The Yiddish Policemen's Union

Landsman reviews Mendel’s case, and then he cleans himself up to prepare for the funeral. He visits Mabuhay Donuts, a Filipino-Chinese donut shop run by his informant, Benito Taganes. He asks Benito for information on Mendel Shpilman. Benito recalls people who came looking for Mendel a few months back. The men were not black-hats, but they had beards and yarmulkes. The men did not have Russian accents. All they wanted to know was where they could find Mendel.

Benito offers Landsman information on another open case of his, concerning the whereabouts of Rafael Zilberblat, the brother of a stabbing victim. Landsman promises to look into it.

Landsman drives to the abandoned Big Macher store by Granite Creek to look for Rafael Zilberblat. Just as he exits his car, a gunfight ensues, forcing Landsman to drop for cover. There are multiple gunmen shooting at him, so Landsman shoots back, hitting a female shooter. Another assailant grabs Landsman and drags him to meet with Zilberblat. Zilberblat tries to take Landsman’s gun, but Landsman maneuvers and kills Zilberblat.

Another man emerges from the Big Macher store, ready to surrender. Landsman identifies him as another member of the Zilberblat family. When Landsman vomits from the overwhelming smell at the scene, the second Zilberblat fires at him. Landsman thinks he is dead, but he has been merely grazed by a bullet and robbed of his belongings. Zilberblat and his men have stolen his car as well. Landsman takes a nap in the snow.

Landsman wakes up in the apartment of Berko and Ester-Malke, who took him into their care after he was brought to the hospital. A day has passed since the gunfight at the Big Macher store. Bina managed to locate Zilberblat by calling Landsman’s phone. Zilberblat later confessed that Rafael was indeed a killer, effectively closing the case. All of Landsman’s belongings have since been recovered and will be returned to him, except for his badge and service gun. Landsman complains that he was working on a case, but he understands that he should have called Berko in for support before engaging the Zilberblats.

Landsman learns that the Verbovers have picked up Mendel’s body for the funeral, but there have been no other developments since then. Bina calls to check on Landsman. She confirms that he is suspended with pay since no one can confirm that he had killed two people in self-defense and in the line of duty. Landsman worries that by the time his suspension ends, it will be too close to Reversion to work on anything anymore. Bina informs him that someone reached out to the home line of her superior to inform him of Landsman’s activities on Verbov Island. Bina framed Landsman’s suspension as time to recover from the gunfight, believing this was the only way to save him from worse punishment. Landsman appeals to Bina, reminding her how much work means to him. Bina does not relent.

Landsman spends the rest of the day recovering in Berko and Ester-Malke’s bed. He is joined by their two children, who make it difficult for Landsman to rest. The next morning, Ester-Malke shows Landsman a newspaper article on Mendel’s killing. The article describes his reputation as the rumored Tzaddik Ha-Dor, a role he never fulfilled because he never declared his kingdom. Mendel was reported to have disappeared from the public eye on the day of his wedding to the daughter of a rebbe named Shtrakenzer.

Ester-Malke comments that Heskel must have reclaimed his son, but Landsman does not believe this is the case, remembering his own experience with his father. He theorizes that if anyone could have changed Heskel’s mind about giving Mendel a burial, it would be his mother.

Berko tries to persuade Landsman not to go to Mendel’s burial. When Landsman refuses his advice, Berko gives him a small pistol to defend himself. Landsman arrives at the burial, which is well-attended by various black-hat sects, detectives, journalists, and other members of Sitka society. Landsman watches from a distance, waiting for an opportunity to approach Batsheva Shpilman.

When Landsman finally spots Heskel and Batsheva, he approaches, working his way through the crowd of mourners to reach a large limousine. Journalists try to ask Batsheva questions, so Baronshteyn guides her to the same limo. Landsman worries he might not intercept her in time. When a brawl breaks out between the Verbovers and the reporters, Landsman tries to get ahead of the limo. He yanks the door open as it is passing by and climbs inside.

Landsman meets Batsheva and her bodyguard. Batsheva is willing to entertain Landsman’s conversation before they drop him back at the Zamenhof. He asks her if she might have any theory as to the identity of Mendel’s murderer. Batsheva expresses that she is learning about the nature of Mendel’s death for the first time, not having been told anything by Heskel. She explains that her distance from Heskel is what makes their marriage successful. Landsman shares everything he knows about the murder.

Landsman challenges Batsheva with his theory that she remained in contact with Mendel while he was estranged from the family. Batsheva answers that she has not seen Mendel in two decades.

The novel flashes back to Mendel’s wedding. The night before the wedding ceremony, Mendel goes missing. Heskel orders a district-wide search for him. Batsheva is anxious as she has long harbored suspicions that Mendel is gay and that his flight signals his refusal to marry the Shtrakenzer girl.

One hour before the ceremony is scheduled to start, two women come to speak to Batsheva. She believes that they have come to seek a miracle from Mendel, so she refuses to see them. Heskel visits Batsheva to assure her that Mendel will be found. He saw Mendel the night before when he delivered a compelling talk about the scriptures. Heskel then insinuates that Batsheva knows where Mendel is. He reproaches her for bestowing Mendel with the “aberration” in his character. Batsheva refuses to believe that none of the Verbovers are without aberrations of their own. Heskel assures her that he will accept Mendel so long as he signals his willingness to live by God’s Commandments. Batsheva posits that Mendel has run away because he cannot live with the same self-deception “that all Verbovers engage in” (221). Heskel asserts that Mendel must be kept within their community, hidden from the larger world and its dangers. He insinuates that the alternative to sequestering Mendel would be to kill Mendel himself.

Batsheva decides to entertain the two women when she learns that they have brought a message from Mendel. One of the women is dressed all in black with a veil. The other woman, Brukh, is dressed in a modern though modest fashion. Brukh reveals that Mendel is not coming back and that he is staying with a friend. She swears Batsheva to secrecy, threatening that she will never hear from Mendel again if she reveals his whereabouts. Batsheva bursts into tears, ashamed that Mendel’s flight will inevitably affect their family’s relationship with the Shtrakenzers. She also weeps because she convinces herself that she will never see Mendel again.

The veiled woman implores cooperation from Batsheva, revealing herself as Mendel dressed in women’s clothing. He has come to say goodbye to Batsheva. Batsheva tells him never to reach out to her again and disowns him. Mendel kisses her head, lowers his veil, and then leaves. Batsheva feels repulsed by God and Creation. That repulsion turns into self-hatred as she acknowledges how much evil has been committed for the sake of her comfort. She realizes that by leaving, Mendel has given up the world’s expectations for him to become the Tzaddik Ha-Dor. Batsheva prays that Mendel can find a way to be himself, which causes her to regret sending him away without asking where he would be. She discovers that Mendel left some string in her hand, hinting that he is staying with Zimbalist.

Back in the present, Batsheva admits to Landsman that she usually heard from Mendel when he was in trouble and needed money. The last time he reached out was in April of that year. Landsman observes that this was around the same time that Naomi died. Mendel had called Batsheva from a public place with a loudspeaker and told her that he wouldn’t be able to contact her for some time. When she recalls the detail that he had just eaten some cherry pie the last time they spoke, Landsman theorizes that Mendel was calling her from an airport. Batsheva agrees.

Batsheva drops Landsman at the Zamenhof. She learned his address from Bina, whom she says she is indebted to. Bina is also the reason that Batsheva decided to trust Landsman with information about Mendel.

Landsman visits the Yakovy pie shop that he recognized from the photo in Mendel’s chess book. He tries to pass off his tattered union membership card as a police badge to gain the shop owner’s trust. The shop owner’s wife does not want to entertain him if he isn’t ordering pie. Her reluctance stems from the fact that many of her customers are criminals who use the adjacent Yakovy airfield as a waystation for criminal activity. Landsman orders pie to buy himself more time as he asks the shop owner and his wife about Mendel.

While eating his pie, Landsman reminisces about his past visits to the airfield with Naomi, who regularly piloted chartered flights from there. The shop owner’s daughter approaches Landsman to answer his inquiry about Mendel. She explains that she once gave him a ride to a nearby motel. Mendel was in the midst of recovering from drug addiction, but his behavior endeared her to him, so she tried to have sex with him. She acknowledges that she also experienced sex addiction at the time and is recovering from it. In any case, Mendel declined sex with her and gave her his blessing. She later understood that he was gay and that he also gave up relationships once he started to experience drug addiction. She attributes the fact that she has a boyfriend now to Mendel’s blessing.

The shop owner’s daughter explains that the real reason she gave Mendel a ride to the motel was that she was doing a favor for her friend, a pilot who knew Mendel. Landsman identifies Naomi as the pilot she is referring to. The shop owner’s daughter explains that Mendel likely hired her. She directs Landsman to the airfield to confirm the details.