 Rav Kirshner dies mid-way through the novel and Rabbi Isaiah launches a vigorous crackdown on perceived laxities within the sect.Isaac Shulman, a quiet, mild-mannered Kirshner Jew, and his wife Elizabeth.They have five daughters (Chani, Malki, Rochel, Sorah, Brocha) when the book begins, and a sixth (Chaya) is born in early 1978.