jaap catching his breath I like Mr Mandelbaum He has the best stories And the best cookies For the Jewish families in Jaap’s apartment building the Sabbath began with the Friday sunset They honored it by not working not even flipping a light switch Since Jaap wasn’t Jewish he could turn on the lights for his
neighbors They paid him in sweets and gave him an important-sounding title He was their Shabbas Goy The Mandelbaums table was set and dinner simmering on the stove when Jaap knocked on their door He knew which lamps they wanted lit and quietly set to his task Do you know why we ask you to turn on our lights Jaapy Mr Mandelbaum asked setting a dish of macaroons on the table So you can see where you’re going Jaap answered Well yes in a way you could say that said the old man We are going where our traditions lead us Whatever the tradition is even a little thing like not turning a light switch on the Sabbath it matters that we follow it The traditions tell us who we are Our rabbi always says More than the Jews have kept the Sabbath the Sabbath has kept the Jews Now do you know why you do it For the cookies said Jaap The old man chuckled You may think you do it for the cookies but I see something else in you You’re a good soul You like doing mitzvahs What are mitzfers asked Jaap A mitzvah is a good deed a kindness Doing something nice for someone just because it feels like the right thing to do He patted the boy’s head and offered him the cookies Thank you Mr Mandelbaum said Jaap heading toward the door Same time next week Sure Jaapy Jaap headed upstairs and knocked on the Cohens door Mr Cohen his wife Rose and his younger brother Ben were having a loud discussion 7
These guys must be stopped said Ben insistently They’re dangerous Dangerous said Mr Cohen They’re in Germany for one thing and they’re a bunch of nuts for another They’ll never get anywhere The Germans are angry but they’re not stupid What are they angry about asked Jaap They lost the big war twelve years ago and their money’s still worthless said Mr Cohen but that doesn’t mean they’ll turn their country over to a crazy man Ben tapped his finger on the newspaper spread on the table There was a picture of a man in uniform raising his right arm straight out over a crowd raising their right arms toward him They need someone to blame for their own problems said Ben in disgust They need to hurt somebody to feel better about themselves Sort of an anti-mitzvah said Jaap The Cohens suddenly stopped talking and turned to look at him and then laughed I guess that’s a good word for it Jaapy said Mr Cohen But this is grown-up talk You wouldn’t understand what we
He knows what a bully is Don’t you Jaap said Ben Enough Ben snapped Mr Cohen glaring at his brother He turned back to Jaap You don’t have to worry about any of this Jaapy It doesn’t concern you And probably never will muttered Ben Mr Cohen glared at him again Uh Jaapy could you light the dining room first please said Mrs Cohen There’s some candied fruit on the buffet so just help yourself Jaap was bothered by the conversation He brought it up a few days later to his friend Brammy Dorland on their way home from school Bullies I guess you never get away from them not even as a grown up he said I just don’t get it Do you Well take Herman for example said Brammy Actually just TAKE HERMAN The boys laughed Herman was the school bully He had gotten left back the previous year and used his size to terrorize the other kids especially Brammy But Jaap and Bram always stood up against the bully together When Jaap came to school with his new glasses Herman tried to grab them Jaap pushed him away but Herman tripped over his own feet The
