Shepsie Tirschwell Character Analysis in The Plot Against America

An old boyhood friend of Herman Roth’s, Shepsie runs the Newsreel Theater in Newark, a movie house which plays news footage that Shepsie himself carefully curates and splices together. Shepsie and his family make the difficult decision to flee the United States for Winnipeg, Canada just a little more than a year into Lindbergh’s presidency, fearing the increases in anti-Semitism they’ve seen even in Newark. Kind but strict, Shepsie is burdened by the nature of his work.

Shepsie Tirschwell Character Timeline in The Plot Against America

The timeline below shows where the character Shepsie Tirschwell appears in The Plot Against America. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Shepsie Tirschwell, one of Herman’s childhood friends, is a projectionist at the Newsreel Theater—Newark’s only all-news... (full context)

...to watch the footage of the von Ribbentrop dinner. When he arrives, he learns that Shepsie and his family are planning on fleeing to a Jewish community in Winnipeg—his constant exposure... (full context)

...attendant pulls Philip from his seat and brings him up to the projection booth where Shepsie is waiting, holding the fake note in his hand. Shepsie tells Philip that he’s already... (full context)

Philip asks why Shepsie is going to Canada. Shepsie replies simply that he has secured a new job there.... (full context)

In the morning, Herman calls Shepsie Tirschwell long-distance to tell his friend how rapidly things in Newark have deteriorated. He admits... (full context)