The Rabbi Who Tricked Stalin

by Mordechai Landsberg

Tall Aliosha pushed Natalya into the Interrogation room through the entry door. She was handchained, standing in the center, opposite to Antonov. Her eyes were covered by the black kerchief, and she could only feel Tall Aliosha’s heavy hand – embracing her from around her back, touching her and even ithching a little. She looked angrily at him and cried: “stop that, guard”. He began to press her abusively to his chest and belly. She was looking scared, and tried to push him away- now screaming: “Scoundrel, beast!”

  Antonov was seated at his chair, hardly hiding his vicious smile. He indicated his employee to remove the bandage from Natalya’s face. After doing that - Tall Aliosha had left Gepau Head alone with Natalya.

  “You are a suspect, comrade Besarobina. Have you conspired with the enemy of our Party, Leon Davidovitch Trotsky?

  “No, comrade. I only told people my opinion, that they can judge his wit by reading his speeches.”

  “But you know- that now – our communist party have the opposite opinions and practices. . . suggested by that rebelious politician?”

  “Nobody can order me - not to sympathize with comrade Trotsky. He is now in a minority in the Party, but that could change some day.”

  “Hmmm… We shall re-educate you, bitch!”

  “I don’t harm anybody if I express my appreciation of Trotsky’s political theories and thoughts. And his capability as an orator.”

  “Hahhh! This man plans to re-take command of the Red Army, to break the Bolshevik Party.” said the Investigator, emphasizing his words, “And y o u - don’t you s e e that he will cause all of us an enormous harm?”

  “I have not heard about the harm he has caused till now. I see his figure in a different way than Stalin’s men. But for that – you can’t detain me. It’s against any reasonable law.”

  “Reasonable Law? We have the law of the communist party, as dictated to us by the Soviet people, who set comrade Stalin as their head. And you say- that you have not heard about Trotsky’s plans to replace our leader, Stalin? You lie, telling me that!” He screamed the last sentence, and Natalya was scared from his further howling at her. Antonov approched her – his mouth almost pushed at her ear:

  “We know that you have contacts with him, and with his followers!”

  “That’s not true, “ she said, “I have nothing with him nor with his men”

  “We shall find your contacts!” Antonov mocked, “we shall find not only political contacts; but fucking contacts. You- bitch!”

  Antonov knocked at the internal door. Tall Aliosha came inside the room. He was standing by Natalya’s left side, threatening her even by the sight of his brutal muscled figure.

  Antonov returned to stand at Natalya’s right side.

  He touched his jacket’s pocket, and suddenly took out from there- a postcard. It had on it a blue stamp, and on it was clearly typed: ”United States of America Postage”.

  Antonov waved the post-card in the air, showing it to Natalya. A weak smile passed her lips.

  “Do you recognize that…innocent postcard?” He said again, mockingly.

  “Yes, so what?” she asked.

  Antonov indicated Tall Aliosha to take command: The guy put his palm on Natalya’s mouth. He lifted his left palm to her throat, as intending to strangle her. But his boss had pulled him by his elbow and he withdrawled from Natalya.

  “How did this letter come to you?” Antonov asked her.

  “How...how did it come to you? I have found it...in Rabbi’s Hittin’s hut.”

  “Rabbi Hittin?” asked Antonov, pretending not to know the surname of Rabbi Aaron.

  “Rabbi Aaron Hittin, who has a disabled child. I’m a social worker, dear comrade Antonov. My duty is to visit the houses of such children.”

  Antonov returned the post card to his pocket. He pointed to her on the high chair in the corner. She did not move, and he indicated Tall Aliosha to come closer to her. He said:

  “Mad woman, take your seat - there! Hadn’t you seen at what comrade Antonov hinted to you?”

  Natalya walked to the corner, where the high stool had been set.

  Tall Aliosha was holding her hips, to “help” her be seated on the “special stool”. He guided her by his leading hands- to set her ass only partially on the stool’s platform, so that it would lay on the cutting sharp edge of the stool’s right corner only, without a move.(It was a known way of “light torture” in these days).

  Natalya tried to contradict- and push him away.

  “You, beast!” she cried, “Put your hands off me!”

  She struggled to kick his legs, but he grabbed her feet, bending toward her. Antonov rushed to the stool and helped Tall Aliosha to hold her tight. The two men forced her to sit at the same position as before.

  “Why did you steal the letter, that I’m holding?” asked Antonov.

  “It came to me by mistake. Being curious, I’ve forgotten to return it!”

  “Curious! You are kidding.” said Antonov.

  Antonov now came closer to her, pulled her shirt in his left hand, near her bosom. He slapped her once by his right hand. She tried to contradict and stroke back his hand by her two chained hands, and screamed:

  “You, sadists, idiots!” she cried, looking at both man –then turning her head to their sides, “Your master, Stalin, should hear about your behavior. He surely doesn’t know what happens here. I’m sure.”

  “You woman pig!” shrieked Antonov, coming close to her again, “stop smearing everybody. Admit of your crime, and that’s all!”

  “I am a member of the Bolshevik Party,” she said, talking like a teacher to pupils, “I am a fervent communist. Why are you doing all that to me?”

  Tall Aliosha attacked her, embracing her body from behind, as he had done before. He forced her to re-climb and sit on the high chair.

  Antonov approached her there, pushing Tall Aliosha aside.

  He put the upper side of his palm under Natalya’s ass, so that she would not even try a trick of a slow move backwards, that would make her sit more comfortably. Antonov smiled wickedly towards Tall Aliosha, who was standing at his side.

  Natalya was moving a little, trying to withdraw. It had made Antonov very angry. He wanted her to suffer.

  “Madam, sit in a position that you were ordered,” he said bluntly, “or we will make you lie prostrate... Now read this.”

  He handed her the postcard that she had already recognized, and pointed toward the wall to Tall Aliosha.

  The young man put off the light in the regular electric lamp – and directed a Projector dazzling instrument straight to her eyes.

  “Please – put it off. . .” she cried, “I do not feel well. I have pains... I am pregnant. Please.”

  “Pregnant?” asked Antonov, ”Unbelievable! Very wise indeed - to claim it now!”

  But soon - Antonov let her rest, indicating Tall Aliosha to put off the light. He pulled his palm from under her ass:

  Natalya moved on the chair backwards, sighing.

  Antonov withdrew and changed places with Tall Aliosha, telling him: “take her again.”

  Tall Aliosha set her erect on his two palms, and smoothed her ass to re-reach the ‘torturing position’ on the stool’s edge.

  Natalya moaned from the pains in her belly.

  “Read that postcard loudly,” said Antonov, “You’ll forget the pain. And your belly will also listen.”

  Natalya read slowly: “To my brother...and to Esther, my sister in law- from me, Gittell - in America...”

  “From Capitalistic America: Continue here!” said Antonov, pointing close to the postcard’s ending - lines.

  “I can’t read here: The Censorship has smeared black ink…”

  She waved the postcard before her investigators’ eyes.

  Many ink stains had been there, between the ink written words.

  “Ignore it, go straight to the end of the letter!” said Antonov. Sh
e was reading now almost in a whisper:

  “My husband Mennes and myself send you many kisses. . .Gittel Wasserman Hittin.”

  “Go on!” said Antonov.

  “A Comment:” Natalya thought for a moment that by listening to the following sentence – they would end her investigation :

  “Our neighbor Leibl wrote this postcard. Leibel knows Russian...”

  “Hold!” shouted Antonov, “Why is that Leibel – mentioned here at all?”

  “How do I know? Ask the Rabbi! He should explain.”

  Natalya was still on the stool’s edge.

  Tall Aliosha was at her side, inspecting her sitting position. He saw that she was pale, and heavy perspiration covered her face. She began to scream out of pains, while her whole body was shaken.

  Both Antonov and his deputy were standing now two steps from Natalya, inspecting her moving again on the stool.

  Tall Aliosha tried to keep her body stable, and turned her back to the ‘Torture Position.’ But she swooned, falling down from the high stool to the floor. Tall Aliosha was bending to her. He slapped her twice on both cheeks- while she lying there unconscious.

  “You try to play games with us? Bitch, cholera!” he shouted.

  He kicked her in her belly and genitals - with his rough boots.

  Antonov had seen that, and told him: “enough”.

  Both Antonov and Aliosha jumped now over to Natalya, checking her body. She was breathing heavily, and they saw that blood had appeared between her legs, staining her skirt. It dropped to the floor..

  “She has warned us of her pregnancy!” recalled Antonov, “No more. Call a doctor, a nurse!”

  Aliosha rushed to the other room and shouted there something on the phone. Antonov followed him.

  Two Sanitary employees rushed into the room. They raised Natalya on a stretcher.and took her outside.

  A third sanitary employee came soon afterward - to clear any red stain from the floor, and to wash all the area with a stinking chemical disinfecter called Lysol(Lyzol, first produced in England – and copied by the Russians and others).

  Natalya waked up, and at first thought she would soon re-collapse, but a medic gave her a cup of water, and left her on a rough matresse. She had still the feeling of being in the investigation room, with its two dazzling electric reflectors. She is feeling that its beams of light penetrate into her brain, drying and burning there everything…

  She still had a terrible pain in her genital limbs and in her spinal column. The torturing pain was passing to her hands and legs and to her bare feet; then - like roasting spits penetrated her heart and womb. . .Then there came a stream of cold ice there, and she had just imagined to see again that Gepau giant, who abused her dignity and tapped her ass and had not permitted her to sit - but only allowed her to put her ‘tail’ on the corner of the rough wooden chair... But no. She was now alone...

  She had become to know, that she had lost the embryo of Elya Ruhin. Reasonably thinking, it should have caused her to be glad about that. But she could not even arrive to that simple thought, that better so, despite the physical present suffer and great pain. Her whole entity had frozen. She could not think- but mumble and whimper like a baby.

  However- Natalya’s good luck and healthy body and spirit helped her to recover within two days. ‘The Medical room’ of Gepau contained two other woman patients, and Natalya was first to leave it, after having been checked and questioned by a severe faced man with glasses, who really cared about her health. He told her with a smile: “Gepau Head Antonov’s wish is- that you’ll soon recover. You are very important to his investigations, he said.”

  CHAPTER 16