A Dog’s Journey Through Nazi Germany — From His Four-Legged Perspective

I don’t know why, but I love dog books, especially those written in “first-dog”. Most of my favorite novels from the last few years like “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, “A Dog’s Purpose” and “One Good Dog” tell the story from the animal’s point of view. The simple prose and the descriptions derived from the dog’s enhanced sense of smell and hearing give a new and different perspective to the human/pet relationship. “The Jewish Dog,” a novel by Asher Kravitz and translated from Hebrew by Michal Kessler, does not disappoint. 

The story takes place in 1930’s Berlin. The economy is in freefall, the National Socialist German Workers party and their psychopathic leaders are becoming more and more popular, and antisemitism is on the rise. At the home of the Gotleibs, a modern Orthodox Jewish family, there is much excitement. Their dog Buriah has given birth to a litter of puppies. 

The three Gotleib children; Raizel, Herschel and Joshua are enthralled. What child wouldn’t be thrilled to see such an adorable sight? Kalman, their father, warns the children not to get too attached to the little guys and not to give them names. In a few weeks all the puppies will be given away. One of the pups dies and four are quickly adopted. One of the young dogs called “the white one with the black circle around his eye and brown patch on his chest” seems to show a desire to stay with the Gotleib clan. There are no takers for this rather withdrawn dog and finally Kalman gives in and allows the kids to keep him. 

The pup seems to enjoy many of the Jewish traditions, especially Shabbat and Passover. At his first Passover Seder, the new puppy helps the children sniff out the Afikomen. After taking a bite of the matzo, he describes it a “piece of tasteless cardboard”. 

Our hero gets the name Caleb and becomes a bona fide member of the Gotleib family. From that point on, Caleb shares the traditions of Judaism with the Gotleibs. They even build him a little dog sukkah attached to the family sukkah. When the Nazis seize control of Germany, they start to put into place their “final solution” for the Jewish people. Kalman Gotleib loses his job as a professor at the University, the children are no longer allowed to attend school, and their long-time German housekeeper is forbidden from working for them any longer. All this is seen through the naive eyes of Caleb as he tries to understand the cruelties of mankind. 

A new law is passed. Jews are no longer allowed to own dogs. While Buriah is given to the housekeeper’s family, Caleb is given to Frank Heinz, a fellow professor who is a friend of Kalman. Caleb’s’ name is changed to Zelig. While Caleb and Professor Heinz get along just fine, his wife Greta is another matter. She despises the “Jew dog” and wants to get rid of him. Her hatred is intensified when the dog eats her copy of “Mein Kampf” and buries a bone in the cushion of a new couch. 

When the Professor is arrested by the Gestapo, Zelig is taken by one of the agents. Unlike Greta Heinz, the wife of Standardtenfurher Theodor Durer, Frau Durer, falls in love with little Zelig, as does his son George. His new name becomes Wilhelm. When Theodor dies accidently, George becomes more involved with the Nazi youth, and takes Wilhelm with him and his friends to hunt for “kikes and gypsies”. When the gang order Wilhelm to attack a young Jewish boy on the street, he saves the boy’s life instead. The dog is chased by the Nazi youths and is forced to become a stray living off garbage and handouts. 

Caleb receives messages from a spiritual “Heavenly Dog”. The “Heavenly Dog” sends him out of Berlin and into the countryside. He joins a pack and is able to survive by hunting and scavenging. He falls in love with a female named Margo, and rises in stature within the pack. 

When Caleb finally returns to Berlin, he is captured by the animal control agents. From there he is given to a trainer named Ralph Schmidt, who prepares him to be a guard dog in a German concentration camp. His new name is Blitz. At Treblinka, the dog is reunited with Joshua Gotleib.  Together the two escape from Treblinka and join a group of Partisans. Caleb uses his superior senses to help the Partisans ambush a German army convoy.

While most of the novel takes place in very difficult times, Caleb manages to bring humor, adventure and compassion to his telling of the story. There is certainly a very different viewpoint when observations are recorded from the perspective of “man’s best friend”. 

Guided by instinct and by messages from the great Dog in the sky, Caleb never forgets his Jewish upbringing. Together with Joshua, they manage to survive the war and start a new life. While most of the novel takes place in very difficult times, Caleb manages to bring humor, adventure and compassion to his telling of the story. There is certainly a very different viewpoint when observations are recorded from the perspective of “man’s best friend”. 

As a reader I admire the story of Caleb and his many adventures and I know that writing this novel in “first dog” takes a lot of talent. Asher Kravitz is a pilot, a former police detective, a wildlife photographer and a professor in physics and mathematics at the Jerusalem College of Engineering in Israel. He is the author of seven books in Hebrew. “The Jewish Dog” is a best-selling novel in Israel and is his first work to be translated to English.