Eli set a load of bricks onto a pallet, turned and wiped his brow. He stood six-two and was strong, tan and fit. His ribbed tank top carried the dust and sweat of the morning’s work. “What are you talking about?” he said as his father approached.
“Germany. Hitler. They have declared a war on Poland. I heard it on the radio. Tanks and planes have crossed our borders! They’re shelling Danzig.”
“Papa,” Eli said. “Calm down. Look up at the sky, what do you see?”
“Nothing, but…”
“Exactly. Hitler wants the free city of Danzig. It’s no secret. He’s said so for months. He whines that Germans in East Prussia are cut off from the mother country. So he’ll occupy Danzig and then he’ll tell Britain and France that he doesn’t want anything more and there’ll be a truce until the next time.”
“No, son, you’re wrong. This is not Czechoslovakia; this is not Austria. He’s not just marching in; he’s bombing Poland from the sky. According to the radio, there are hordes of troops and tanks crossing our western border.”
“Then I will keep an ear to my radio and listen for what comes next. But right now I have a load of bricks and cement that is due at our construction site near the Gate.”
* * *
The sun was setting when Eli arrived home. Though his day had been physically demanding, and though he was troubled by the political news, it always lifted his spirits to walk into his home, watch his young son bound into his arms and see his sweet wife, Esther, her apron around her waist, come out of the kitchen with a smile and a small piece of whatever she was creating for dinner. As he walked over to embrace her, she held up a finger, kissed him on the cheek and said, “Maybe you should shower before you give me one of your famous Eli bear hugs. You have half a brickyard on your shirt.” He chuckled and started for the bathroom but turned around and said, “Essie, did you hear the news?”
“About the Germans?” she said. “It was all anyone could talk about at the clinic. What do you suppose that means for us in Lublin? Will the war come here? Should we be worried?”
He shrugged. “I know my father is. He was upset when he heard it on the radio. But I think it’s just a political maneuver to annex the Polish corridor, similar to what was done with the German population in the Sudeten mountains. Hitler will go into Danzig, full guns blasting, the world will give him the Polish corridor and then there’ll be peace. Just like Austria and Czechoslovakia.”
Esther wrinkled her forehead. “Eli, those countries are now occupied by German troops. They’re hardly at peace.”
Eli shook his head. “He’ll occupy Danzig. That’s all he wants. What would he do with Poland?”
“Does he need a million troops and tanks just to capture the corridor? The radio reported that German troops were crossing from the north into the corridor, but also from the south through Silesia and Slovakia. Does he need to drop bombs on Poland? It sounds like a lot more than politics to me.”
“Nah. I doubt it. Hitler is full of bluster. He’s heavy-handed in everything he does. He’ll get his way, he always does, and then he’ll quit. Anyway, there’s nothing the Rosen family can do about it. We might as well have dinner.”
She smiled. “Beef and noodles.”
Esther’s smile was gone when Eli emerged from the shower. She was putting on her nurse’s uniform. “The Germans are bombing Warsaw,” she said in a frightened tone. “I heard it on Warsaw radio. There are planes over Lodz. Those cities are nowhere near the Polish corridor. The radio reports that the Polish army is moving to defend the west and calls have gone out to Britain and France for military assistance. I’m going to the hospital. The director has asked us all to come in. We’re making triage plans in case the war comes to Lublin.”
“Essie, you can’t leave. You have to stay with Izaak tonight. Louis called to tell me that there’s an emergency meeting at the Chachmei tonight. All of the town leaders will be there. I have to go.”
“Then you have to take Izaak with you.”
“Esther, he’s six years old.”
Esther placed her hands on her hips. “I can’t take him to the hospital, and we can’t leave him here alone. So, Papa, you have to take your son.”
* * *
Izaak and Eli walked hand in hand to the five-story, sand-colored stone structure that anchored the Jewish quarter. Covering an entire city block, the Yeshiva Chachmei of Lublin, the most important center for Torah study in the world, held the largest collection of biblical writings anywhere on earth. A half-moon crown formed an apex over the eight-columned entranceway. Gold Hebrew letters were scrolled over the doorway. A line of men had already begun to file into the building when Eli and Izaak arrived.
“Why is it called the Chachmei, Papa?”
Eli loved Izaak’s inquisitive nature. “It is the name for the yeshiva. Yeshiva Cachmei. School of the Wise Men.”
“Will I go to this yeshiva someday?”
“Maybe. You have to be at least fourteen years old, and what’s even more important, you have to memorize four hundred pages of Talmud. Only the best students from all around the world are accepted. The teachers are very choosy.”
“Did you go there, Papa?”
Eli laughed. “No, son. Your papa was not a very good bible student.”
“But you’re a real good builder, right?”
Eli hugged his son. “That’s right—you know it! Rosen and Sons built this yeshiva. Your grandpa laid the cornerstone fifteen years ago, in 1924. It took six years to build, and when it was finished in 1930, they presented Grandpa with an award. They named the entry hall after him. Now it is the most important building in Lublin, and that is why we are all meeting here tonight.”
Aaron Horowitz tapped the podium and began the discussion. “We have gathered here tonight under the darkest of clouds. The Nazis have invaded our country. We know what happened to our Jewish brothers and sisters when they occupied Vienna and Prague. If they come to Lublin, we should expect no less.”
“Aaron, they haven’t occupied Poland,” said a man dismissively. “They sent troops and bombs, but it may only be a show of force to secure Danzig and the corridor.”
“That’s foolish,” shouted a man from the back. “They’re bombing Warsaw, Lodz and Poznan. I heard it on the radio. There are panzer tanks rolling in only two hundred kilometers away from us. They could be in Warsaw in a week. Lublin as well.”
There were several grunts of approval.
“Rabbi, what should we do?”
The rabbi held up a finger. “The roads east and north are still open. I wouldn’t think it cowardice or unwise to take your families and go. Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine. Find a place in a community far away.”
“What about the Russian army? They are Hitler’s allies.”
“This is true, and we believe the Soviets have designs on Eastern Poland, but as far as I know, the roads to the Baltic countries are still open. For those who choose to stay here in Lublin, our ancestral home, we must make plans. We must hold regular meetings here in the Chachmei. This building will stand as our center for information. We don’t know what the future holds for Lublin, and maybe, God willing, the Nazis will never come this far, but we must plan for the worst.”