Page 44 - LEIBY

44 Leiby – Border Smuggler

speak. The emcee stood facing the audience and in a soft voice,
began to sing the Partisan Song, composed by Hirsch Glick.12

,ĎĞħ ěĔĢĞĘ ęĞď ĔĝĩĎ đď ĒČÿ ĘČĀ Ě ěĩģ ĔĕĜ ĎČĀ Ē
;ĎĞĔ ĞĨĘč ěĘĞĔĥĤČÿ ĠĆ ĞĜĞĩÿ Ęč ěĞĘĚĕĐ ěĞħ
,ĐĞĥ ĞĔģĜĞčĞĎĝĕđČ ĤĞĒďĜđČ ĖČĀ Ĝ ĔĞħ ěĞĚđģ
!ČĀ ď ěĞĜĩÿ Ē ĤĕĚ À ĔČĀ ĤĔ ĤĞĒďĜđČ ěČĀ Ĕ ģĨĠă Čÿ ĔĞħ'ĝ
,ĩĜĥ ěđĠĆ ďĜČÿ Ę ěĔĩÿ ħ Ēĕč ďĜČÿ ĘąěĞĚĘČÿ Ġă ęĞĜĕĤĎ ěđĠĆ
,ĩħ ĤĞĒďĜđČ ĔĕĚ ,ěĩÿ Ġă ĤĞĒďĜđČ ĔĕĚ ěČĀ ěĞĚđģ ĤĕĚ
,ĔđĘč ĤĞĒďĜđČ ěđĠĆ ġČĀ ĤĠă ĥ Čÿ ĒĕČ'ĝ ěĘČÿ ĠĆ ĞĎ đă ħ ěđČ
.ĔđĚ ĤĞĒďĜđČ ĐĤđčĆ Ď ĤĞĒďĜđČ ĔĤČĀ ď ĔĞħ ěĢČĀ ĤĠă ĥ
Never say: “The end is near
For the sun’s rays have been concealed by the storms!
The day we yearn for will yet arrive, it will come

And then the call will be heard – we are here!
From the land of the palms to the snowy shores
We will come, with our pain and our travails
And on the place where our blood pours
We will witness how the strength of our spirit prevails.
Leiby was tired, and the somber words of the song sounded to
him like a lullaby. He leaned his head on the peeling wall of the
hall and almost dropped off to sleep. But then an injured war
veteran stepped onto the stage, and despite Leiby’s half-closed
eyes, he noticed that the man’s sleeve was empty. The armless
former Soviet general lifted his empty sleeve, and his voice rang
out through the hall. “I was an army pilot, and I shot down tens
of the enemy’s aircraft,” he proclaimed. “In one of my military
operations I was wounded, and I can’t serve as pilot in the Red
Army any longer. But if the Jews of Israel will have need for a
pilot – I will be that pilot, and I demand that they call me into
service!”An emotional silence filled the hall before the audience

12 ,ŝƌƐĐŚ 'ůŝĐŬ ʹ Ă >ŝƚŚƵĂŶŝĂŶͲ:ĞǁŝƐŚ ƐŝŶŐĞƌ ĂŶĚ ƉĂƌƟƐĂŶ ǁŚŽ ĨŽƵŐŚƚ
ŝŶ ƵƌŽƉĞ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĐŽŶĚ ǁŽƌůĚ ǁĂƌ͘