2This innovative novel tells the story of Daniel Stein, a Polish Jew who narrowly survives the Holocaust by working for the Gestapo as an interpreter. After the war, he converts to Catholicism, becomes a priest, and finally emigrates to Israel. Despite this seemingly far-fetched progression, the life of Daniel Stein is not an invention--he is based on a real person, Oswald Rufeisen, a Carmelite priest. Daniel Stein, Interpreter ranges from before World War II to modern times, and from the shtetl to Israel to America. It portrays a life full of amazing contradictions and undaunted faith.