Page 3 - LEIBY

Chapter 1 3

Chapter 1

Leiby knocked impatiently on the door of his home. Thirteen
years old, tall and good looking, his blond hair, blue eyes and
well-built frame lent him the appearance of a non-Jewish
village boy. This had been a lifesaver for him on numerous
occasions during the war when he had served as a scout in the
partisan Bielski1 troops in the Polesia forests. Now that the
war was finally over, however, his features were proving to be
somewhat of a drawback. All too often, he found that his fellow
Jews viewed him with suspicion, thinking him to be a Polish or
Belorussian non-Jew, despite the cap that he was particular to
wear at all times.

Leiby now returned home after a long day at work at the
Jewish committee in Lida. There, he spent his time trying to
assist his fellow Jews who had come to the city in the hope of
finding members who had survived the war. Utterly exhausted,
he leaned on the door and strained his ears in an attempt to
hear if there was any sound coming from the other side. When
he was absolutely sure that there was complete silence in the
apartment, he opened the door cautiously and quietly, and in
one quick burst ran to the middle of the hallway and waited, all

1 Read about Leiby’s life in the forest in the previous book in the
series – Mendy, a Jewish Child in the Forest.