Chapter 10: First, They Take Your Business . . .

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Nico loved the sweet, woody aroma of his father Lev’s smoke shop on Votsi Street. The scent would stay with him for life, forever associated with his father. One afternoon in January 1943, while Lev stocked cigars and Nico drew cartoons nearby, two Greek men entered. Lev recognized the taller one as a pipe-tobacco customer. The visitors seemed confused to find Lev there. They produced a document from the “Service for the Disposal of Jewish Property,” stating that the shop was now ceded to them. The paper referred to Lev as “the Jew Lev Krispis.” Lev felt a sickening chill. He insisted the shop was his, that he had built the business. Nico watched as his father’s anger rose. The short man stammered about returning later, but the tall man argued that the transfer was clearly written. Lev grabbed the paper and yelled. At that moment, a transport pulled up and two Nazi officers stepped out. Within ten minutes, Lev, Nico, and Sebastian were marched to the door and shoved out. They were not allowed to take their coats. It was the last time they would set foot in the tobacco shop.

Key Events

• Nico recalls his emotional connection to the shop’s smell, a comfort linked to his father.
• Two Greek men present Lev with a notice from the “Service for the Disposal of Jewish Property,” ceding the shop to them.
• Lev reads the document and is especially stung by being labeled “the Jew Lev Krispis.”
• Lev argues with the men, claiming he built the business and the shop is his.
• Nazi officers arrive and forcibly evict Lev, Nico, and Sebastian from the premises.
• The family is thrown out without being allowed to take their coats, a final humiliation.

Character Development

• Lev Krispis: For the first time, Lev’s identity as a Jew is publicly imposed by a Nazi authority. His sense of ownership and pride is shattered. He responds with outrage, but his powerlessness becomes clear when the officers appear. His dignity is stripped.
• Nico Krispis: Nico witnesses his father’s helplessness and the theft of their livelihood. The shop that once brought him joy becomes a source of trauma. He is silenced and swept into the eviction.
• Sebastian: The employee remains a quiet witness. He shares the same fate, expelled without even his coat, showing that anyone associated with the Jewish owner is also dispossessed.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

• Confiscation of Property (Aryanization): The chapter depicts the systematic seizure of Jewish-owned businesses by the Nazis, implemented locally through bureaucratic notices. The “Service for the Disposal of Jewish Property” is a cold administrative tool for theft.
• Loss of Identity: The document designates Lev not by his name but as “the Jew Lev Krispis,” reducing him to a racial category. His shop, a symbol of his hard work and family life, is erased overnight.
• The Scent of the Shop: Nico’s love of the woody aroma represents the warmth of his childhood and his bond with his father. After the eviction, that same scent will forever carry a sense of loss.
• Powerlessness under Force: Lev’s arguments and anger mean nothing against the armed officers. The eviction shows how quickly personal agency vanishes when the state unleashes force.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks the first major material loss for the Krispis family, moving persecution from edicts to direct action. It illustrates the swiftness with which the Nazi regime—through local collaborators and bureaucratic paperwork—could strip Jews of their livelihoods. The eviction without coats underscores the dehumanizing indifference of the process. For the reader, the chapter foreshadows even greater losses and begins Lev’s struggle to preserve his family amid a crumbling world. It also deepens Nico’s bond with his father, as the shop’s scent becomes a memory of what was taken.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What document do the Greek men show to Lev, and what does it declare?

Answer: They show a notice from the “Service for the Disposal of Jewish Property” that declares Lev’s tobacco shop on Votsi Street is ceded to them.

2. How does Lev react when he reads the title given to him in the document?

Answer: He is stung by being called “the Jew Lev Krispis.” He becomes angry, grabs the paper, and insists that he opened and built the shop himself.

3. What specific detail about the eviction highlights the lack of basic human decency?

Answer: Lev, Nico, and Sebastian are forced out of the shop and not even allowed to take their coats.

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