Page 65 - LEIBY

Chapter 7 65

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but was unable to get on a train. Eventually a train filled with
refugees pulled into the station, and Leiby got on thankfully.
The train was crammed with Jewish Polish refugees who were
on their way back home from exile in Siberia.

“Where are you traveling to?”Leiby asked one of the passengers,
a middle-aged man equipped with several suitcases and wearing
gold-framed glasses that gave him a professor-like appearance.

“To Poland,” came the answer.

“But we’re already in Poland,” Leiby replied.

“Yes,” the gentleman agreed, “Lida was part of Poland before
the war, but as decided upon in the Molotov-Ribbentrop
agreement, it has been annexed to the Byelorussian Soviet
Socialist Republic.

“And how did you succeed in escaping Russia?” Leiby inquired.

“The repatriation agreement,”17 the professor answered tersely.

“Agreement?” Leiby waved his hand skeptically

“Don’t take the agreement lightly,” the man protested.
“Sometimes one small deal, written on just a single page, can
save the lives of tens of thousands of people. The repatriation
agreement, for example. This arrangement allows all Polish
Jews to leave Russia, taking their belongings with them, and to
relocate to Poland. It’s an opportunity that may not be missed –
the last chance to break through the Soviet Iron Curtain.”

“But why does Poland agree to let the Jews cross their borders
from Russia?” Leiby queried, bemused. “And why does Russia
agree to let them leave? Both of these countries are notorious
for their hatred of the Jews.” Leiby felt sure that the agreement
held some sort of deception.

17 dŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ƌĞƉĂƚƌŝĂƟŽŶ ĂŐƌĞĞŵĞŶƚ ǁĂƐ ƐŝŐŶĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵŝĚĚůĞ ŽĨ
ƚŚĞ ǁĂƌ͕ ŝŶ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ ϭϵϰϰ͕ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ WŽůĂŶĚ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ^ŽǀŝĞƚ ZĞƉƵďůŝĐ͘
hŶĚĞƌ ƚŚŝƐ ĂŐƌĞĞŵĞŶƚ͕ ƚŚĞ :ĞǁƐ ǁŚŽ ŚĂĚ ŇĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ WŽůĂŶĚ ƚŽ ZƵƐƐŝĂ
ǁĞƌĞ ƉĞƌŵŝƩĞĚ ƚŽ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ͘ &ŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ͕ Ă ĨƵƌƚŚĞƌ ƚǁŽ ǀĞƌƐŝŽŶƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ
ĂŐƌĞĞŵĞŶƚ ǁĞƌĞ ƐŝŐŶĞĚ͕ ŝŶ ϭϵϰϱ ĂŶĚ ϭϵϰϲ͕ ĂůůŽǁŝŶŐ WŽůŝƐŚ :ĞǁƐ ƚŽ ůĞĂǀĞ
ƚŚĞ ^ŽǀŝĞƚ hŶŝŽŶ͘