★★★+
Synopsis: Evsise is a proud Jewish, blue, eleven-armed alien on planet Zsouchmoid. All inhabitants are being relocated to a different planet, because Zsouchmoid will be moved to another part of the galaxy.
A few aliens from the Jewish community want to sit shiva for a died comrade and for the planet as a tribute for their happy home, but only nine Jews can be found where 10 are needed for the minyan. Evsise is sent out to find Kadak, a long-lost Jew. He follows his trail via several religious communities with different beliefs, and everyone had exiled Kadak for his disgusting snuffling.
Review: This is one of Ellison’s funniest stories, embracing Yiddish dialect heavily. All the Jewish traditions, references to Jewish identity and laws might feel exotic and is certainly not found very often in contemporary SF, but it comes natural considering that it was originally written for the anthology “Wandering Stars: An Anthology of Jewish Science Fiction and Fantasy”. Ellison plays with his readers’ uninformed knowledge of Jewish culture. All the other bizarre religions like the Slaves of the Rock or the Tabernacle of the Mouth, are really funny.
The quest of Evsise is easy to follow, his character well defined and the story comes to nice conclusion with a plot twist.
Meta: isfdb. I’ve read it in Ellison’s collection.
Reißwolf 