New York City

Nearly every character in the novel spends time in New York, whether visiting or living there. It was the place immigrants dreamt of at the turn of the 20th century. It represents the American dream, but for the people in "I Pity the Poor Immigrant" it becomes a city of frustration. It's Hannah Groff's home, but she's never really been happy there. The novel ends with her lover, Oded Voss, planning a trip to visit her there and Hannah optimistically planning all the things she's going to show him when he arrives.

Tel Aviv

Hannah Groff spends most of her time in Israel in Tel Aviv, the capital. This is the city where David Bellen grew up and the city where Israeli organized crime began. Hannah describes it as more modern than Jerusalem and a place where someone like Hannah, a Jew who isn't a Jew...