The Rabbi Who Tricked Stalin Read online

A crowd of fifty people was seated in a section marked ‘for the public’, in the central ‘Hall of Justice’ in Minsk. Among them were Elya Ruhin and Aaron Hittin.

  Elya tried to be inconspicuous, sitting behind a pillar. Rabbi- without his glasses, was seated beside him, but they have not exchanged a word.

  At the front of the court, on a small old grey wooden platform, were seated three judges, sombre, dressed in Khaki. They were facing the Prosecution, represented by a known Stalinist named Bulkin, and the Defendant Natalya, who had no lawyer: at those days the ‘revlutionary law’ did not make it necessary, as everybody had known that ‘the condemned would be found guilty whatsoever’.

  Natalya was standing on a pulpit-like platform between two guards, armed with automatic rifles. The condemned and her guards were facing the Judges.

  Antonov was seated in the first row of the public, looking at the G.P.U. Prosecutor, who had been waving the postcard close to Natalya’s nose.

  “Comrade Besarobina,” he said, “Now we arrive to the most thrilling part in this court of communist justice: Can you recognize this post card?”

  “Yes. I have found it in Rabbi Aaron Hittin’s home. I was interested to see what it was. Then I’d forgotten it … somewhere. I really don’t recall where- even now…”.

  “I ask the court to call Rabbi Aaron Hittin as a witness,” said the Prosecutor Bulkin. A smile was smeared on his face. He looked toward Rabbi Aaron, who hesitated to rise from his seat.

  “Comrade Rabbi Aarin Hittin- come to testify!” roared the chief judge. The audience eyes turned to the Rabbi, who walked toward the platform, his eyes dropped to the grey cement floor. But before he began to climb - Antonov, who was seated in the first row of the audience, held him by his sleeve and whispered:

  “You have to walk to the area assigned for the: Witness.”

  Rabbi Aaron rushed to that place, and continued to look at the floor.

  “Rabbi, look straight on me,” said Bulkin, “behave like a honest man – and answer the truth: Do you know this woman? “ He pointed on Natalya, while one of the guards was approaching the Rabbi, grabbing his head and directing it to look straight ahead.

  “Yes, I recognize her. . .I think she’s the best of social workers in the country. She helped me a lot - to raise my seriously maimed kid...”

  “Do you recognize this post card?” the prosecuter waved again ‘Natalya’s postcard’. Rabbi Aaron approached the platform, and the prosecutor got closed to him, and handed him to view the card. Rabbi’s face did not look very surprised.

  “Well, this had been sent to me.. .a few months ago. I’ve read it.”

  “Have you given it to this woman?” asked prosecutor Bulkin.

  “No...But I think that she has not done any wrong to anybody by it.”

  “Enough, man!” Bulkin shouted at him, “Enough! What you think - has nothing to do with us! What matters to us is the truth, and nothing but the truth… Take him away!”

  He indicated the guard to take Rabbi back to his previous seat. The prosecutor turned to the audience in a theatrical gesture:

  “You see, comrades, how severe is this matter. We’ll discover everything. It’s a letter – not from one Soviet citizen to another. It has been sent from abroad. And we have captured it!”

  The audience applauds were heard. Bulkin addressed Natalya again.

  “Why have you stolen this from that innocent faced Rabbi?”

  “I have Trotskist friends in America.” said Natalya.

  “Oh, in America. You’ve reached the Trotskists in America?!”

  “We have used Rabbi’s address to communicate!” she ‘confessed’.

  “And who is Leibel- mentioned in the post card?”

  “It’s a code name for Lev- Leib Trotsky!”

  “Not true,” Rabbi Aron shouted from his seat. “Not true! Leibel is my sister’s neighbor in America. An ex-Russian immigrant, like my sister...”

  Tall Aliosha was seated beside Antonov on the first row. He was disguised, being dressed like an official Policeman. Now he rose from his seat, and walked out of the row. He approached poor Rabbi Aaron, who was sitting at the edge of the fifth or sixth row. He knew already that something would happen to him, because of his short testimony. . .Now the tall guy pulled him out of the place by his right hand, while his left palm was stuck to Rabbi’s lips, in order to silence him. Then the tall policeman dragged him outside the courtroom. The Judges disregarded that violenet attack of Rabbi Aaron, and continued with the judicial proceeding.

  “What message had that postcard brought?” Bulkin asked Natalya.

  “You are right to say, that it is an evidence. . . of my conspiring with Trotsky. No other explanation.”

  Natalya’s voice became weaker in her last words.

  “Raise your voice!” scorned her the Major Judge.

  “I have met with an American in the Moscow Fair, and he gave me money. I handed it to Trotsky’s supporters...”

  Aliosha and Rabbi Aaron were standing outside the court. Rabbi was looking at the tall chap, and thought about David and Goliath. But he had known he was far from being brave like young David - or God’s messenger. . .Aliosha was still grabbing his coat, by the chest.

  “You have not fulfilled your agreement with my boss, Antonov,” He scorned the Rabbi.

  “I don’t. . .remember to what I had agreed.”

  “That you will clearly state to the judges - and audience, that you . . . really don’t know who that Leibel had been. And that you think the name might have been a code… taking into account that your sister had known who Natalya was, and that Natalya would receive that nice postcard from you, Rabbi Aaron!”

  “Can you think. . .You, bandit,” Rabbi Aaron was baffled for a second from his own audacious way of talk, “that I will let such a vile lie - to spread in the Soviet court of Justice?”

  “You – keep your long tongue in your ass!” shouted on him the Gepau giant.

  “Only God is my Master, not you . . .!” shouted Rabbi Aron.

  Suddenly Aliosha attacked him badly- by boxing his belly, and kicking him in his genitals. He had used his two enormous fists for striking, and Rabbi was lying on the pavement, his beard bleeding. The tall guy pulled out chains from his trousers’ pocket. He put them on his victim’s feet, while Rabbi Aaron was still lying on the sidewalk. He tried to stand up, shouting: ”Bandit, murderer”, but the Tall rushed back inside the court. He silently walked again in the first row of audience, bending a little- so as not to disturb the crowd from watching clearly what would happen on the ‘Show’s stage’, or the Court’s Platform.

  Tall Aliosha whispered something to Antonov, who told him he could return to his injured victim, Rabbi Aaron: There was no need of teaching “the Gepau Lesson.” to an additional witness.

  Rabbi Aaron was still panting at the sidewalk. His moans and poor sight disturbed three young passengers. They saw he was a Jew, and understood that he had been hit by somebody. As bandits always behave- they automatically added him blows. They cursed him, pulled him by his beard, removed his cap and kicked him by his ass. However, in that moment Tall Aliosha had returned. He shouted from far: “Enough, he is under my control!”

  His policeman uniform – helped in driving the gang away.

  Aliosha grabbed Rabbi Aaron by the elbow and raised him up. He had begun slowly walking with him along two streets, till he brought him home.

  When he departed from Rabbi Aaron, Aliosha took his hand in his –as a gesture of sympathy. He told Rabbi Aaron in a whisper: “I’m a Yevrey (Jew) too. Nobody know that, as my late papa was a pravoslav monk, so told me my Jewish mama. You- don’t talk about that. I must obey orders.”

  Meanwhile comrade Sverdlov was still facing Natalya in the ‘trial’.

  “You- dirty woman!” he shouted, “You’ve betrayed our party, our leaders - and the Soviet State.”.


  “I am very sorry for that. You’ve helpe me to understand that. . I ask your mercy, honorable Judges. I am young – and I’ve made terrible mistakes!”

  Noisy applauds - claps and whistles- came from the audience.

  The two judges, who were seated beside the Major Judge, were turning their heads toward him. They all whispered to each other –

  Then looked at the one page ‘prepared verdict’, that they were ordered to issue. But they were not alone: Loud voices were heard from the audience in the courtroom, of various professional shouters:

  “Death to the traitor! Shoot her!”

  “No, better is life-prison for her!”

  The Major Judge rose up, turning pompously to his two young colleagues, and to the audience.

  “Comrades and citizens, “ he said, “This is the Soviet People Court decision – unanimously: According to the witnesses that have been brought to us, and based on the suspect’s self admission - the suspect is guilty!”

  Applauds were heard again, including of the judges’ themselves. Antonov raises his hand, stood up and hushed the shouters.

  “Our Verdict:” declared the Chief Judge, “a punishment of three years in Gepau ‘Education Camp’ in Siberia! Guards, take out the prisoner!”

  The guards were pushing Natalya out of the court. Elya was sneaking aside, telling himself: ‘It seems like Antonov had mercy on her. Gepau should be acting ruthless, but...this time he was quite generous.’

  Next day Natalya was on her way to Siberia. She would become acquainted to view the long railway path, on which the Trans–Siberian train travelled along green fields and forests. It was not yet winter, and the snow would only surf on the air for a while and soon melt down.

  CHAPTER 18