This book is dedicated to the author’s grandfather, Jacob Rubinov, who was a rabbi in Kokand, Uzbekistan, at the time of the Great Purge of 1937-38. The book tells Jacob’s story, and how his life was affected by the events occurring in his country at that time. While the story contains historical facts, some details, however, are fictional, and some may seem exaggerated. That was the author’s intent. If he had given an exact and more detailed description of the events, it would have seemed unrealistic and absurd. That very short period of time, between 1937 and 1938, represented the entire ideology of the socialistic system and Soviet government. This period was, and still remains, beyond human understanding.