PART FOUR
“Silence!”
Daniel is pierced to the core of his being with fright as he looks up and sees the massive formidable being marching toward him. He feels as though he is sitting in the middle of the street and looks up to see a Mack truck barreling down the road and heading straight for him.
Instinctively and quickly, Daniel pushes back with his legs and outstretches his arms with his palms facing backward to protect the pile of children behind him.
“Get up! Move!” commands the Mack truck.
All six of the children behind him and Daniel immediately stand up and begin to move toward a large double-hung sliding doorway. They are shoved outside and met with such a severe heat that Daniel feels as though tiny razor blades are slicing at his lungs with every breath he takes. And the brightness of the sun seems so close that he can reach out and touch it.
People all around him are crying and letting out sporadic terrified screams as they are herded out of train cars. Armed soldiers are strategically positioned to keep the crowds of people moving toward a fenced-off area filled with rows and rows of lined up bungalows.
Daniel suddenly realizes he has now assumed the identity of a young boy who is being herded into a concentration camp in the middle of some God-forsaken desert.
Now he knows why everything looks so large and out of proportion to him. As he walks into the yard, he thinks about the fact that the normal human growth transition from being three feet tall to six feet tall is so gradual that people don’t even notice it. But now, in a brief moment of time, he has transformed from a full sized adult into a young boy. Everything around him looks bizarre. The people look like giants. The buildings look like massive structures. The windows are way too large and the doorways are immense.
And that feeling of being picked up off the ground by the Mack truck was another bizarre experience. He thinks about the fact that children get picked up all the time, and that it is a normal experience for them. But, adults do not get picked up. It was a completely bizarre feeling to be lifted up off the ground and tossed across a room like a piece of baggage.
Everything around Daniel is completely foreign to him and disconcertingly out of proportion. It is so different that he feels as though he is not on earth anymore. The environment is austere and hostile, and everything around him is so huge that he feels like he has been transported to some other planet.
Finally, after hours of standing and sitting, and sorting and shifting from one location to another, Daniel finds himself seated on a wooden bunk in a dormitory with a couple hundred other boys and girls of all ages. As he looks around at the other children, though, he notices they all look alike in appearance. They all have the same dark hair color and brownish skin color. They all do look alike, but at the same time he also hears them speaking several different languages.
Daniel is exhausted by all of the physical and mental abuse associated with being violently plucked away by a band of marauding soldiers; and then herded into a boxcar and traveling for hours along miles and miles of train track; and then being dumped into a concentration camp out in the middle of nowhere. In the midst of attempting to manage all of this stress, he is also trying to navigate the instant transition from being Dinah as she is recovering from giving birth, to being a random young boy who has just been birthed into hell.
So, Daniel lies back on the bunk and begins searching his memory banks for information about who he is. As he looks back into his mind, he finds profound sadness, loneliness and abandonment. He finds struggle and a life of doing everything he can to simply stay alive. He is an orphan. He has grown up in an orphanage in Bucharest, Romania. His name is Danut.
+ - + - + - +
The next day, Danut wakes up and quickly finds the other children from the train. They are all friends who were snatched together out of the same orphanage in Bucharest. Danut talks with each one of them and does what he can to ensure that they are all doing as well as can be expected under the harsh circumstances in the camp.
“We will have to stick together in here, also,” he says to them.
Danut is strong and mature for his age, and he has always assumed a leadership role among his peers at the orphanage. He has a long track record of taking good care of them, and they have learned to trust him and are always ready to follow his lead.
“Where are the others?” asks one of the girls.
“I do not know,” answers Danut. “They only took us, the darker ones.”
“I do not understand their words,” says the girl.
“We must be from all kinds of different places,” says Danut. “But we all look the same. We all have the dark hair and darker skin.”
“You are lighter,” says the girl. “Why did they take you?”
Danut did know he was the lightest of the bunch, but they had always been grouped together at the orphanage, so he also knew he was one of them.
“Because I am with you,” he answers. “And we are going to stay together in here, too. We are going to survive like we always have survived -- by working together as a team.”
After a few weeks in the camp, all of the prisoners have adjusted to the regular daily routine -- a routine of mistreatment, degradation, deprivation, exposure, hunger, starvation and death. In the same day that piled up carcasses are loaded onto huge wagons and hauled off to mass grave sites, the next train arrives carrying another load of confused and terror-stricken people.
They have learned that they all have something in common because they are constantly referred to as ‘Ayrabs’ or ‘Ishmites’ as they are shoved here and there, or beaten, or loaded into trucks and taken away -- never to be seen again.
Mustafa Kemal is ruthless in the West as he hunts down hundreds of thousands of innocent people and drives them out of their homes and businesses, even going as far as searching orphanages like the one Danut and his friends came from in Bucharest. And Judah Barshevet is no different in the East. He fully intended to habilitate the occupants in the area and provide a comfortable life for all of them, but when he was met with resistance, he quickly changed his tactics and went to war with anyone who stood in the way of re-establishing Zion in the Land of Israel.
Aleppo, Syria was the obvious choice for the camps. It was a perfect no-man’s land in the exact middle of the two rampaging tyrants. What was once a busy hub of major trade routes and the center of bustling business and shipping activity became a dark nightmare of human trafficking and annihilation. Aleppo’s glory days are long gone now as it transforms into a sewer for the waste products of two dictators striving to establish their respective utopian kingdoms.
+ - + - + - +
In the midst of this madness, Danut answers his call. He is tireless in his daily efforts to assist any of his fellow prisoners as they all struggle to survive in their particular camp located in the outskirts of Aleppo. And, while this current environment is more extreme and intensely difficult than any he has ever experienced before, still, it is not getting the best of him. Danut’s entire existence up to this point has been one of struggling to survive. That is his world. That is his construct. He has always been a citizen of struggle and survival. He has had to fight for his life with every breath he has ever taken. So now, here in this dreadful death camp, it is no different.
He becomes known in the camp as the delivery boy of comfort. He works tirelessly to identify needs and then devise the best possible solution to deliver the remedy, whether it is a little bit of extra water, or an article of clothing, or a morsel of food, or merely a kind encouraging word to an anguished heart.
One day, kind words from Danut are comforting an older man named Addiv, who is lamenting the loss of his children and grandchildren. Danut had befriended Addiv after discovering they both spoke Romanian. They became as close as kindred spirits could become in the rotten damnable death camp.
“I am your grandson now, Addiv,” says Danut. “You have me and all of the other children here. We love you.”
Over time, th
e salve of these healing words repairs Addiv’s broken heart and he becomes less and less despondent. And as their relationship develops, Addiv realizes that he is having the same type of healing affect on Danut, because deep down in Danut’s heart, he is craving a father. His soul is crying out to feel the touch of paternity he knows will connect him to some sense of belonging, some sense of who he is in the world.
+ - + - + - +
One evening, Danut looks down at a piece of rotten food he and some of the other children have stolen from the mess hall garbage cans. He is picking off some of the more moldy parts before giving it to Addiv, when he stops and thinks for a moment, and says, “I have an idea.”
Since this is not an uncommon phrase to come out of Danut’s mouth, Addiv says, “Am I supposed to look surprised?”
Danut hands the food to Addiv, and says, “We can poison the guards and then take over the camp.”
Addiv thinks for a moment, and then says, sarcastically, “Yes, of course, my boy, that is brilliant! That is how we handled our rat problem back home, so why would it not work here?”
Danut smiles, but his conviction is not diminished in the least by Addiv’s sarcasm. “You have seen what the rotten food does to us,” he continues.
“Yes,” agrees Addiv.
“We need to poison them,” urges Danut. “We need to make them all so sick that we can overtake them and they cannot resist us.”
“I have not seen them eating rotten food lately, have you?” says Addiv. “I do not think that is their preference.”
Danut frowns, and insists, “It would work.”
Addiv softens and puts his arm around Danut, and says, “Yes, you are correct, Danut. It would work. Let us try to figure out a way we can get those rats poisoned.”
One afternoon, a short while after that conversation, Danut is sitting alone by the barracks. He is trying as best as he can to fight off the relentless pressure to yield to the incessant tug of despondency, when Addiv and another younger man walk past him.
Danut does not remember seeing the other man before. He is in his late twenties or early thirties and looks somewhat more refined than many of the factory workers he has seen come into the camp.
As Addiv walks by, Danut looks up and sees the inconspicuous signal for him to follow them. He lets a few moments go by to avoid any hint of suspicion, and then he stands up and slowly strolls in the same direction as Addiv and the other man.
He knows where they are going because he and Addiv discovered a space between a few of the barracks that is hidden from the guards’ view during their regular rounds.
“What?” asks Danut.
Addiv points to the younger man, and says, “This is Almaj. He has your rat poison.”
“What,” says Danut, puzzled.
“Shhh,” urges Addiv.
“I arrived here two weeks ago... ” starts Almaj. But, then he gets a shocked look on his face and stops talking. He stares at Danut, and says, “You are the boy from Krakow.”
Addiv and Danut silently stare at each other.
“Praise be unto Allah!” exclaims Almaj. “How can this be? This is a miracle! You are a miracle child!”
“Shhh!” demands Addiv, as he puts his hand over Almaj’s mouth. “Are you out of your mind? You are going to get us all killed!”
Almaj is completely overwhelmed, and says, “I never thought I would see you again. How did you get here? What are you doing here?”
“What are you talking about?” asks Danut.
“I know you. I have known you since you were born... since before you were born,” says Almaj. “My family is from Krakow. We all knew about you. I went to the University of Bucharest. I used to watch you play at Parcul Sfantul Gheorghe all the time.”
Danut is instantly transported back to that public park in his memory. It was his favorite place in the world.
“You are the boy! You are the boy from Krakow!” says Almaj.
“Quiet!” insists Addiv, whispering sternly. “We must go! We must talk later.” As he quickly ushers Almaj and Danut out of their hiding place, he says, “Let us meet again between the evening meal and sun down. We must go, now!”
As Danut leaves their place of seclusion and each of them walk in different directions, Daniel’s mind is reeling. He instantly remembers his life as Dinah in Krakow. ‘What was he talking about?’ thinks Daniel, as he walks away to the children’s barracks and collapses on his bunk.
+ - + - + - +
After Danut gets his bowl of watered down vegetable soup, he walks over and sits down next to Addiv. He finds it excruciating to not be able to say a word to Addiv, but conversation is strictly forbidden during meal times. Extreme curiosity is eating away at Danut as he looks over and sees Almaj sitting across the room staring at him. He also knows that Addiv and Almaj must stay separate from each other as much as possible, so as not to arouse any suspicion from the guards. If any of the adult male prisoners are observed as being frequently in each other’s company, the guards immediately cease that behavior.
If there could be a peaceful time in the camp, it was the hour or two after the evening meal. As long as the prisoners returned to their barracks quietly, the guards were completely content to be done with their day themselves and then close the camp down for the night.
Danut walks over to Addiv’s barracks wondering what more he might learn about the mysterious statements Almaj made earlier that day. Addiv is sitting down on a bench outside the barracks, so Danut walks over and joins him. A few moments later, they see Almaj strolling innocently toward them. The guards across the yard do not seem to be suspicious of an old man and a boy, and a young man who casually stops to talk to them. It is obvious that this random trio could not possibly pose any type of threat whatsoever to them.
Almaj stops and stands by them, and says, “I do so apologize to you, Danut, for telling those things to you in such a haphazard fashion. Let me please carefully explain how I know so much about you... and about what an amazing miracle it is that I am even talking to you right now.
“I am from Krakow, Poland, and we... my family and I, were aware of the Barshevet family long before they launched the Zionist movement and took over Jerusalem. My father worked for the Vacuum Oil Company. He and Solomon Barshevet had many business dealings together.
“It was a close community. We were all aware of the attack on their servant girls. It was so horrible and shocking. We could not believe it. The entire community was saddened and grieved and stunned by the event. In fact, my father’s company even removed him from the Barshevet account because we were Arab. It was a sad and dreadful time.
“Then I went down to study chemistry at the University of Bucharest National School of Medicine and Pharmacy. We assumed that the servant girl’s baby boy had been sent down to one of the orphanages in Bucharest, so I did some checking around at the orphanage near the university and discovered that the baby... well, you... lived there.”
Danut looks up at Almaj with a confused look on his face. He can’t seem to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Daniel is desperately attempting to sort out the details about what Almaj is revealing, but Danut’s underdeveloped childish mind simply cannot grasp the complexity of the information.
“I have essentially been watching you grow up during most of your life,” continues Almaj. “That is why I was so shocked today when I saw you standing right in front of me. But on the other hand, I am not at all surprised to see you here... because Kemal is ruthless. He is tracking down everyone with Arab heritage, ripping them from their homes and sending them down here to Aleppo. It is terrible. People are being taken from their homes and stuffed into train cars. It is horrible, simply horrible.”
Danut shakes off the confusion in his mind and gets right back to the point at hand, and says, firmly, “That is why we must get out of here. Can you help us, or not?”
Almaj pauses and smiles, and says, “Addiv did warn me you were a feisty one. I understand the poison was your idea.
You certainly are an amazing boy, especially considering... well, I mean... oh, I am so sorry, Danut. I am so very sorry for the trouble you have been thrown into.”
Danut looks right at Almaj, and asks, directly, “Do you know how to make the poison? Do you think it will work?”
Almaj takes a deep breath and looks over at the guards, and answers, “Yes. I know exactly how to make a poison. And I can make it from things that are right here available to us in the camp. And yes, I do think it will work. I have been employed at the university medical laboratory since I graduated, so I know much about these kinds of things.
“But the difficult part will be up to you, Danut. We are going to need you and some of the other boys to get all of the supplies and ingredients for me to make the poison. And then, we are going to need you to get it into the guards’ food. It is certainly going to be a difficult endeavor, but I think it can be done.”
“I can take care of the logistics,” says Addiv. “I have a good relationship with the Bedouins and together, with them, we will be able to rally the rest of the prisoners for an escape.”
Almaj continues, “So, after the poison is ready, it will merely be a matter of getting it into the guards’ systems and having it take its sickening effect. Then hopefully, we would be able to take over the camp.”
Soon the guards order everyone to go back to their barracks for the evening, so Danut bids the men farewell and walks back to his barracks. As he sits on his bunk, he cannot stop thinking about the information Almaj has just shared with him.
Then he reaches up to loosen the scarf around his neck and is suddenly assaulted by a memory that is triggered when he feels the material in his hand. He instantly goes back in time and sees himself as Dinah standing by the bassinette and admiring her beautiful newly born baby boy. He re-experiences the desire to nurse the baby, and sees Dinah reach over and pick up a blanket to put on her shoulder.
Slowly, as if in a trance, Danut unties and removes the scarf from around his neck, and takes a good long look at it. He realizes, without question, the scarf he has been wearing his entire life is the baby blanket from the hospital recovery room. It is the blanket that Dinah picked up to wrap around her baby boy. Danut is that baby boy. Daniel has given birth to himself.
+ - + - + - +
Danut never had any reason to question his heritage. He learned early on he was Arab, like several of the other children in the orphanage. He also knew that being disconnected from parents was a normal aspect of every orphan’s life. None of the children in the entire orphanage ever knew much of anything about their father or mother. They all simply accepted the fact that they would walk around for the rest of their lives with holes in their souls where their parents were supposed to be.
But Daniel has finally been able to put together many of the pieces of his time traveling puzzle, so Danut now has an even more bizarre set of information to process. He must now deal with the knowledge that he is either the son of a crazed young Arab rapist, or the son of a murderous tyrannical Jewish dictator.
So, it is quite therapeutic for Danut to be busy planning and executing the acquisition of everything in Almaj’s recipe for ‘rat’ poison. He and Almaj meet frequently to discuss the various supplies that are needed, and from where they might be able to procure them. Many of the boys work in the mess hall, and Danut was fortunate enough to have been assigned clean up duty in the infirmary because the camp doctor is from Romania.
One day, after the evening meal, Almaj walks over to the children’s barracks to talk to the boys who work in the mess hall. “Here,” says Almaj, as he walks up to a few of them who are sitting on a bench outside the barracks.
“Here what?” asks a boy, questioning the old beat up boot in Almaj’s outstretched hand.
“Here is a way for us to talk without raising the suspicion of the guards,” explains Almaj, as he turns sideways and swings his arm behind him and then forward releasing the boot to fly about twenty feet away. Amazingly, the boot lands right side up on its sole. Almaj reaches into his pocket and pulls out a rock about the size of a walnut. With the grace of a professional bowling champion, he takes a balanced stance and swings his right arm behind him and then underhandedly tosses the rock toward the boot.
After the rock barely misses landing inside the boot, Almaj looks at the boys, and says, “Ten points if you get the rock inside the boot. Five points for the rock that lands closest to the boot. Now, go find a good tossing rock, and then give it a try.”
So, each of the boys quickly go and find a nice round tossing rock. They come back, line up and take turns tossing their rocks toward the boot. After they have all had their chance to toss, they walk up to the boot to determine who is the closest.
“That is the closest one, right there. Five points,” says Almaj. “What is your name?”
The boy picks up his rock, and answers, “Suliman.”
“Very well,” says Almaj, as he picks up the boot. “Let us see if we can give Suliman a run for his money.” Almaj tosses the boot back to where they started from, and says, “Suliman goes first, and then we all try to beat him.”
It is amazing to see how the boy’s spirits are lifted after just a few rounds of this insignificant makeshift game. As they are setting up the next round, Almaj says to Suliman, “You work in the kitchen, correct?”
“Yes,” answers Suliman, taking aim.
“We need you to steal some potatoes,” continues Almaj.
“That is what I have been doing,” says Suliman, as he lets his rock fly. “Yes! Beat that one!” he says to the boy next to him.
“These are special potatoes for a special purpose,” explains Almaj. “I need the ones that have greenish skin, and I need the ones that have begun to sprout.”
Suliman cheers the next boy’s toss and then gives Almaj a puzzled look.
“And tomato stems if you can get them,” adds Almaj. “That would also be useful.”
“The cook rejects those anyway,” says Suliman. “I will not have to steal them. They go in the garbage.”
“Then simply get them out of the garbage and bring them to me,” says Almaj.
Almaj looks over and notices Danut is not playing the game. He is merely sitting alone on the bench, so Almaj walks up and hands him his rock, and says, “Give it a try. It is fun.”
So, Danut stands up, takes the rock from Almaj and walks over to where the other boys are playing. While Danut is waiting for his turn, Almaj says to him, “Your task may be more difficult. I need you to get some rubbing alcohol. Do you know what that is?”
“Yes,” answers Danut. “The nurse at the orphanage had it in her office.”
“Good,” says Almaj, as he checks to see if any guards are looking their way. Then he reaches into his shirt and takes out a small leather boda bag, and says, “Here. Take this and tuck it into your pants.”
Danut also checks to see that no guards are looking toward them. Then he takes the boda bag from Almaj and tucks it into his pants, and says, “Like this?”
“Yes,” says Almaj, and then he adds, “One of the Bedouins gave it to us. You will be able to conceal it in your pants and then take it out to pour the alcohol into it. The doctor will notice if a bottle is missing, but he may not notice if some of its contents are gone. So, you can fill up that bag a few times and bring it to me.”
After Danut tosses the rock, Almaj says, “I hope you are a better thief than a rock tosser. You throw like an old woman.”
Danut smiles up at him, and says, “Just watch me. You will see.”
+ - + - + - +
“City dwelling drained the life out of them. They lost contact with the land. But now they are returning to it. From the dust of the earth to the dust of the earth.”
Addiv and several other prisoners were shoveling lye pellets on top of the bodies that had been dumped into a mass grave outside the camp.
“Many of these poor souls perished right here in the process of digging their own grave,” continued
Mohab, the leader of the camp’s Bedouin group. Then he looked at Addiv and nodded, and said, “We will help you, my friend. We will most assuredly help you.”
“The plan is in place and we believe you will be most helpful in organizing the people for the march into the desert,” said Addiv. “We cannot go north into Kemal’s territory and we cannot go south into Barshevet’s domain. The sea is to the west, so we must go east into the desert.”
“We know it well. Do not worry,” assured Mohab. “We will also be able to stay away from the main roads. We will blend into the land. They will not be able to find us.”
“Praise be unto Allah, and his prophets,” said Addiv.
“Shall we not refrain from our praise until we have escaped this end,” suggested Mohab, as he dumped another shovelful of lye pellets onto the bodies that were lying sprawled in the grave in front of them.
“I believe we should praise Him in the midst of our adversity,” said Addiv, piously. “It is how we make it through the valley of the shadow of death.”
“We will lead you through that valley,” said Mohab.
“Do you not believe in Allah and the prophets?” asked Addiv.
“We believe in Allah and prophets who do not kill,” answered Mohab. “Muhammad’s attack on Mecca was not in keeping with the prophets before him.”
“They were idol worshipers,” said Addiv. “And they were resisting the spread of peace through Islam.”
Mohab looked at Addiv, and said, “And I suppose that is the same reason why we are here now.”
Addiv took a deep breath and continued to shovel. Then he said, “You dishonor the Prophet.”
“I do not dishonor the Prophet. I honor every man equally,” said Mohab. “And, I reserve all of my worship for Allah alone. He alone is worthy of our worship.
“True peace is individual peace with Allah, and a community of peace with each other. Peace can never be forced upon anyone by another’s concept of peace. Submission to Allah, I believe in. Submission to others, I do not. The purity of Islam is good. The practice of Islam is not good. Muhammad may have received good information, but it did not take long for it to go bad. His family began warring with each other right after his death. Where is the peace in that, may I ask?”
Addiv thought for a moment. Then he looked down into the grave, and said, “I suppose we should ask them.”
“If we are going to utter anything at all to Allah, it should be a request for His mercy to be upon them in the Great Day of Judgment,” said Mohab.
+ - + - + - +
Fortunately, the cook is the least aggressive of all the Jewish and Turkish guards at the camp, and does not prevent Suliman in the slightest way from taking tomato stems and old green-skinned potatoes from the garbage.
The doctor, on the other hand, is not an easy prey. He keeps a strict eye on everything that goes on in the infirmary, and is not one to miss anything Danut might do to relieve the infirmary of any medical supplies. Day after day, Danut must report to Almaj that he was again unable to fill the boda bag.
“It is alright. Just keep trying,” says Almaj, encouragingly. He and Danut are sitting in the concealed area between the barracks, and Almaj is working diligently on the poison. He looks up from what he is doing with a smile on his face, and says, “The alcohol is for the end of the process anyway. For now I have plenty to keep me busy.”
He then goes back to grinding up the sprouted potato eye roots and tomato stems, and the green potato skins in a bowl that the boys were able to steal from the kitchen.
“How can potatoes be poison?” asks Danut. “We eat them all the time.”
“Because you are not a beetle or a rat,” says Almaj, looking up at him. “Are you?”
Danut looks puzzled.
“If you are small like them, it is poisonous,” explains Almaj. “That is how the plants protect themselves from being eaten by their predators. The plant makes a poison called solanine to keep the bugs and vermin away.
“My chemistry professor was a good man. He was a Christian. He said that God built all of these things into His creation to balance it all out and to keep it running perfectly. He said we have much yet to discover in nature. He was convinced that someday cures for every disease would be discovered in plants or in nature somewhere. He was a brilliant man and taught us much about this type of thing.”
“But the guards are not beetles or rats either,” points out Danut.
Almaj looks up at him and smiles, and says, “Are you so sure about that?”
Danut smiles.
“That is why I am doing this,” says Almaj, pointing to the bowl. “I am going to extract a concentrated dose of the solanine out of the plants, so we can put it into a batch of soup and give the guards one big bad stomach ache.”
“Will they die?” asks Danut.
Almaj stops grinding and looks up at Danut, and says, “Honestly, there are too many variables to answer that question for sure. I simply cannot say for certain. Some of the guards may get quite ill, and I suppose if they are not attended to, they could die.”
Almaj goes back to grinding, and quietly says, “I could make something that would kill them.”
“No,” says Danut, quietly, “We do not want to become like them.”
Almaj looks up at Danut, and agrees, “No, we certainly do not want to become like them.”
Almaj then dumps the mash of skins and stems out of the bowl into a piece of linen cloth. He wipes the bowl clean with another cloth and squeezes the juice from the mash through the linen and back into the bowl. Then Almaj reaches over and picks up a pair of spectacles, and says, “The old man gave up his vision for a while so we could cook our poison.”
Almaj positions the spectacles above the bowl in such a way that they create a focused beam of light on the mash inside the bowl. “Little by little, we are creating one big problem for the guards,” says Almaj. “You came up with a good plan, Danut. All we need is a few more green potato skins to increase the strength of the dosage, and that alcohol to further purify our troublesome potion.”
+ - + - + - +
About another week goes by with no success for Danut at relieving the cabinet in the infirmary of its precious recipe item. Danut feels as though he is failing the entire camp as he walks outside of the infirmary after yet another failed attempt to acquire the alcohol. He is dreading the thought of having to deliver the bad news to Almaj once again, when he looks up and sees Almaj staggering across the yard toward him. He takes a few more wobbly steps and then collapses in the middle of the yard in front of Danut.
“Almaj! Almaj!” cries Danut as he runs up to him.
Other prisoners and some of the boys immediately run over to help Almaj.
“What is wrong? What has happened to you?” cries Danut, but Almaj merely looks up at him and winces in pain.
Danut turns and runs back to the infirmary, and yells, “Doctor! Doctor! Come quickly!” He sees the doctor coming into the waiting room, and cries, “Doctor! A man... outside in the yard!”
The doctor looks out the doorway, and then back at Danut, and says, “Damn prisoners. Go! Get a bed ready!” Then the doctor walks out into the yard where Almaj is lying in a fetal position and grimacing in pain. Two guards also walk up to keep the situation from getting out of control.
Danut is deeply concerned about his friend, but he also knows this is a perfect opportunity for him to steal the alcohol. So, he pulls the boda bag out of his pants and runs over to the storage cabinet. He quickly grabs the alcohol bottle, unscrews the cap and carefully fills the bag. Then he caps the bag and puts it back into his pants. Quickly, he puts the cap back on the alcohol bottle and then returns it to its place in the cabinet.
Danut barely finishes preparing a bed when the guards bring Almaj into the infirmary and plop him down on it.
“Bad food,” says the doctor as he opens Almaj’s shirt and examines his distended abdomen. “Gastric lavage,” he utters as he walks over to the cabinet.
/> A flood of terror pours over Danut as the doctor opens the cabinet. He scans the shelves and stops momentarily at the alcohol bottle. But then he quickly grabs a bottle of halogenated ether from the cabinet and picks up a cloth from the counter. He takes these and walks over to Almaj.
As he is administering the anesthesia, he points to the other side of the room and orders Danut to wheel a cart over to Almaj’s bedside. Then he tells Danut to leave the room as he begins the process of pumping Almaj’s stomach.
A few hours later, Danut is ordered to report back to the infirmary. When he walks in, the doctor says, “He is well enough. Take him back to his own bed.”
As Danut helps Almaj make his way across the yard, Almaj takes a labored breath and says, “It works.”
“What?” asks Danut.
“The poison,” answers Almaj. “It works.”
“What?” says Danut, incredulously. “You took the poison?”
Almaj nods.
“Why?” asks Danut.
“I wanted to test it,” answers Almaj.
“You are a madman!” says Danut. “Why did you do that?”
“Did it work?” asks Almaj.
“Did what work?” asks Danut.
“Did you get the alcohol?” asks Almaj.
Suddenly, it occurs to Danut that Almaj must have also taken the poison to create a diversion in order for him to have an opportunity to steal the alcohol.
“You are a crazy man!” says Danut.
“So, it worked,” says Almaj. “You got the alcohol?”
“Yes. It worked,” says Danut, as he helps Almaj into the barracks and onto his bunk.
As Almaj tries to get comfortable on his bunk, he says, “That was a nice bed. I should try that again.”
“Do not dare!” says Danut.
Almaj lays his head back, and says, “They are not going to like it, Danut. I can tell you that. They are not going to like it one bit.”
+ - + - + - +
Addiv is wise enough to know some potential enemies of their plan could be found right there among their own ranks in the camp, so he makes sure the entire team keeps all of their activities highly secret. No one has discovered their secret hiding place between the barracks yet, but they know it is only a matter of time before something goes wrong and their entire escape plan is defeated.
“Many of them are weak or merely frightened to death,” says Addiv. “This is too important. We cannot risk the success of this plan on someone who might trade information for a fresh piece of bread. Our small band is enough to get this done, and then gather all of the rest of the prisoners together when it is time to escape.”
“You are overly hopeful,” says Almaj, as he puts the final touches on his poison concoction.
“No, he is not,” counters Danut. “This will work. We will escape.”
Almaj holds up a bottle of liquid, and says, “Well, this should do it. All we have to do is add this to a pot of their soup at the evening meal.”
Danut smiles.
“Are the Bedouins ready?” asks Almaj.
“Yes,” answers Addiv. “Mohab and his clan will take us east toward Persia. We cannot go north into Kemal’s territory or south into Barshevet’s clutches. The sea is to the west, so we must hope that we are warmly welcomed into the arms of Persia.
“The Bedouins know the land. Mohab has assured me they will be able to keep us off the roads to prevent us from being re-captured. And they will know where to find water and food.”
“Let us pray that the sustaining arms of Allah are with us in this exodus also,” says Almaj. “Let us pray that he bears us up on eagle’s wings and delivers us into the Promised Land.”
“Amen,” says Danut.
“Yes, amen,” says Addiv.
After a few moments, Danut looks up at Almaj, and asks, “When we get out of here, are you going back to Krakow?”
Almaj takes a moment to think about that random question, and then answers, “Yes, Danut, I believe I will, eventually. Yes, I will definitely want to go home and see what has become of my family through all of this.”
“Will you take me to my mother?” asks Danut.
Almaj and Addiv look at each other and both begin to tear up.
Almaj kneels down and looks into Danut’s eyes, and says, “Yes, Danut, my brave little friend. I will most definitely take you to your mother. I know where all of the servants lived in the Jewish District. I am certain she will be overjoyed to see you. To see what a fine boy you are, and what a great man you will be.”
“Thank you, Almaj. Thank you so so much,” says Danut. Then he wraps his arms around him, pulls him close and gives him a tight embrace.
+ - + - + - +
It is not long before Suliman reports to Almaj that the cook is preparing a large pot of vegetable beef soup for the guards’ dinner.
“Then this is it,” says Almaj. “These guards are going to experience a Passover like they never have before, only we are the ones clearing out of the Egyptian bondage.”
He then goes to his barracks to retrieve the bottle of solanine poison. When he comes back and hands it to Suliman, he says, “When the soup is cooled close to eating temperature, pour the entire contents of the bottle into it.”
Almaj then finds Addiv and Danut, and says, “It will happen tonight. You must go tell the Bedouins to be ready. We will most definitely find things quite different around here in the morning.”
As the prisoners’ are leaving the evening meal, Suliman hands the empty poison bottle to Almaj and reports that he has successfully poured all of the poison into the guards’ pot of soup. Word then spreads to the rest of the team that the plan is in place and, if all goes well, they should be ready to take over the camp in the morning.
+ - + - + - +
Danut does not sleep much that night. Just before dawn, he wakes quietly and opens his eyes. He thinks he hears voices. Not voices as much as singing. He hears singing. ‘Those crazy Bedouins are going to ruin everything. They are going to get us all killed,’ he thinks as he gets off his bunk and looks outside.
Then he is even more shocked when he sees a huge fire blazing in the middle of the yard. ‘What are they doing?’ he thinks, as he steps out into the yard. But, then his ears are filled with the most beautiful singing he has ever heard. Deep, rich and full harmonies from a choir of male voices are filling his ears. His chest seems to vibrate in time with the powerful bass tones.
As Danut walks up closer to the fire, he sees that the men who are seated around the fire are not the Bedouins. These men are much darker skinned and their hair is tightly curled close to their heads. They have robes like the Bedouins, but their robes are covered with different colors and patterns.
One of the men turns and reaches out his hand toward Danut, and says, “Dance.”
Danut does not understand what is going on, so the man gestures for him to come closer, and says, “Danut.”
‘What?’ thinks Danut. ‘How does he know my name... ’
“Danut. Danut. Wake up. It is time.”
Danut wakes up startled to see Suliman leaning over him.
“The guards are coming out,” says Suliman.
Danut sits straight up, hops off his bunk and runs over to the door. Almaj and a large group of Bedouins are gathered outside the guards’ quarters looking into the windows. Almaj motions to some of them stationed by the door, and they quickly push it open and rush inside. Soon, the guards are all ushered out into the yard by armed Bedouins. The guards are dazed and doubled over in pain. They stumble and crawl out to form a group in the middle of the yard, with the armed Bedouins circled all around them.
Danut slowly walks out into the yard. Almaj looks over his shoulder with a smile. Soon, many other prisoners are coming out of their barracks to see what is going on. The plan worked. The guards are completely incapacitated by a combination of intense gastrointestinal pain and the mental confusion that is caused by the solanine.
But suddenly, everyone
hears shots fired as a guard comes running out from behind their quarters wildly screaming and firing his rifle into the air. Everyone ducks for cover, but Almaj immediately runs over, tackles the guard and disarms him. He then begins to beat him repeatedly with the rifle, so a few of the Bedouins rush over and have to pull Almaj off the guard before he bashes the man’s brains out.
As that scene gets under control, Danut looks over and sees that another group of the Bedouins are already loading up the trucks and giving orders to all of the other prisoners in the camp. Excitement begins to swell at the thought of freedom. For the first time since he arrived at the death camp, Danut sees smiles on the faces of the people and hears the sound of hope in their voices.
He looks back at Almaj who is on his knees by the soldier, and weeping uncontrollably. As Danut walks up closer to Almaj, he is not able to determine what kind of tears he is crying. He picks up the rifle that is lying next to Almaj and starts to put his arm around his shoulder to comfort him, and says, “We did it, Almaj. We are free.”
But Danut’s arm passes right through Almaj. He tries again and again to embrace him, but once again, it is time for Daniel to leave. He is no longer a part of this particular place in time.
The entire camp around him begins to look soft and blurry. All of the sounds become hollow and distant. But then the pleasant tones of rich deep singing from the male choir begin to fill his ears again. Danut looks all around the camp and finds that the singing is the perfect accompaniment for the scenes of freedom and rejoicing and hope that now surround him.
Danut looks over and sees that the singing is coming from the guards’ quarters. He rises to his feet and walks toward the door. He looks into the room, but sees nothing. He can hear the singing coming from inside the room, but it is completely dark -- no light, no shapes, no surfaces, no nothing at all.
But Daniel realizes once again that his only option for continued existence is through that door, so he takes a deep breath and walks through it.
+ - + - + - +
“Astounding! Absolutely astounding! This is incredible! I could scarcely believe it when my men reported to me that you took over the camp and escaped by poisoning the guards!”
Almaj’s English was fluent enough to communicate to the U.S. Army officer that he agreed the notion was quite far-fetched. He then pointed to Danut and told the officer he was the boy who came up with the whole idea.
U.S. Army Colonel Edwin Mitchell, still shaking his head in disbelief, said, “Well, this one will most certainly go down in the history books. This is an incredible act of bravery and courage. You all certainly do have much to be proud of... and much to be thankful for. I’ll tell you.”
“Will we be going soon?” asked Danut.
“What did he say?” asked Colonel Mitchell.
Almaj looked at him, and said, “We are hoping you may help us to get back to Krakow, Poland. My family is from there, and I think they might be... or they might be trying to... ”
“Yes, yes, of course,” interrupted Colonel Mitchell. “We are way ahead of you. There are several of you who will be taken back to your homes in Europe. And many more who have asked for emigration to the U.S. to make a new start there.” Then he laughed, and added, “And the Bedouins... well, they are completely content with simply walking back out into the desert. Yes, it is the least we can do considering what you all must have gone through. We will do what we can to get everyone back home, wherever in the world that might be.”
It was not long before Almaj and Danut were on a U.S. Army train headed back to Krakow. Compared to bouncing around in a boxcar full of terrified people during the last time Danut was traveling by train, this trip seemed like a luxury tour. This time he could not stop looking out the window at all the interesting sights as they traveled through Anatolia and back up to Poland. Many of the larger cities were scarred from the bombings, but the smaller towns and villages seemed to have survived unscathed.
Danut was easily able to imagine himself living happily and peacefully in any one of them. He wondered if that was what he might find when he finally returned home to the place where he was born. He closed his eyes for a few moments, and also wondered, ‘Will my mother be there? Will she be alive? Will she remember me?’
None of the major campaigns were waged as far north as Krakow. The Barshevet machine was completely content to say goodbye to that city and hello to Zion. And all of Kemal’s efforts were focused on fortifying Anatolia. So, most of the damage to the city was done toward the end and after the war, as if the city was responsible for rearing a mass murderer. The Jewish District was decimated, and several of the factories were burned down -- all done like feeble attempts at pulling out nasty weeds and hoping they would never grow back again.
Almaj’s family did not live too far from the train station, so he and Danut got off the train and started walking down the street.
“I have always loved this train station,” said Almaj. “When I was about your age, I would come here and imagine myself traveling all over the world. That is another reason why I decided to attend university in Romania. I wanted to broaden my horizons and see different lands.”
Danut looked up at him, and asked, “Was Aleppo on your list of places to see?”
Almaj shook his head and chuckled, and answered, “No, it was not. And now, after what we have been through, I know it never will be.”
The woman on the front porch stopped sweeping and stared at Almaj in disbelief as he and Danut walked toward Almaj’s home.
“Oh... Almaj,” said the woman.
As Almaj walked past the woman, he acknowledged her with a polite smile, and said, “Hello, Mrs. Stefanos.” But then he stopped talking when he looked ahead and saw the condition of his family’s house.
“Oh, Almaj, we are so... Oh... ” she said, as she dropped her broom and rushed into her house.
“This does not look good,” said Almaj as he and Danut walked up to his family home.
The front door was kicked in and laying flat on the entryway floor. Almaj and Danut walked in and saw that the house was trashed. Leaves and dirt and debris covered the floor. The furniture that remained was all tipped over and busted up. All of the curtains around the windows were pulled down, tilted and hanging half-mast from the walls.
“I suppose there is not much sense in looking around,” said Almaj, shaking his head. “The place has obviously been repeatedly looted and scraped clean of any of our family’s presence.”
Almaj stood there quietly, feeling raped and violated and stripped of every memory he had ever treasured in his heart from growing up in his family home. The once warm comfort of the living room was now crumbling like shattered ice. The hearty sustenance of the kitchen now permeated an acrid decimated waste. And the overall shelter from the cold now seemed to be an open invitation to the blowing of the wind.
“Almaj! Almaj! Oh, Almaj!” cried a young woman as she ran through the front door, immediately grabbed him and held him close to her.
Almaj held her tightly and began to cry, and said, “Oh, Selah! Selah! How can this be? Oh, praise Allah, I am so happy to see you!”
Almaj took her by the shoulders to get a better look at her, and to make sure she was actually standing right there with him. Then he smiled and cried some more, and hugged her tightly to his chest again.
Mrs. Stefanos followed Selah into the room, and said, timidly, “We hid her. They came for all of you, but we were able to hide her from them.”
Almaj looked back at Mrs. Stefanos. He knew the answer, but he asked it anyway, “Are they all gone?”
“We are so very sorry, Almaj. So very very sorry,” said Mrs. Stefanos, as she began to weep. “It was horrible... simply horrible.”
“She saved me, Almaj,” said Selah as she stepped back from their embrace. Then she rushed back to Mrs. Stefanos and embraced her and looked back at Almaj, and said, “I was not home. I was not home when they came. I was at the market... getting groceries... ”
“Please come,” interjected Mrs. Stefanos. “You look exhausted. Please come and rest and have something to eat.”
Selah reached her hand out to Danut, and Almaj looked at him, and said, “Oh, please... I am sorry. This is Danut. We were in the camp together. This is... this is... you are not going to believe this... it is a miracle. He is a miracle.”
The quick meal Mrs. Stefanos prepared for them was like a feast to Almaj and Danut. It was most definitely the best tasting food they had eaten in a long long time.
“This is delicious, Mrs. Stefanos,” said Almaj. “Thank you so very much.”
Danut also looked up from his plate and agreed with Almaj.
“He thanks you also,” interpreted Almaj. “And he also agrees that the food is delicious. We have not eaten like this in quite a long time. We are both so thankful to you for everything.” Almaj paused for a moment, and then continued, “Thank you so much for protecting and caring for my sister, Mrs. Stefanos. You are most kind. It must have been quite dangerous for you. Were you ever in danger yourselves?”
“She hid me and a few others when the soldiers came back,” said Selah.
“Yes. It was quite risky at times,” said Mrs. Stefanos. “We were searched often, but we have a storage room under the house that is impossible to detect. We were very very fortunate. Very fortunate, indeed.”
Danut continued to eat while the adults talked on and on in Polish. He caught a few words here and there, but suddenly it became quite obvious that the topic of their conversation was centered on him. Mrs. Stefanos and Selah both stared at him with astonished looks on their faces as Almaj described to them how he and Danut met in the concentration camp.
“She is still here!” said Selah, excitedly. “All of the other servants left years ago, but she is still here. I can show you.”
Almaj turned to Danut, and said, “Your mother is here. My sister says we can take you to your mother.”
Danut began to cry. He did not want to, but his body would not obey. He grabbed on to Almaj and squeezed him with all his might and sobbed convulsively.
“She works in the Garment District. We might be able to find her,” said Selah. “But some of the shifts are ending soon, so we had better hurry.”
Mrs. Stefanos bid them farewell and wished them good luck. They thanked her again and walked quickly away down the street. As they walked, Selah continued to fill Almaj in on everything that had happened during the war. Danut did not mind too much being disconnected from their conversation. His mind was more occupied by all the new sights and sounds and smells surrounding him there in the city of Krakow. He felt somewhat connected to the place, but he had no idea why.
They turned into another part of the neighborhood, and Danut could sense the darkness. Almaj and Selah stopped in front of the house. Almaj was stunned. He could not believe his eyes. The once magnificent Barshevet mansion was now reduced to a beat up battered shanty. The glory was gone -- smothered by the mire of human misery.
Almaj and Selah continued to point out different things about the house and talked briefly about them. Danut stepped a little to the side of them and wondered what the fascination might be about this dreadful place.
He started to ask Almaj about it when he felt a gentle tugging on his neck. He reached up to his scarf, and then turned around to see a woman reaching out and slowly untying it from his neck. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She knelt down and embraced Danut and began to cry.
Almaj and Selah turned around and discovered Dinah holding Danut tightly. Almaj remembered her from years ago, but now he was stunned by her beauty. It was an outward beauty that had been forged from her inner strength. He was awestruck by her.
He and Selah both began to quietly weep. They stepped back to give the reunion the sacred space it deserved.
Dinah leaned back slightly and gently tossed the scarf over her shoulder, and said, quietly, “My boy. My baby boy.”
Danut held her tight and began to cry.
After a few moments, Selah said, quietly, “Hello, Dinah.”
It took a while, but Dinah finally looked up at Selah.
“Do you remember me?” asked Selah.
Dinah shook her head silently.
“I am the delivery girl to the shop,” continued Selah. “You have signed my orders before.”
Dinah stood up slowly, still hugging Danut, and said, “Yes. I am sorry. Yes, I do remember you. Selah, correct?”
“Yes... and this is my brother, Almaj.”
“You are Arabs, correct?” asked Dinah.
“Yes,” answered Almaj.
“How did you get here?” asked Dinah. “How did you... ” Then she fell to her knees again and tightly embraced her son.
“We have much to tell you,” said Almaj, kindly. “Would you be willing to come with us, so we can tell you about Allah’s strong hand of deliverance over us?”
Dinah looked into Danut’s eyes, and said, “My baby boy. Oh, my baby boy. Hallelujah. Oh, hallelujah.”
+ - + - + - +
Almaj was deft at being a conduit of language between Dinah’s Polish and Danut’s Romanian. But often, they would both begin to speak so excitedly to each other that Almaj had to calm down their spirited discussion and call a truce between them. Laughter would then ensue as the three of them attempted to speak calmly enough to get each other back on the same page, and then continue to discover all the things they had missed over the past twelve years.
But Polish and Romanian were not the only languages that were being learned. Through the intimacy and vulnerability of sharing their stories, all three of them were also becoming more fluent in the language of love. Almaj’s first impression of Dinah grew into a great respect and admiration for the beautiful woman whom he was discovering to be so strong and sensitive and lively. And Dinah began to see in Almaj the courageous and caring man who could very well be the piece she thought might finally and permanently fill the gaping hole in her soul.
Amidst all of this, for the first time in his life Danut felt like he was a member of a real family. He cherished his long long overdue reunion with his mother. He treasured the strong bond of friendship and camaraderie he had with Almaj. And he enjoyed seeing himself as the catalyst that brought all three of them together. But most of all, he was overjoyed and deeply content and peaceful with the thought of finally being part of a family.
+ - + - + - +
Dinah found it extremely difficult to separate herself from Danut each day in the morning as she left their apartment to go to work. The fulfillment of twelve years of yearning and longing to be with him was difficult to suppress. But the smile on his face and the joy that was always pouring out of his soul eased their daily separations and fueled enough joy in her to carry her throughout the day.
Dinah’s apartment was quite small, but to Danut it was a castle. To him, the difference was profound. He finally had a home of his own. He was no longer a mere border in a facility, or an inmate in an institution, or a prisoner in a camp. He finally found his home. He finally found his place in the world. He finally found his family.
Almaj was somewhat overwhelmed by all of the processes involved with settling his family’s affairs, but he still spent as much time as possible with Dinah and Danut. He visited the re-united family frequently, and during these times of intimacy they all enjoyed the hours and hours of time they spent knitting into each other’s souls.
“He is an amazing boy,” said Almaj one night after Dinah settled Danut into bed. “I almost wish you could have seen him in the camp, like I did. As terrible as it was, it still served as the soil in which Danut’s abilities flourished. He was such a comfort to so many of us in there, and in such a variety of different ways.”
“Would you care for a cup of tea before you leave?” offered Dinah.
“Yes, I would, thank you,” answered Almaj as he followed Dinah into the kitchen. “And, it was quite astonishing how he was able to galvanize the entire effort that eventually resulted
in our freedom from the camp.”
Dinah looked at Almaj and smiled as she prepared the tea.
“I know, I know... I keep telling you that story over and over again,” said Almaj. “But it was truly amazing how he never gave up. I was ready to give up many times. It was devastating in there. No one had any hope of ever getting out of there. But he kept at it. He kept pushing toward his dream of freedom for all of us.”
Almaj then looked over at Dinah, and said, “Actually, now that I think about it, he was probably dreaming of you. It was probably you who was fueling his spirit and giving him the determination and courage to continue working toward our freedom.”
Almaj paused and thought for a moment, and then continued, “And, I must tell you that I noticed the same thing about him many years previously as I watched him growing up in the orphanage in Bucharest. The other children clearly looked to him for leadership. It was obvious he cared deeply for all of them.”
Almaj paused for a moment and found himself quite taken again with Dinah as he watched her get the teacups and saucers ready for their tea. “You are also an amazing woman, Dinah. I know what you have been through. You are a courageous... ”
“All of us had to be courageous, Almaj,” interrupted Dinah. Then she smiled slightly, and continued, “But hopefully, it may very well be that those times are now behind us.”
+ - + - + - +
“May I borrow Danut for the afternoon?” asked Almaj.
“Why?” asked Dinah, curiously.
“I need to take him to the train station,” answered Almaj.
“Why? Where are you taking him?” asked Dinah, alarmed.
“No, no, no, it is nothing like that,” smiled Almaj. “Actually, I need him to take me somewhere.”
Dinah gave Almaj a sideways glance as Danut walked in and asked what was happening.
“I need a distraction,” explained Almaj. “I simply cannot look at another piece of paper. I cannot make another phone call. I cannot talk to another... my mind is about to explode from all the details I have to take care of regarding the affairs of my family.”
Dinah nodded her head in sympathy.
“When I was a boy, I would go to the train station and dream about all the places where I could go,” said Almaj. “But, I honestly do not quite know if I can do that anymore. I think I may need Danut’s help. I do not know if I will be able to re-kindle my dormant imagination. I may need him to help me fire it up again.”
Almaj looked at Danut, and asked, “Would you like to go to the train station with me, Danut?”
“Yes!” answered Danut, enthusiastically.
Almaj looked at Dinah, and said, “You do not have to work today. Will you come with us? The old train station truly is a magical place.”
“I think I could use a little magic,” said Dinah. “Yes, that would be fun. We need a change of scenery around here.”
“Wonderful!” said Almaj.
The walk to the train station was lovely. It felt good to each of them to be walking along a different path than they normally took day in and day out.
As they walked into the station, Almaj said, “Well, Danut... where shall we go today?”
“Do we get to go anywhere?” asked Danut.
“You tell me,” answered Almaj.
Danut began to walk around the train station and look at all the travel posters displayed at various places along the walls. He stopped and stood in front of one of them and stared at it for quite a while. Up at the top of the poster were the large capital letters SPAIN. Below them was a magnificent matador taming a wild charging bull.
“I read a story about a matador,” said Danut. “I think we should go to Spain and see a bull fight.”
As Danut and Almaj began to dream about being matadors and mesmerizing ferocious bulls with their flashing red capes, Dinah continued to stroll around the train station. She enjoyed watching people as they were gathering their things together and scurrying off to catch a train, or greeting loved ones who were arriving from another train, or maybe merely noticing people like herself who were walking around watching other people.
Then, she also was captivated by a certain travel poster. She walked over to look at it. Up at the top, it read SWITZERLAND, and below that title was a gorgeous photograph of the Alps.
“We can visit Switzerland on our way to Spain,” said Almaj, as he and Danut walked up to her.
“I have never seen such beautiful mountains,” said Dinah.
“We can go there also, Mother,” said Danut.
Dinah looked at Almaj, and said, “This place truly is magical, indeed.”
+ - + - + - +
After a couple of months, Almaj was able to verify his family had all perished in a Turkish concentration camp in Syria. Dinah and Danut were invited to a small funeral service that Almaj and Selah arranged in order to pay their final respects to the other members of their family. Mrs. Stefanos had been graciously housing her beloved neighbors. She was happy to open her home for the special gathering of the few friends in the area that remained after the war.
Almaj began, “Allahu Akbar. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
“Allahu Akbar. Oh Allah, let Your peace come upon Muhammad and the family and followers of Muhammad, as you have brought peace to Ibrahim and his family. Truly, You are praiseworthy and glorious. Allah, bless Muhammad and the family and followers of Muhammad, as you have blessed Ibrahim and his family and followers. Truly, You are praiseworthy and glorious.
“Allahu Akbar. Our Lord says, ‘Call on Me, and I will answer you, and tell you great and mighty things that you do not know.’
“Oh Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those who are present among us and those who are absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. Oh Allah, whoever You keep alive, keep them alive in Islam, and whoever You cause to die, cause them to die with faith. Oh Allah, do not deprive us of the reward and do not cause us to go astray after this. Oh Allah, forgive them and have mercy on them, keep them safe and sound and forgive them, honor their rest and ease their entrance; wash them with water and snow and hail, and cleanse them of sin as a white garment is cleansed of dirt. Oh Allah, give them a home better than their home and a family better than their family. Oh Allah, admit them to Paradise and protect them from the torment of the grave and the torment of Hell-fire; make their grave spacious and fill it with light.
“Allahu Akbar.”
Almaj turned his head to his left, and said, “Peace and blessings of Allah be unto you.” He then turned his head to his right, and repeated, “Peace and blessings of Allah be unto you.”
After a short period of silence, Dinah moved close to Almaj, and said, “Thank you for inviting us to be a part of this sacred moment for you and Selah.”
“Their final judgment is in the hands of Allah,” said Almaj.
“May I offer a blessing from the Torah?” asked Dinah.
Almaj nodded.
Dinah raised her arms, and said, “The Lord bless you, and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
“Thank you, Dinah,” said Almaj as he wiped a few tears away. “That was beautiful.” And he gave her a tender embrace.
After the few other people had left, Almaj walked up to Dinah, and said, “Dinah, before you leave, I have something I want to... I have some news I would like to share with you.”
They walked into the front room and Almaj looked at her, and continued, “I have accepted a position at the university in Bucharest.”
Dinah was noticeably torn between sadness and gladness.
“It is a wonderful opportunity to continue my activities in the field of pharmaceuticals,” continued Almaj. “Selah and I will be moving down there in about a month.”
“That is very nice, Almaj,” said Dinah, noticeably tentative. “I am very happy for you.”
Almaj squirmed slightly, and
then asked, “Would you and Danut consider moving to Bucharest with us?”
Dinah was somewhat confused by the question.
“I know this is your home,” said Almaj. “But I thought you might be interested in some new surroundings. It is a beautiful city.”
“What would I do? Where would we... ” started Dinah.
“Well,” said Almaj, as he took Dinah’s hands into his, “It would certainly be easier if you were my wife.”
Dinah closed her moist eyes. She was deeply in love with Almaj, and now she knew for certain he felt the same way about her. Tears of joy spilled down her cheeks as she reached out and pulled herself closely into Almaj’s warm chest.
+ - + - + - +
The new family had been nicely settled in Bucharest for quite a while when it became time for Danut to celebrate becoming a Bar Mitzvah.
“The calendar has finally caught up with you, my Son,” said Dinah. “There is no question you were forced to be a man much too early in your life. And you have already more than proven you are a man.”
Danut always listened carefully to all of his mother’s teaching.
“So, this day will merely act as a symbol that you are a member of a much larger family,” continued Dinah. “You must be aware you are a member of the family of God. And you are now old enough to be called a Son of the Covenant that He made with us, His people.”
Danut thought for a moment, and then said, “I am a member of many families. Is God the Father of all of them?”
Dinah’s mind raced through the hallways of her past. She winced at her rape by the young Muslim men. She felt the joy and pain and sorrow for Tamara. She remembered the love she had for Judah. Finally, she closed her eyes and felt the overwhelmingly powerful love she now had for Almaj and for her beloved son.
With tears slowly dripping down her cheeks, she held Danut’s shoulders and looked into his eyes, and said, “Abraham was told that all nations would be blessed through him. And the prophet Isaiah was told that our people were to be a light unto the Gentiles. All people may enter into a covenant with God. But, in order to be a Son or Daughter of the Covenant one must choose to enter into that covenant with Him. These are the children of whom God is the Father.”
Danut looked at Dinah, and asked, “Is Almaj a Son of the Covenant?”
Dinah smiled, and said, “You are wise, my son. So very wise.” Then she nodded a few times, and continued, “Yes, Almaj and I have had many conversations about this because of our very different backgrounds. And yes, I do believe within our two different paths both of us were exposed to the truth about the One True God; and both of us have surrendered our lives to Him; and both of us have chosen to submit ourselves to Him as our Lord. Almaj and I have both entered into that everlasting covenant with the One True God.”
Dinah paused and looked again into Danut’s eyes, and said, “This day commemorates your opportunity to make that same decision, or not.”
“I choose to live for Him, Mother,” said Danut. “He is Lord. He must be Lord. There is no way He could not be Lord, Mother. I give myself to Him. I want to be one of His sheep in His pasture, like you have told me.”
Dinah pulled Danut close into her chest and held him tightly while the two of them wept on each other.
Then Dinah took a deep breath, and said, “There is one other part of this ceremony that is customary at this time.” She hesitated as if to choose her words carefully, and then said, “You are to be given a name of one of the fathers or prophets to connect you with our rich heritage.”
Danut listened carefully.
“I would like you to have the name... I would... I know this will be difficult... but I would like to give you the name... Judah.”
“What!” exclaimed Danut. “Mother! No! Why?”
“Please try to understand, Danut,” said Dinah, trying to calm him down.
“No, Mother! No! That man was a murderer! He murdered my people! I saw them with my own eyes. No!”
Almaj rushed into the room, and said, “What is wrong? What are you doing?”
Danut pulled himself back tightly into Dinah, and cried, “No, Mother, please no.”
Almaj respected the moment and patiently waited to find out what was troubling Danut.
Dinah held Danut tightly, and whispered to him, “I knew him before he was a murderer. I knew him when he was good... before he went... bad.”
She looked up at Almaj for a moment. Danut separated himself enough to look at his mother’s face.
Dinah looked back at Danut, and said, “Do not worry my son, I love you with all my heart.” She brought Danut tightly to her shoulder and cupped his head with her hand, and said, “You are strong and courageous, my son. So, you shall take the covenant name of... you are so very strong and courageous... so you shall take the name of Joshua as your covenant name.”
After a few moments, Danut separated himself from Dinah enough to look back into her eyes.
Dinah smiled warmly, and said, “You are a courageous young man, my son. So, you shall be named after a man of great courage. Always remember, my dear young man, that you are named after our great leader, Joshua. You are strong and courageous, my blessed young man.”
+ - + - + - +
“How can you dare to even look at it,” said Dinah, as Almaj gently caressed her pregnant belly. “It is shameful.”
“It is beautiful, Dinah,” said Almaj, tenderly. “It is a symbol of your great strength and courage.”
Dinah shook her head doubtfully.
Almaj traced the Arabic characters with his finger, and said, “It means war, but I think this child will be a harbinger of peace.”
“Then we shall name him, Solomon,” said Dinah, firmly.
Almaj smiled, and asked, “And, if she is a girl?”
“Then we shall name him, Ruth,” nodded Dinah.
“Him?” questioned Almaj.
Dinah flustered, “I mean him. We shall call... I mean her... her... ” Dinah giggled. “Her name will be Ruth.”
Almaj laughed, “So... you have been giving this some thought, have you.”
“Every mother does,” smiled Dinah.
“More thought to that than to your language, apparently,” said Almaj, raising an eyebrow.
“I got mixed up,” protested Dinah. “Stop judging the way I speak.”
With a grand wave of his arm, Almaj declared, “Acquitted! You are hereby pardoned from butchering every tongue known to man.”
Dinah smiled, and asked, “And those known to women?”
“Those as well,” laughed Almaj, as he gave Dinah a big hug. “But why Ruth? What is the significance of that name? Is it from your family?”
“Ruth is from one of the greatest love stories in the Ketuvim,” answered Dinah. “Only, in our case, the roles are reversed. She was a Gentile who fell in love with an Israelite named Boaz.”
“Oh,” said Almaj. “A love story, indeed.”
“It is a perfect representation of who we are, Almaj,” continued Dinah. “A joyful union of Gentile and Jew.”
“Well, I do so dearly love you, my little Jewish princess,” said Almaj.
“And I you, my dashing Arabian prince,” cooed Dinah, as she burrowed her head into Almaj’s chest.
+ - + - + - +
Dinah took her lead from all she had learned from Rebekah, and admirably established a loving, protective and orderly new home in Bucharest for all of them -- she and Almaj, Danut and Selah, and now a beautiful baby girl named, Ruth.
But their family mettle was tested once again when Ruth was nine years old and contracted the polio virus. Soon they were all wrenched in the turmoil of battling the cruel and relentless disease that was ravaging her young body.
It seemed to Dinah that many prayers were answered when Ruth came into the world. Now she did not understand why her prayers were not being heard when her family was being tormented by the threat of Ruth being taken out of the world.
“Why does He not hear us? He seems
so far away,” wept Dinah.
Almaj watched the pulsing ripples make their way back and forth across the surface of his tea as he warmed his fingertips on the cup, and said, “When I asked Him where He was, He reminded me that He asked Adam the same question.
“He could have rightly said, ‘Shame on you!’ to Adam. But I do not believe those words exist in His vocabulary. He is never shameful of His children. He loves us. His approach to us is always from a position of love.
“So instead, He said, ‘Where are you.’ And, I do not think He was referring to their location there behind the trees. I think He was helping them to see their new state -- their state of separation from Him, and its resultant adverse consequences.
“He loved that first couple, Dinah. And He loves us. He is showing us where we are. He is showing us that we are right in the palm of His hand, even though it feels to us as though we are far away from Him behind a dense forest of dark trees.”
Dinah’s tears were fully flowing as she firmly grasped Almaj’s hand.
“He knew they were going to eat the forbidden fruit. He knew it before He said, ‘Let there be light.’ He knew about the brokenness. He knew about the corruption. He knew about the suffering. He knew about the evil. And He knew all of these things were necessary to fulfill His purpose for creation. It was the only way. It was the only way we could learn to love Him freely, of our own free will. Our choice. Our faith. Our submission to His loving will for us.
“He is our Redeemer, Dinah. He will redeem it all.”
+ - + - + - +
Finally, a hopeful answer came from one of Almaj’s most greatly respected and admired professors at the university, when he told Almaj about some work being done on a polio vaccine down in the African Congo. Danut stayed home to care for his mother and Selah, while Almaj and young Ruth took the long and arduous journey down into the heart of Africa in search of a cure for her polio.