FÖHRENWALD DP CAMP
AMERICAN ZONE
MAY 1947
By the time warm weather arrived in Bavaria and daylight lingered a little longer, Eli was able to find more time to spend with Izaak, who was once again back on the football field. Or, as he would remind Eli, the soccer field. With Adinah on the sidelines, Izzie’s cheering section had doubled. The Föhrenwald tuberculosis contagion had slowed considerably, and there had been no new cases reported in the past four weeks.
Eli continued to check on the status of his visa applications, but without a sponsor or a relative in the United States, prospects were limited, and he was constrained to consider other options. There was hope that Jewish immigration into British Mandatory Palestine, blocked by Britain’s 1939 White Paper, would soon be opened. Three months ago, Britain had announced its intention to terminate its Palestine mandate and leave the future of the region up to the United Nations. Just last week, the UN had formed a special committee to study the situation, prepare a report and make a recommendation. The newspapers reported a strong possibility that the region would be partitioned into two separate states, one for Arabs and one for a Jewish homeland. People in Föhrenwald regarded the news as a breakthrough, a reason to rejoice, and it was cause for a celebration party at the assembly hall.
The party was well attended, and Adinah, by popular demand, led the residents in song. Eli smiled as they danced and sang, ate and drank, stood by the refreshment table loudly debating politics and breathed the free mountain air. They were reconstructing their community, reestablishing their identity. For people who had lived in a state of dependency for so long, true liberation was on the horizon. There was a palpable joy in the hall that night.
Eli, Adinah and Izaak walked home under a clear mountain sky, ablaze with billions of stars. Izaak and Adinah held hands until Izaak stopped, pointed straight up and stated proudly, “There. Look there—that’s the Big Dipper. It points to the North Star, the bright one.”
Adinah smiled lovingly. “You know what Jiminy Cricket says…”
Izaak squeezed her hand, shut his eyes tight and made a silent wish. He turned to Adinah, who held her finger to her lips. “Don’t tell me, or it won’t come true.”
Later that night, after a very tired Izaak had gone to bed, Adinah and Eli shared a small carafe of wine. In many ways, the establishment of UNSCOP and hope for a divided Palestine was a harbinger of high tide. Would it raise all ships? Would other countries now open their immigration doors to Jewish refugees? The newspapers reported vigorous debates in both chambers of the U.S. Congress.
Adinah took a sip of wine and mused. “If the UN General Assembly approves, would you move to the new state of Israel, Eli? They say it will be a Jewish state.”
“The U.S. would be my first choice,” Eli answered. “Izzie has been dreaming of the U.S. since the time we were on the run, before we were sent to Buchenwald, but it’s so hard to get in there. If we can’t get a U.S. visa and Israel becomes a state, I would surely consider it. How about you, Adinah? What would you do?”
The joy slipped from Adinah’s face. She looked away.
“What’s the matter?” Eli asked.
She shook her head.
“What?” Eli said again.
When she turned around, her eyes were wet. “You just asked me where would I go?”
“Yes, did I say something wrong?”
She shook her head, took her wineglass and walked to the sink. “No. Nothing wrong.”
Eli clenched his teeth. He had blundered. “Adinah, wait. Please sit down. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean…”
“What do I prefer? Where would I go? You and Izzie are all I have. Maybe I am foolish, but I think of you as my family. You said…”
He put his arm around her. “You are not foolish. You are family. I told you before, and I meant it, you can stay with us as long as you like. As long as you live. Wherever we go, we’ll all go together. I was asking about your preference. I didn’t mean to exclude you or to imply that we wouldn’t go altogether as a family.”
She slowly shook her head. “I know that Esther might come back, that she is Izzie’s mother and she is your wife. But I still want to be in your lives no matter where you go. Won’t there be room for me? You ask for my preference. It is to be with my family wherever you go.”
“Wherever we go! You are part of our family. When Esther comes back, if Esther comes back, there will always be a place for you, and she will love you as much as we do.”
Adinah bowed her head and wiped away a tear.
“My wife has been missing from my life for five years, and I don’t kid myself; maybe I will never see her again. But until I know … I think about her every day.”
Adinah softly covered Eli’s hand with hers. “And you should. Has the Central Tracing Bureau found out anything?”
“I’ve called Ann Stewart each month since my visit, but they’ve received no response to inquiries they’ve sent. None of the hospitals reported any knowledge of Esther Rosen. It’s a bad sign; I know. But I still hold out hope.”
“And I hope, too.”