Page 82 - LEIBY

82 Leiby – Border Smuggler

“Actually, I was planning to sleep on a bench in the station,”
Leiby admitted.

“I’d love to invite you to my home, but it’s not so simple… In
the Soviet Union it’s illegal to invite guests.” Berele thought a
moment, then added, “But you can sleep here on the couch, I’ve
done that before when I was inundated with too much work.”
He pointed to the dark leather couch in the corner of the room.

Berele handed Leiby a slice of white bread spread with jam.

“You’ve done well for yourself,” Leiby observed.

Berele smiled. “And what about you, boy? What are your plans
for the future?”

“I want to get to Eretz Yisrael, and to take another few Jews
with me, too,” Leiby replied.

Berele looked at him in derision. “It’s impossible to get to Eretz
Yisrael, it’s just a fantasy. People like you just take other Jews to
DP camps and then they’re stuck there, with nothing to do and
nothing to live for.”

His words irritated Leiby. “It’s not true! Anyone who really
wants to will succeed in getting there. The Americans and the
British won’t be able to handle so many displaced Jews and
won’t be willing to feed them all. The British will be forced to
open the borders of Eretz Yisrael to refugees.”

“And that will be even worse,” Berele argued hotly. “Eretz
Yisrael is surrounded on all sides by millions of Arabs who will
slaughter all the Jews, one by one. Don’t you think we’ve been
through enough?”

“My father always told us that one day all the countries of the
world will banish the Jews and then we’ll all have to go up to
Eretz Yisrael,” Leiby declared. “I think that day has arrived.
We’re being driven out from everywhere, there’s no place in the
world that wants us.”

“We’re wanted here,” Berele shrugged.

“What?”Leiby was astounded.“Here? But the Jews are suffering