Yakov Bok was a handyman, also known as a fixer, which makes him the title character of Bernard Malmoud's 1966 novel "The Fixer." Bok was a Jew living in nineteenth-century Tsarist Russia, who moved to Kiev seeking a new life after his wife left him. The Russian government oppressed Jews, so Yakov changed his name and hid his religion, seeking work in a neighborhood forbidden to his people. After his employer discovered his deception, others accused Yakov of the murder of a Christian boy. He was imprisoned for years without a trial or formal charge.

The numerous lies and false testimony levied against him make his case appear hopeless, yet he survives. Bok is a victim of the fear and hatred heaped upon the Jews of his time and place. Antisemitism ran strong in the Russia of his day. The belief that Jews drank the blood of murdered Christians in mystical rituals fueled the public's fear and hatred.

This book is a painful novel to read. Malamud provides excruciating details of the torture and humiliation suffered by Bok.

Malmoud based Bok's troubles on the ordeal of Menahem Mendel Beilis, who was falsely accused of a similar murder in 1911.

"The Fixer" is a story of institutionalized discrimination; of paranoia and suspicion; of the hostility and the inaction of society in the face of oppression. But it is also the story of hope and defiance. Yakov refuses to confess under pressure and endures years of a bleak existence.

The lessons of "The Fixer" should resonate with readers today, who witness hate speech against immigrants and minorities in my country, who are accused of everything from stealing benefits to eating pets.