Authors: Helen Sendyk

Tags: #Biography & Autobiography, #Historical, #History, #Holocaust, #test

The End of Days (18 page)

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never have believed that there would be so much snow in the world; surely now it is finished.''

No sooner had Gittel finished speaking when a fresh snow started falling, the flakes soft and large as stars falling out of the sky.

"Not again," she groaned. "God in heaven, have some mercy on us!"

She was expecting the baby to come soon and was hoping for a way to be brought to the hospital in Omsk. With new snow falling, even the combination nurse-doctor-midwife who usually visited the camp would not come. She would be left alone to bring a child into the world, with only other women inmates to help.

Prompted by Gittel's predicament, Heshek volunteered to go to Omsk with the next contingent in the hope of summoning some professional help from town. With dawn the group of travelers rose, bundled up with whatever was available, tied themselves into a caravan, and set off.

The leader of the snow caravan was a young fellow who had made the trek twice before. A lantern in his hand, he led them through deep snow and howling winds. The piling snow began to form drifts on their brows and mustaches. Their breath froze in midair. When someone slowed down to rest, the others would tug at the rope because stopping was dangerous; one's extremities could get frozen off' if he remained inactive.

When they finally reached town Heshek directed himself immediately to the
shochet's
house, having obtained the address from Reb Moishe. The
shochet
, the ritual slaughterer of animals for kosher meat, could only provide a promise that if the newborn was a boy, then he, a
mohel
(circumciser) as well, would come to perform the ritual circumcision, entering the newborn into the covenant of the Patriarch Abraham.

The next day, as Heshek went to collect his bread rations, he saw through steam-filled eyes a woman standing in line in front of the counter. He could not guess her age, for she was bundled up in several layers of skirts and shawls. Even her head was swaddled with a heavy woolen shawl, from which

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a few locks of brown hair escaped. He could not see her eyes because of the steam, but there was definitely something familiar about her face. He was amused that he could imagine one of his family or friends in this remote part of the world. He caught glimpses of her face as she turned towards him. Suddenly it was clear, and a deep, choked moan escaped his throat. "Cesia!" he called out. "Cesia!"

Startled, she left her place in line and approached him, her eyes straining, trying to identify the man who had called her name. As soon as he pulled the rags off his face, she, too, was dumbfounded.

Positive that it was indeed Heshek, she threw her arms around him, burying her face against his chest and weeping uncontrollably. She clung to him like a hurt child, as Heshek contemplated the miracle that God had performed for him. He kept pronouncing her name, pressing her face to his heart with awe and disbelief.

For a while they stood motionless, unaware of the people around them, who were staring and whispering.

"Who are they?"

"Maybe a brother and sister who just found each other, or maybe a husband and wife who were lost from each other."

"Heshek ... Where ... ? How ... ?" Cesia whispered. She could not form the questions that pressed her so urgently.

He led her to a bench in the corner. "I know what you want to know," Heshek began. "I also want to know how you got here. But all this must wait. The most important issue at hand now is to get you to my camp."

She told him how she came to Omsk with a contingent from her own work camp to pick up food. She told him in which direction her camp lay, how far away it was, and who the commandant was. She held his hand for a long while, unable to part from him and wanting to hear again his promise to come for her. Then she had to leave. He stood and watched her slowly disappear, melting into the white vastness.

The next day his team was ready to return to camp. He now trotted energetically, driven by his new purpose, and immediately upon arrival he went to see the commandant.

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"I need a pass to visit the town of Tomsk," he stated with urgency.

"And what kind of speculating are you going to do in Tomsk?" the commandant asked distrustfully.

"I would like to bring home with me a woman to marry," Heshek answered with determination.

The commandant laughed heartily. "That seems to be a good reason. You come tomorrow and we will talk about it."

Eager to hear what news Heshek brought, Reb Moishe waited for him outside the barracks.

"Were you able to contact the hospital, Heshek?"

"Unfortunately, there is no way to bring Gittel to Omsk, or a nurse to us, But there is still good news," Heshek added. "The town's
shochet
is also a
mohel
, and he promised to perform a
bris
(circumcision ceremony) if the baby is a boy.

Reb Moishe kept calm and collected. "We are in God's hands, and he will help us. May he grant us a healthy child, girl or boy, who will grow up in a world free of this bondage, and who will experience the full redemption."

Relieved that his failure to help Gittel was taken in stride, Heshek continued to talk. "I have more good news to tell you, concerning myself."

"We all need good news badly. Come, Heshek, sit down and tell me about it."

Finally able to relax, Heshek sat down next to Reb Moishe. "I had the most marvelous encounter today," Heshek said, beaming. "In fact, I can hardly believe that it is true. I met a friend, a girlfriend, the girl I'm going to marry soon."

"Heshek!" Reb Moishe exclaimed. "You seem so sure. How can you know you are going to marry a girl whom you just met?"

"Rest assured, Reb Moishe. It is not just a girl. This is the girl I have loved since I worked as an accountant in Bielsko before the war. That is where I first met Cesia. She, just like myself, came to the big city to work. She and her sister Mania lived in a modest apartment, saving part of their salary to send home to their parents. I liked Cesia from the day I met her. If it weren't for this horrible war, we surely would have been

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married by now. When the war broke out and we each had to go home, my heart was broken. The future was so uncertain that I lived in constant dread of losing Cesia forever.

"My arrival in Siberia destroyed the last shred of hope I had of ever seeing her. And yet, there I was, coming into the bakery at Omsk to pick up bread rations, and she is standing at the counter! I could not believe my eyes. I was sure it was a hallucination, a snow-crazed dream. Only when she threw her arms around me did I know she was real. I am reborn, Reb Moishe! I believe now that I was sent here for a purpose, that the Almighty is watching over me and steering me in the right path. Now I will survive, for I have my beloved Cesia."

Reb Moishe was still confused. "What do you mean you have her? So where is she? I don't see that you brought anybody with you."

"Oh, don't worry, Reb Moishe. I have already requested permission from the commandant to bring her here to our camp. I do not see any reason why he should deny me this small privilege. After all, what difference does it make to the Russians which camp Cesia is in. She is now in a work camp near Tomsk. Tomorrow I am to speak to the commandant again and fill out applications for her transfer."

Now Reb Moishe became cheerful. "So let it be with
mazal!
[good luck]. You should marry by the Law of Moses and Israel and build a faithful house in Israel. You should know freedom soon, and we should all be set free from this bondage."

Heshek did not sleep much that night. His mind kept churning like a whirlwind. He thought about Cesia, the miracle of finding her, the tragedy of their life, how she had looked so much older bundled up the way she was. Even though he never had the chance to tell her, with the war catching them by surprise, he had meant to declare his intention to marry her in Bielsko.

And now what? Which family members, which guests were available to dance at their wedding? Then again, his thoughts returned to Cesia and how he was grateful for this second chance to share his life with her. He feverishly planned all the

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details involved in bringing Cesia to his camp, where they could be married.

Early the next morning he presented himself to the commandant. He spent several hours there, his spirits soaring and plummeting with the commandant's various questions and comments. He filled out papers, applications, and declarations, unsure if these would help or hurt him.

Russian promises, like Siberian winters, take their time. As Heshek waited, he resumed his work with renewed effort and determination. The snowstorms slowly subsided, and soon even the snow on the ground began to melt. Heshek tried to spruce up his living quarters for Cesia's eventual arrival. He built another cot, and collected fresh straw to soften up its rough wooden planks.

Five weeks passed. Heshek's optimism was dwindling. When Reb Moishe's daughter Shprintza came running towards him in the woods at midday, he could only think of an emergency involving Gittel. He couldn't imagine why the girl ran up to him instead of to her father, who was working nearby.

"Come! You have a visitor," she called out breathlessly.

He ran back to camp with Shprintza. His heart stood still for a moment, for there, in front of the supply wagon, stood Cesia, with a bundle at her feet. Heshek approached, and she threw her arms around him. He led her to his room in the barracks. Hardly able to restrain himself, he closed the door, yearning to greet her alone in his own room.

Just then they heard a piercing groan from nearby. Gittel was screaming for help. Heshek dispatched Shprintza to summon some of the experienced womenfolk, while Cesia rolled up her sleeves to help. Heshek was in a daze. He went out to sit on the barracks stoop, not believing what had happened to his long-awaited moment of bliss with Cesia.

Women were flying past Heshek carrying bed sheets, towels, rags, and pails of hot water. Stewing in frustration, the neglected Heshek prayed for Gittel's easy and speedy delivery. Finally a baby's cry was heard. Cesia stood in the doorway, proudly announcing the birth of a boy. Heshek then swept the

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brown-haired midwife off her feet and carried her into his room.

"This sure is cause enough to celebrate, but we have as much to celebrate ourselves."

She embraced him and whispered, "Yes, it is a good sign for us. A new life has come into the world, and a new life is beginning for us too."

"You will be my wife," he said.

"I am so happy," she whispered in response.

The
shochet
who was also a
mohel
came from Omsk to perform the circumcision. "It was sure worth my trip," he said when immediately after the
bris
he performed a marriage ceremony. In the presence of proper witnesses, Heshek placed a plain metal ring on Cesia's finger, pronouncing the ancient vow, "With this ring I thee wed, according to the Law of Moses and Israel."

They were all just beginning to settle in when the announcement came: Hitler had marched his armies into Russian-occupied Poland. The Polish general Anders, under the auspices of the Polish government in exile in London, was forming an army. They would fight on the Russian side to free Poland from the Germans. All Polish citizens were free to join the army of General Anders. Many of the non-Jewish Poles in camp joined immediately.

But when Jewish Poles wanted to enlist, the old anti-Semitism raised its head. Even in Siberia the slogans echoed: "Who needs you Jews? Jews, go to Palestine."

The work camp was instantly dissolved. Like many others, Heshek and Cesia walked together as far as they could until they reached a small village, where they managed to rent a room and find jobs. They had lost touch with the Spitz family and were entirely on their own. Having mastered the Russian language, it was easier for Heshek to get work than for others, yet working did not guarantee their survival. Heshek's market trading was limited in their small village, so Cesia helped out by sewing and selling her handiwork. Sanitary conditions were abysmal and lice became a major problem. The lack of

The great synagogue in Chrzanow.

The site of the Stapler family shop as it looked in 1988.

The author's mother and father, at the time of their engagement in 1908.

The author's grandmother, Chaya, with
her children: Standing in the rear are Surcia (the
author's mother) and her brother Nachmann;
in the front are Abraham and Esther.