Read/Download PDF Chapter 10 Part 2
Read/Download PDF Chapter 10 Part 2 in PDF Pages – as published in Jewish IMAGE Magazine To read chapter 10 Part 2 click the link below He_hath_not_let_me_die_chapter_10_Part_2
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Chapter 10 Part 2 – From Arkhangelsk to Kutaisi
From Arkhangelsk to Kutaisi
“Who knows the tears that have yet to be shed, the storms that have yet to strike?”
“”Mishut ba-Merhakim” (Back from the Distance)
H.N. Bialik
After a nerve-wracking two days, they told us to re-board the train, where we sat for a long time before it began its journey. It moved very slowly, crawling along like a snail. The Frenchman looked at me and explained: “The train’s speed has been limited in order to make sure that the newly repaired track can bear the weight.”
After several long minutes of traveling at a snail’s pace, the engine began to belch steam, gathered momentum and proceeded to move faster. We all breathed a sigh of relief. This leg of the trip lasted a long time, taking all night. Toward morning, the train stopped at a station, where we saw soldiers and some civilians. Around the station were a few houses with smoking chimneys, another small enclave of civilization in a godforsaken place. Several travelers got off to fill their vessels with water, as did the Frenchman. We knew that besides water, he would gather updated information about the place, about the direction in which we were going and—most importantly—about the situation on the war front.
Chapter 9 – In the Forest and Hallows of the Earth
In the Forest and Hallows of the Earth
“And they shall come into the caves of the rocks and into the hallows of the earth.”
Isaiah 2:19
As we wandered, many thoughts raced through our heads during the endless walking. One thought that never left us was where to sleep at night.
We felt lonely and exposed in the open air, walking for an entire day with short breaks to rest and stretch our limbs. Apparently we were in a hostile area under German control, deep in unfamiliar Russian territory and far from population centers. Ita said we were going towards the forests, where, according to rumor, many Jews were hiding.
Evening descended and darkness began to reign. The forest, our destination for that day, seemed very far away, literally on the horizon.
As usual, we walked on side paths rather than on the main road. Whenever a vehicle appeared on the road, we were careful to hide in order to avoid being discovered. Now, under the cover of darkness it was easier to make progress.
“We should rest a bit and then continue walking. We’ve avoided being detected by the Germans until now, and we must not be caught by them. If we continue we can still get to the forest tonight,” said Ita, spreading a blanket on the ground. We all fell on it, exhausted and drained. I fell asleep instantly.
Chapter 08 – Minsk – Parting from Father
Minsk – Parting from Father
“Take me under your wing and be unto me mother and sister.”
H.N. Bialik
None of us knew that the attack on June 22, 1941 was the result of a plan meticulously prepared by the Germans in utmost secrecy and the start of the Nazis’ Operation Barbarossa. The German attack took the Red Army and the Soviet authorities by surprise, almost totally obliterating the Russian air force in a lightning strike. Many planes were destroyed on the ground. Entire corps of the Red Army were surrounded and wiped out, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers fell into German captivity. Many Jews who had managed to escape eastward at the beginning of the war, and had found haven under the protection of the Red Army, were trapped in the line of German tanks rolling toward the east. As a result, they found themselves under German occupation again.
About three million Wehrmacht (German armed forces from 1935-1945) soldiers and their allies took part in this battle. They were grouped into 190 divisions and opened attack along a 2,900 kilometer (1,800 mile) border. Among them were SS forces whose fanatical devotion to Nazi ideology was manifested in the mass slaughter of captives and civilians, particularly Jews.
Chapter 10 – From Arkhangelsk to Kutaisi
From Arkhangelsk to Kutaisi
“Who knows the tears that have yet to be shed, the storms that have yet to strike?”
“”Mishut ba-Merhakim” (Back from the Distance)
Our stay in Arkhangelsk was, as mentioned, not easy. I varied the daily routine by means of all sorts of activities with my sisters and other boys whom I met. I have already described Ita’s role, but I must reiterate and emphasize that in our long stay in this godforsaken location, she truly outdid herself and inspired admiration. She continued to be both mother and sister to us, and none of us questioned her position. She took us under her wing and, in this freezing cold, showered us with her love
and warmth.
Throughout the time we lived here, the trains never ceased arriving, bringing with them a stream of refugees, with news and updates. From them we heard about the concentration camps and the mass murders carried out by the Nazis. We had known about the atrocities and had even witnessed some ourselves, but not one of us could have guessed the extent of the slaughter in these camps. Later we learned that in Treblinka itself, the Nazis had cremated 900,000 Jews! The human mind cannot fathom such numbers.
Despite the change on the battlefield in winter 1942, which signaled the end of Germany’s victories and rapid advance, the Nazi extermination machinery continued to operate at full steam in the occupied areas, as we later heard.