It was one thing for Rabbi Groh to agree to terms with Mr. Peled. What rabbi could debate his reasoning? Besides, there was nothing he was more passionate about than the survival of the Jewish people or the future of the Jewish state in Palestine. Of course he was intrigued by the opportunities. Though morbid, he wanted to see the remnants of Hitler’s inferno. He wanted to meet the survivors and hear their stories, whatever they were able to share. And he desperately wanted to set foot in the Holy Land, an experience he had dreamed about since childhood. This trip would provide everything he needed, and it included a role for him to play as well. That is exactly what he told his family and his president just hours after meeting with Mr. Peled.
The rabbi told them both the same thing, “This is an opportunity I could only have dreamed of. The Haganah have heard through the grapevine how passionate I am about our people’s future. How do you say no to them? How could I tell them I don’t want to help?”
Both the rabbi’s wife and the president knew opposition was pointless. They had both listened to his fiery sermons about Palestine for the last five years. Of course the president was worried about who would run the synagogue and how long this trip would last. The rabbi’s wife also worried about the length of the trip, but she was more concerned about his safety and his job security. But after a couple of conversations, they both resigned themselves to the fact that there was no stopping him from fulfilling this dream of helping his people in need.
Sitting on his patio late at night, Rabbi Groh had one last conversation with his wife. This time she didn’t question whether he should or should not go. But she wondered how anyone could be asked to counsel such a traumatized group of survivors. It simply wasn’t plausible to her that a rabbi from the States could relate to what had happened to these people.
“What would you even say to them, Sam?”
“I guess I won’t really know until I see them. But Peled says they all speak Yiddish. He said on past missions there were many moments of terror. Nightmares, hallucinations. And these people need someone to hold them, or sit next to them, or listen to them. And they can’t really comfort each other. They are too damaged emotionally to help. You know they all lost their entire families. Their whole communities. Everything they ever knew or had is gone. The truth is they don’t really need my words, they will need my presence. My empathy. My willingness to be there for them. You know, just like I do here when someone loses a loved one. There never are the right words. Maybe just the right feels.”
“Well, Rabbi, for years you have been telling us all how we need to do something for our people. I am glad you are getting your shot,” she said as she rose from her chair and kissed him gently on his gradually receding hairline.