Karl-Yankel by Isaac Babel. Short summary

5 seconds

Hosea sued his mother-in-law. The pious old woman stole the baby and performed the rite of circumcision in secret from his parents. While little Karl-Jankel cries outside the door, all the circumstances of the case are clarified

1 minute

There was a blacksmith’s shop on Peresyp, Ioyna Brutman, who had three sons. Two of them joined the partisans. The third son became a blacksmith.

The youngest daughter, Paula, married Ovsei Bialotserkowski and gave birth to a son. Paulie’s mother was delighted with the birth of her grandson. A year after the wedding, Ovsei sued his mother-in-law Brana Brutman. The old woman stole the baby and took him to Naftula Herchik, who performed the rite of circumcision.

The Odessa prosecutor’s office staged a show trial. Naftula Gerchik and Brana Brutman found themselves in the dock. Polina said that her mother suffered from the fact that her children are unbelievers. The girl said that she and her husband named their son Karl, while her mother called the child Yankel.

At that moment, a child’s cries rang out in the hallway. The chairman called a recess. The narrator saw little Karl-Jankel being fed outside the door. The girls looking after the child said that the boy would grow up to be a military man or an aviator.