Faithful Soldiers

Czarist Russia, 1840. Yankeleh, only son of the Kronitzer Rebbe and the pride of his community, suddenly finds himself thrust into the horror of the Russian army, an unwilling conscript facing the might of an empire dedicated to obliterating his beliefs. The challenge the youth faces is immediate and compelling: how to survive as a Jew in this new and hostile environment. In an extraordinary show of strength Yankeleh not only survives but prevails, inspiring his fellow conscripts by his teaching and his example. In his travels through the bleak Russian countryside, Yankeleh meets a host of fascinating characters: Father Peter, the priest enthralled by Jewish wisdom; Srulik, an uneducated boy with faith to match Yankeleh's own; Gershom Lader, the itinerant peddler who daily risks his life to help his brethren; and Vlad Ruszky, an ignorant peasant harboring a remarkable secret.