Satan in Goray

Book excerpt: In the little Polish town of Goray, ravaged by a terrible pogrom, expectations of the 'End of Days' foretold by cabalists run high. Grief becomes joy as news arrives from the Holy Land of the second coming of the Messiah. Usurping power from the pious rabbi, the believers listen to the prophetess Rechele and prepare themselves for the Coming of the Lord, when they will wear golden jackets and eat marzipan candy in the heart of Jerusalem. As religious hysteria grips the town, spirits and demons are abroad at night, and the people grow weaker by the day. But perhaps it is not the spirit of the Lord who possesses the body and mind of Rechele, but Satan himself.