Back in his hotel room, Eitan couldn’t believe how fast this was developing. Had the government of Israel really just asked him to help play a role in freeing thousands of Jews from the Ukraine? At once, he felt the pressure of the world on his shoulders and the opportunity of a lifetime. Was this not his dream? A chance to really do something for his people, just like his grandfather.
Without thinking any further, he grabbed his iPad and sent an invitation to talk to the one person who might know exactly how he felt.
A moment later, his father’s face appeared on the screen.
“How are you, Dad?”
“Oh, Eitan, fine, I’m fine. Where are you?”
“I’m in Jerusalem. And you will never guess who I met here,” Eitan answered.
“Really? What are you doing in Jerusalem? I am just relieved you are out of Odessa. What’s happening, Eitan?”
“Dad, you are not going to believe this. And I cannot share too many details, but last night I met Yehoshua Gruber, grandson of…”
Eitan must have said a few more sentences, but his father lost concentration once he heard the name Gruber. A name he had not heard in many years. All of a sudden, a million memories, and their accompanying emotions, washed over him.
“Dad, are you there?”
“Yes, yes. Eitan. What is going on? You met Yehoshua. I remember him,” Michael said, almost in disbelief.
“He works for Israeli intelligence now at one of the highest levels. I had dinner with him last night and just had a meeting with him and some of his colleagues. He is a very serious guy here. I can’t say much about it, but he talked to me about doing something to help our people.”
“What people?” Eitan’s father asked, still contemplating the significance of the Gruber name.
“Our people. Jews. The Jews in Ukraine that are having all the trouble,” Eitan said.
“Helping in Ukraine?” What do they think you can do for the Jews of Ukraine?” Michael wondered aloud.
“I’m not allowed to go into the details. But I can tell you that Yehoshua and his team think that I can be helpful to them back in the States. I will be back in Miami in a couple of days, and then off to DC,” Eitan replied.
“So there is no danger to you, Eitan. That is great,” Michael said, feeling relieved.
“No, there is no danger. Only the specter of failing and letting all those people down.”
“Listen, Eitan. In your grandfather’s day, when we wanted to help the Jews of Europe, there was no one to talk to. No politicians would help. No one cared. The Jews had no friends who would lift a finger for our brothers and sisters burning in Europe. Thank God we have come so far. We have friends, and we have influence. This is a time to rejoice, Eitan.”
“We’ll see, Dad. I haven’t done anything yet, and you know how tough it is to deal with this Ukrainian government,” Eitan said, hoping to downplay his father’s excitement.
“Listen, Eitan, let me tell you a story my grandfather once told me.”
Eitan wished he had a dollar for every time his father started a story with that opening. Nevertheless, the stories were usually interesting, so he sat back in the desk chair in his room and humored his father.
“It was when my grandfather was a young man in Russia. The local nobleman had fallen on tough times. So he did what he often did when he needed to raise funds. He took the oldest son of the town’s rabbi as hostage and held him for ransom. He told the community they had a few weeks to raise an impossible amount of money, and if they didn’t get the money, he would never release the rabbi’s son.”
“That’s horrible, but not surprising,” Eitan said, shaking his head in dismay.
“Not surprising at all,” his father continued. “There was never a problem that could not be blamed on the Jews.”
Eitan’s father took a breath and continued. “After collecting every ruble they could possibly squeeze out of the community, the rabbi realized that they were still quite short of the full ransom. They decided to go anyway to the nobleman and offer the sum that they had collected, hoping that he would accept it. When they arrived to his home, the nobleman greeted them. Knowing he needed money, he took what was offered, and agreed to release the rabbi’s son. The rabbi thanked the nobleman profusely, and promised that his whole community would pray for the nobleman’s welfare.”
“That’s a great story I thought it was going to end up a lot differently,” Eitan said.
“Wait, Eitan, I am not finished. Upon his return, the whole village celebrated the return of the rabbi’s son. They were angry that they’d had to spend all their money, but for their rabbi’s family they were willing to do it. They had a nice celebration to welcome him home, and the situation seemed to be resolved. However, a week later, they found the body of the rabbi’s son hanging from a tree on a road just outside the village. The nobleman was happy to take their money, but he could not let the Jews have their moment of joy. Even of that the anti-Semites deprived our people.”
“That’s more the ending I expected,” Eitan said in frustration.
“Eitan, this is what makes what you are doing so incredible. You have opportunities to help our people that my father could never have dreamed of. I am so proud that you have placed yourself in such a position to do it. Go, do what you need to do. There is no choice except the right choice.”
“Thanks, Dad. I needed to hear that. Thank God for Israel. We finally have a country that can defend our people. I love you, and I am going to see you soon.”
“It’s not just Israel, Eitan. It’s people like you too. It’s all the Jews in the world. We can now deter the anti-Semites. Jewish blood isn’t as cheap as it used to be!”
“You got that right, Dad.”
“Listen, say hello to Jerusalem for me. God knows I miss being there.”
“Will do, Dad. Love you.”