Page 156 - LEIBY

156 Leiby – Border Smuggler

hands folded, nattering away like an old gossiper while in the
farm more groups are waiting for me to help them leave Poland
– if that’s not golem behavior, I don’t know what is!”

“You can go,”Pesach volunteered generously.“The most difficult
part of the journey is behind us. Getting from here to Bratislava
is child’s play. I’ll continue with the group by myself.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, we’ll be fine, b’ezras Hashem,” Pesach assured him self-
confidently. “Slovakia is way more hospitable than Poland.
The trains run on a regular schedule, and not only can Jewish
refugees travel safely on them without the fear of being thrown
off in the middle of nowhere, but there is even a refugee aid
organization which provides sandwiches and drinks at the
stations. The policemen are also quite friendly and don’t poke
around too much. Their instructions are to leave refugees alone
and to just make sure that they intend to move on and not stay
in Slovakia.”

“If you’re sure, I’ll take you up on the offer,” Dovid jumped at
the chance to go back to the farm. “But Pesach, don’t forget to
have a security guard on watch at night. For a group this size, a
night guard is essential.” Dovid was a true partisan and stuck to
the partisan rules stubbornly.

“But who will ever agree to be the guard?”Pesach wondered.“At
night, everyone will just fall into bed like hibernating bears!”

In the end, a guard was found. Hershel, a robust young man, had
discarded his Polish military uniform just a few days earlier and
had joined the refugee camp. He was terrified of being caught
and put on trial as a deserter and found it hard to fall asleep
at night. The thought of being the official night watchman
appealed to him and he willingly took on the task.

Dovid took his leave from the group. He nodded in thanks to
the good-hearted hotel manager and shot a last quick glance
at the people and packages that filled every inch of space in