The Shield: a novel (27 page)

“
The system we use now - and are still refining - is opening the cars in pairs, starting at opposite ends of the train. The occupants of each car, usually about eighty, are led by two soldiers into the facility. You may have noticed that we have an intermediary yard behind the first wall, with a second wall and an offset gate, just to make sure that outside observers can’t see into the facility. We also don’t allow any air traffic within several miles of the facility.”

The Defense Minister looked thoughtful: “Do you have difficulties with people refusing to go to Palestine. After
all, they come from a time where Palestine had a bad name: sands, camels and Arabs – not a very civilized country.”

Hirshson thought for a moment
. “As long as we were getting desperate, starving people, the mere fact that we fed them and treated them well was enough. They didn’t really care where they were going as long as it was not into the clutches of the Nazis. Most of them were passive.

“
The situation is different now. The new arrivals are not starving and some are having second thoughts about going to Palestine. We had a large group from Lithuania that wanted to go to South Africa where they have family. This group refused to get on their ship and was threatening a hunger strike.”

“
How did you deal with that?” the Absorption Minister asked.

“
We told them that they can either go back to where they came from on the next train or go to Palestine and arrange travel to wherever they want from there. They didn’t want to return to Lithuania and decided that since Palestine is part of the British Empire, getting from there to South Africa wouldn’t be too difficult.

“
We’ve had no other problems so far. It’s a sad fact that these people know that they are not wanted anywhere in the world. There were a number of families who wanted passage to the U.S. and thought they would be allowed in since they have family there. We told them the truth: that they would be turned back into the clutches of the Nazis. They believe us. It happened before and many people know the sad story of the SS St. Louis”.

The Absorption Minister looked dubious: “What do you do if some of the scouts the communities are sending are skeptics or not Zionists? I would imagine that the Communists, Bundists and some of the ultra-Orthodox have no desire to go to Palestine.”

“We encountered this already. More than once. We use different techniques with different groups. The ultra-Orthodox are actually the easiest to deal with. We have representatives of the major Hassidic sects here as well as some of the Lithuanian rabbis. They have a lengthy theological discussion with the emissaries and do their best to persuade them that this whole arrangement is a miracle: we have the Nazis and the British – neither one a friend of the Jews – collaborating in the middle of a bitter war to bring Jews to Eretz Yisrael. This argument never failed yet.

“
The leftists are sometimes more difficult. They would like to go to the Soviet Union or sometimes prefer staying where they are to going to Palestine. We deal with them by posing a number of questions: Do they know what happened to the German Communist and Social Democrat parties under Hitler and do they expect to be treated differently by the Nazis? Can they go to the Soviet Union or anywhere else for that matter, from the places they live in now? Why not go to Palestine and then go
to the Soviets? After all the British and the Soviets are allies in this war.

“
After they think about the answers for a moment their choice is to recommend that their organizations move to Palestine.”

***

Jacob and Bohdan stood side by side looking out the door of the cattle car. There wasn’t much to see. In front of them was a concrete wall that Jacob estimated to be at least ten meters high. People on the other side of the car reported seeing a similar wall. The train had been stopped for about five minutes and there was a commotion outside. The German and Ukrainian guards that had accompanied them from the Vilnius ghetto were marching off and the engine crew was leaving as well. The train was being surrounded by armed soldiers in drab green uniforms. There were no insignia on the uniforms.

The station’s PA system
came to life, announcing in German, “Please be patient. It will take us a while to open the cars. If there are people that need urgent medical care, please wave a handkerchief from the car’s door. You will be fed soon.”

“
High time for that,” Bohdan commented. “They promised seven days travel and it is eight by now. I’m starving.”

“
We all are,” several voices responded.

The cars were opened in pairs. It took fifteen minutes before the car containing Jacob and his f
amily was opened, spilling everyone out onto the concrete platform. Soldiers were busy opening the next car.

“
Follow me!” a soldier yelled to Jacob and the group from his car. “We need to clear the platform so that the others can be released from their cars.” The group followed him through a gate in the high wall and saw… another wall. They were now in a square surrounded by tall concrete walls and two gates, another opposite the one they entered and about fifteen yards to the right. Quietly, the group followed the soldier through the second gate.

“
This is amazing,” Jacob exclaimed when they left the concrete square. “This is unbelievable!” He was not the only one surprised. They were standing on the edge of a large plaza surrounded by tall warehouses. In the distance low structures were visible. A large flag with the Star of David and two blue stripes was fluttering in the sea breeze coming from a stretch of blue water visible in between the buildings.

“
A prayer shawl!” somebody in the crowd exclaimed pointing at the flag.

“
No,” a soldier corrected them in Yiddish. “It’s the flag of the Jewish state. Welcome home.”

The crowd was confused. Some were crying,
others staring in disbelief. They were startled when the soldier yelled at the top of his voice, “Please follow me. You will want to wash up and have supper. During the meal we will explain to you what will happen next.”

They followed him into one of the buildings surrounding the plaza. Inside they found sinks and toilets, beyond that were several large halls with tables and benches and a cafeteria counter. The delightful smell of food greeted them. The soldiers
accompanying each group directed them to one of the halls.

The entire crowd from the train had been divided into groups of roughly 500 per dining room.  After they had been served and were eating, a sergeant climbed on a podium by the food counter and introduced himself in classical Lithuanian Yiddish. “I
am with the quartermaster company of the Palestinian Defense Forces responsible for Sector 3 of this repatriation facility. The guys next to me are my assistants who will do their best to answer any questions you may have and to help you. After the meal, please move up the staircase to the right - Anyone needing assistance, please assemble by the double metal doors. You’ll find showers and disinfectant on the second floor. We do not want lice and such in this facility. After cleaning up, you will be escorted to a dormitory. We will wake you up tomorrow morning at 7 am. Please assemble here for breakfast and further instructions. I hope that your stay here will be pleasant and not too long. As soon as possible you will board ships and be on your way to Eretz Yisrael. Any questions?”

A pandemonium erupted with everybody yelling at once. The sergeant raised his hand and turned up the volume on the P.A. system: “Please quiet down. Raise your hand if you want to ask something.”

“How about seeing a doctor?” “My wife is pregnant!” “I have a stomach ulcer!”

“
Every new immigrant needing medical assistance can see a doctor. On your way to the dormitories please knock on the door with the red Star of David. Inside you will find people to assist you. I will see you all tomorrow. If you have more questions or need help, please ask one of the soldiers.” The sergeant waved to them and got off the podium.

“
I don’t believe it,” Bohdan said to Jacob. “Jews took over Palestine? When did that happen? Why would the Germans deliver us to these Jews?”

“
Let’s go upstairs and pick up a brochure,” Jacob said to his family. “Maybe it will have some answers.”

***

“153 please.” The uniformed guard in front of the glass door called the number of the ticket Jacob was holding. It had been given to him this morning when, after breakfast, his group entered the big waiting hall as instructed. To obtain the number he had to give his full name, the full address where he used to live as well as the names of the family members that came with him. Now he approached the guard, who checked the number on his ticket. “Are you alone or is your family here?” he asked.

“
My mother and sister are with me.”

“
Bring them with you, please, to room number 5.”

“
Thank you.” It had taken almost an hour of waiting for this short exchange, not that Jacob noticed the passage of time. The room was cool and well ventilated, though without windows. There were brochures explaining possible education options in Palestine as well as employment that might be available to them.

The f
amily went through a glass door into a long corridor with numbered doors on both sides, entering the room with a five on the door. It was a small office, with a desk and four chairs. The young man behind the desk rose to greet them, offering his hand: “Please sit. Would you like to drink something? Water, tea, coffee?”

The Hirshsons took the seats offered but refused the drinks. Jacob was curious about the somewhat unusual desk – it had a glass surface with a darker rectangular area in front of the official.

“Your names, please,” the civilian official asked politely.

“
Sara Hirshson,” Jacob’s mother responded, taking charge. “My son Jacob and daughter Sheina.”

“
And where are you coming from?”

“
Vilnius, Lithuania.”

“
What was your address there?”

“
In the ghetto we lived on Strashuna Street 19, apartment 9. Do you really need to ask all these questions? We answered them just an hour ago.”

The young man smiled
. “Sorry for the inconvenience. I’m just making sure that the guard sent me the correct people.

“
Did you leave any family behind in Vilnius?” the young man asked, looking at the glass surface of his desk.

“
My brother-in-law Chaim and his family are in the ghetto. I sincerely hope that they will follow us soon. He’s stubborn. I wish I could send him a message from here.”

“
Jacob Hirshson,” the young man asked, “are you a scout for the Revisionist movement in Vilnius?”

Jacob was startled and defensive
. “Yes, is something wrong with that?”

“
No, nothing wrong, but you understand that we have to make sure that you are who you say you are.”

The young man was again looking at t
he desk surface in front of him. “Did any of your friends come on the same train?”

Jacob hesitated
. “Arye was supposed to come with me but was taken ill at the last moment.”

After a somewhat longer pause the Palestinian said
. “Is this Arye Levitan you are talking about?”

“
Yes.”

“
What are your dates of birth, starting with you Mrs. Hirshson?”

Sara recited her birthday as well as those of her children.

The man finished tapping on the keyboard, then picked up the phone on his desk and dialed a number. He spoke in fast Hebrew and the family caught only a couple of words.

“
Please follow me,” he said to the Hirshsons. “The commander of this facility wants to meet you.”

“
Is there a problem?” Jacob asked.

“
No, no. No problem whatsoever. Please come.”

They followed the young man into a new, one story building that was obviously a military facility. Soldiers hurrying in all directions; a big, glowing map of Europe filled one wall, with strange symbols scattered all over it.

The family stopped in front of a desk. “Sergeant, these people are here to see the chief.”

“
Yes, I’ll take care of them.” The woman got up from her desk, smiling at the family: “Please follow me. The boss is busy with some unexpected stuff. There will be a short delay. In the meantime, please make yourself comfortable.” She opened a door and led them into a comfortable sitting room complete with a sofa, several armchairs, and a coffee table.

“
Please feel free to take anything you want,” the woman told them, pointing to a large credenza with food laid out. “A bathroom is through this door.” She showed them around and then left.

Jacob looked at the room. It didn’t have windows but was lit by several skylights.  Five minutes later a door they hadn’t notice before opened. A man in his early thirties
came in. He was wearing a uniform similar to the others but had small, silver wings on his chest and three brass oak leaves on a red background on his shoulders. His face was smoothly shaven and he had a receding hairline.