In the book Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli is Uri pretending to be a Jackboot?

Uri hates Jackboots! Jackboots pick on Jews like him. He is not pretending to be one. He is a double agent trying to stay alive. Uri pretends to shoot Misha in the head but then moves the gun and shoots his ear to keep him safe as he said in the book "someday i will have to kill you to save your life". He did this to appease the jack boots so they will leave him alone and to save him.