Page 153 - LEIBY

Chapter 19 153

The Slovakian border had long since been the subject of dreams
for the persecuted Jews. Even during the war years it had been a
symbol of freedom, and many Polish Jews had crossed over and
been saved. From there, they had moved on to Hungary, which
was still a safe haven at the time that the Jews in Poland were
already being sent to the gas chambers. The Jewish community
leaders had succeeded in bribing the border guards to turn a
blind eye to the Jewish escapees, who had agreed on condition
that they didn’t stay on Slovakian territory, but traveled onwards
to Hungary.

Now, also, Slovakia was a hospitable destination, and various
humanitarian organizations worked in the train stations to
assist refugees arriving there. After a few endless minutes, the
guards left their room and smilingly gave their permission for
the entire group to cross over.

Pesach thanked the guards in voluble Greek. “Ya’aleh v’yavo
v’yagia… uva l’tzion goel,” and on that cheerful note, the group
of weary, oppressed Jews crossed over the border, to hope of
freedom and a better life, free of tyranny and persecution.

Pesach looked at the map in his hand and sighed. They still had
an interminably long way to go before they’d reach Bratislava
(Pressburg). Once they arrived there, he’d take his leave of the
group and return to Poland to begin the whole ordeal all over
again with an additional group of refugees, and this group
would be taken care of by local activists who’d continue on with
them to Vienna, and from there to the DP camps in Germany.

The escape route was relatively new, and it was the first time
that Pesach was attempting it with a group of this size. He
urged the fatigued refugees to walk another few kilometers to
the nearest train station, and there they scrambled to get onto a
train, which in no time at all was filled to capacity with people
and packages.

The locals nodded to them in sympathy, and Pesach appreciated
the fact that they didn’t complain, at least not out loud, at the
deluge of refugees that was swamping their country. He leaned