The Boy On The Wooden Box

Moshe decides to return to Kraków and let Hershel continue to Narewka. He appears bedraggled, having been on the run for some time with little food. Leon celebrates his 10th birthday amid growing restrictions against Jews and publications of insulting antisemitic caricatures. Nazi soldiers loot Jewish businesses, evict Jews from their homes, and beat Orthodox Jews on the street. Jews are banned from parks, and streetcars are divided into separate sections for Jews and gentiles. 

The Nazis take over the glass factory where Moshe works. They fire all the Jewish employees except for Moshe because he speaks German and can therefore act as a liaison between the Germans and the Poles. This development makes Moshe hopeful that the war will perhaps last only a short time. 

One night, the Gestapo (Nazi secret police) break into Leon’s home, attempting to confiscate the family’s possessions. When Moshe resists them, they beat him and drag him away. Leon and David go to look for their father and solicit the help of a lawyer but with no success. Chanah is anxious over the fate of her husband. 

Leon discovers that his father is being held in a prison at the center of the city. He and David visit him every day, bringing him packages of food.