The Lost Shtetl

The Lost Shtetl by Max Gross is the story of what happens to an isolated village when the modern world encroaches. 

A small Jewish village in the forests of Poland has been living the same way for generations. It has been lost to time by the rest of the world.

When two different people go missing in a short amount of time, the village chooses someone to walk to the city - a three-day walk - to inform the police. 

Just before Yankel Lewinkopf leave for the city, the Gypsy caravan that comes to trade twice a year stops by. They agree to take Yankel to the city.

Speaking little Polish and having little money, Yankel has a difficult time explaining what he needs. He is overwhelmed by a modern city and is eventually taken to be hallucinating, and taken to the hospital for help.

Gross's book is a look at the differences between tradition and the modern world - in a creative setting. 

Groos, Max, (2020). The Lost Shtetl. New York: Harper Via.