To America and Back
Page 48
Naitty heard about his uncle’s death in New Yourk. Effy’s father had died at home, from the Parkinson disease. Now Effy was planning to fly to U.S. to condole his mother and visit his father’s grave. He could not reach the funeral: his papa had been
very religious and his community buried the dead even in midnight, at the same day of death.
The eyes of both Effy and Naitty were wet with true tears. What can a man do against the Lord’s curse, because of Adam’s sin?
“I have prepared a closed envelope with a letter,” said Naitty suddenly, “please find a post box there, and send it for me. The stamps for outside mail are very costly here, and a letter might be on its way a month or more.”
“To whom do you write?” asked Effy.
“Read the address on the envelope,” said Naitty.
“Brooklyn Police?! Are you mad, Naitty? Oy Vey, Gott in Himmel (‘God in sky’, in Yiddish). You want to be involved in something bad?”
“Please don’t read the letter inside it. You guess about what I am writing. But rely on me, that all will turn to be on the best side… I simply inform them, that many guys had known that she was having gangsters friends. Before and after I had known her.”
“Naitty, they might reach you. Had your uncle, my papa, been alive- he would tell you like me: don’t chat and don’t tell them anything. You are mad, Naitty. Take a psychiatrist today. “
“What have you thought?” laughed Naitty, “that I’m writing here my true name? it an anonymous letter, or I’ll sign: Adam Firstetsky.”
“For what purpose, man? They have already forgotten about that case. You want to raise a skeleton from the grave? Meshugea”.
“Maybe they have caught- or will catch- somebody. I just want to point out on a few guys, that even you had not recognized, while you were standing by there, as a guard. She had told me and gave me some names, of friends and lovers. She was proud of them. High ranked actors from Broadway, and even one having an ageny in Wall Street. All bachelors, very serious they were, so she had said. But at last the relationship ended in one way or another, she said… This brings me now to think and feel … like it was really better for her to die than be alive.”
“You have a sick memory for trivialities,” said Effy.
“Maybe it is also better for your father to be now in paradise. Better than here, among the suffering humankind.”
“Don’t be a philosopher on my account now, Naitty! If you want to send a letter, do it from here. Not by me, I won’t be your hangman or shooter.”
“To send it from here – it isn’t reasonable. The stamp of Israel would make them search who and why, and so on.”
“So, don’t send anything, dear cousin. I’ve told you that before.
Let me fly from here in piece, and return safely to Israel. I will return within ten days.”
“A curse upon you- if you are late. You are my best assistant, and we succeed very much in our way.”
“So, take a rest and forget about this letter,” said Effy.
“Well, give it back.” Naitty snatched the envelope from Effy.
“The Peepshow Cellar manager was also a suspect, I heard,” said Naitty. ”But not our Humik. I have clarified that with a friend, who reads ‘Forverts’ the NY Yiddish newspaper. Well, a lot of kisses to your mother, who I love so much, and owe her much- for what she had done for me. In fact, you travel, while you have to sit Seven Days of Mourning here. O’key, God is forgiving a lot. I will say Kadish here, in Israel… ”
“Thanks a lot,” said Effy.
“And, by the way- you have to know that I am arranged with Semadar, not only engaged to her. We will make two weddings together, you with Hedwa and I with her sister. I will finance all that.You can tell all that to your mother. That’s our condolence!”
CHAPTER 48
What happened to Humik afterward we don’t know. He was assimilated in the population of the country, like some millions of Israelis, who immigrated to the Jewish historical land, driven by the enormous waves of ‘Jews reaching their Homeland’.
A ‘riddle impetus’ from which Humik sufferd, has grown along the axis of time – within many Jews, religious as well as atheists, Zionists as well as such who declare themselves Post Zionists, or even Anti Zionists. Only The Master of History can explain- ex post- such a physical and spiritual movement of people in the history of mankind. Only he (or He) would know what will come out of it at the end.
Nowadays Humik may be angry at – or ashamed of – his people or their leaders. He may be irritated by the televised or interneted top of vulcano - or center of jungle, in which he and his fellow citizens are living. But I know that he would still stay in Israel, with all his offspring and growing family. He would say what a normal Israeli or a lunatic Jew had said for thousands of years: ‘notwithstanding everything, survive’.