The Rabbi Who Tricked Stalin

by Mordechai Landsberg

Next day a telephone ring was heard in the staff restaurant, while Pavlov and Aliosha were having their breakfast.

  A nurse hanged on and called: “Aliosha Rubashkin, for you.”

  The tall chap walked toward the apparatus. From the ear-phone was heard Antonov’s calm, even cheerfull voice:

  “Hello, Alioshinka. What’s going on? I was quite busy before.”

  “The Psychiatrists...do not abandon hope to…to find out,” said Aliosha, and his boss knew he had not yet been successful.

  “You have to bring about a crackdown of that Yevrey Rabbi,” said Antonov in a ‘knowing all’ tone.

  “Sorry, no results yet. The doctors here had tried their best. I mean, using their method of ‘humanely convincing the patient’. You know- their usual psychological futilities.”

  “Well,” boasted the Gepau Head in Minsk, “now we will use our most modern method. You’ll get a newly invented apparatus: Electric Shocker. I’m sending it now- in a round tour- all over White Russia. We’re among the first users of this marvellous machine.”

  Psychiatry as a medical valued profession had been already developed at those days in central Europe- mainly in Austria (Freud and his followers) and Germany (half of psychiatrists there were Jewish; in Hitler’s time - they emigrated to Israel-Palestine) and in U.S...However the use of Electric Shocker was quite limited at that time. In Germany there were some tens of psychiatrists, who had already known, that in some cases it could bring good results for the treatment of insanity. The Russian communists had heard about that development. Gepau– who guessed that it could serve other aims beside curing, soon purchased this wonderful equipment from a German Firm.

  Gepau Minsk Chief Electrician, who had received the Shocker from Moscow’s Gepau Equipment Department, studied everything about it, using a German brochure. He was a Jew, and his knowledge in Yiddish language plus a year’s course in basic German, helped him to understand(even not fully and thoroughly) most of instructions and drawings exhibited in the said brochure, which was enclosed to the physical apparatus. Till that day he had never checked its operation, but read in Gepau’s note, that ‘this type had been tested on a suspect in Lubianka in Moscow, who died in the midth of the experiment, and that brought a lot of vital information. It had never been proved if his death was an outcome of this Shocker’s particular model’s use’.

  The Electrician hurried to Antonov’s office. Two electrical shockers had already been stored there, for use in the Minsk and Borisov Districts. A week before- Antonov had brought them from Moscow to White Russia/Berlarus- not before getting a special approval in writing from Gepau head, Menzhinsky. The Gepau Chief Butcher agreed to deliver the shockers to Minsk, pending that if Moscow needs them urgently - they will be returned immediately.

  It was late in the afternoon. Antonov ordered his Electrician to bring the Electro Shocker to the asylum by Gepau’s vehicle, for the Rabbi’s urgent Interrogation. So, the chap tried to drive very fast, in order to reach the Asylum still in daylight. He had known that the car’s illumination for a night travel was vey poor.

  Gepau Minsk’s precious apparatus packet was carefully held by the electrician on the seat next to him. After an hour drive the vehicle reached the asylum. The electrician walked with his apparatus in hands - to the Reception Office. He was a handsome youth, about twenty five years old. Before he had gotten his current job, he was a simple employee of the Electricity Organiztion in Minsk, dangerously climbing high wooden pillars, hanging high and low voltage electric wires’ lines over roads, connecting and cutting cables, and so on. He was always afraid of an electric shock that would kill him, caused by a human error or miscalculated electrical complication. Therefore the quite simple apparatus that he was embrcing now, and the pride and prestrige of being its first expert in whole White Russia, caused him to like it, almost love it fervently.

  He jumped joyfully out of his vehicle, and carried the “ELECTRIC SHOCKER- GE-PA-U #2” by both hands, like it had been his beloved baby. The Shocker was wrapped with a neat paper, that was packed within a new wooden box. Its accessories- cables and wires and connectors - were packed in a small sack, also wrapped with many papers; ( nylon had not yet been invented).

  The Electrician was waiting at thr Reception Office window. The pretty Reception girl balled her eyes at him, discerning that he was not only young but handsome. The two began chatting about three or four Russian new films, produced by Sergey Eizenstein and others. They used their hands for expressing their wish to become friends very quickly, and from the beginning both were eager to touch each other and look at each other’s eyes with a certain smile.

  Tall Aliosha approached these youngsters. His wide mellon face became reddened, due to jealousy. The electrician was feeling that from the Gepau guy’s glimpse, so he left the girl for a while. He shook hands with Aliosha, who soon helped him to carry the Apparatus cables’ sack along the Reception Hall - toward a door leading upstairs.

  They reached a darkened room on the second floor, and put on the electric light there. They had seen three new chairs, an ancient but stable table; and a long bed, covered with a white sheet; above it - on the wall- there were some electric contact points with two or three holes in each. Stalin’s picture of 60X30 cm was also hanging there.

  Aliosha and the electrician pulled out the electric apparatus from its wooden box. They set it up on the table, that was close to the bed.

  The electrician began to connect wires to each other, to the Shocker and to the wall. The various electric cables and switches made Tall Aliosha feel confused and ignorant.

  “Antonov has ordered me to learn the Shocking Process.” He lied to the Electrician, “I have overcome my fear from electricity.”

  “Very well, but strengthen yourself,” said the electrician, “because in the future you’ll have much more complicated machinery to be afraid of. I assure you. . .Of course, I’ll teach you the shocking task, till you can manage it by yourself, why not? It’s quite a simple process.”

  The electrician pointed on a “clock” at the right edge of the Shockers’ Axes, and explained to Aliosha:

  “Here is the Shocking Power Indicator. It’s like in a clock. You can transfer electric current to these axes - up to zero point one five Ampers. D’you see ?”

  “What does it mean: Zero point fifteen?”

  “It’s a current, that still. . . wouldn’t cause death.” said the electrician with a smile.Then he showed Aliosha the black rubber coated cables.

  “These are connecting the two electrodes, called: Anod and Cathode,” he explained, “I’ll bind them to the patient’s temples, in order to expose him to the electric shock.”

  “Well,“ said Aliosha,“let’s bring our courageous patient.”

  The Electrician nodded.

  They went downstairs and met Rabbi Aaron and Doctor Pavlov, who were standing near the window of the Reception office. Aliosha told Pavlov that he and the Electrician would take the Rabbi to the Shocker’s room. Pavlov told him: “I have to be present there, too. Wait for me, I’ll come within two minutes.”

  Aliosha and the Electrician grabbed Rabbi by thr lbows and made him climb up to the the Shocker’s room. There they set him on the bed, undressed his coat, then laid him on his back. They bound his arms and feet to the bed’s frame by regular yuta strings, and fastened the two electrodes-“axis points,” to his temples. An electric cable was combining these axes to each other, and to the electricity current in the Contact Point at the wall. . .

  After a moment Doctor Pavlov appeared at the Shocker’s room.

  He rushed inside without knocking at the door, holding a handbag. Tall Aliosha turned to his direction, and tried to avoid him from approaching the table- on which the apparatus had been set.

  Doctor Pavlov grabbed the Electrician by his arm, disregarding Aliosha’s threatening presence beside him:


  “Why have you told me about this apparatus only today?” He pointed on the Shocker, and added in a choked tone: “I think, that I have the right to check this process, or at least know - what might be the impact of this on the patient’s future treatment.”

  “Activating this apparatus,” said the electrician, “is Gepau’s exclusive responsibilty…”

  “The questions that we’ll put to this person,” reckoned Aliosha, “aren’t your business, comrade doc. So, don’t interfere in our task. Leave us alone.”

  The electrician grabbed Aliosha by his sleeve, to calm him down.

  “I think,” said Pavlov, “that first we have to use all our humane methods of questioning.”

  “Do you try to prevent us from doing out duty?” roared Aliosha, “Beware that your body will not be electrified by a shock, too. Get out of here!”

  Aliosha pushed Pavlov to the door, that had remained open. At that moment - steps of other psychaiatrists, nurses and other and medics were heard from the staircase. Aliosha feared to face a scandal, so he permitted Pavlov to re-enter the door.

  “Sorry that I have no notion of this new technique of curing patients,” said Pavlov to the Electrician, “And …in this early stage of treatment - we haven’t yet written even the anamnese. So, why can’t you still wait? Delay it for two or three days.”

  “You will be punished for disturbing us in our duty,” warned him Aliosha.

  “I have an order from my boss,” remarked the electrician, “to shock this patient tonight. It should make him admit, that he is faking this stubborn madness. We won’t postpone that!”

  “You, doc,” howled Aliosha, and a murderous blick in his eyes filled Pavlov with dread, “forget your pure scientific-reseach purposes! This is a historical first live-experiment in our country!”

  “Please,” Pavlov smiled apologetically at both men, “that I am not principally against using the shocker. I only want to be sure, that you know to operate it in a proper way… I mean, that it would not kill this patient. Because I am responsible for his life. We have our priciples in this asylum, comrades.”

  “This patient is a suspect; you understand that?” Aliosha asked him bluntly.

  Pavlov raised his handbag, and a yell was heard from inside. He sent his hand and fumbled there, taking out a nice brown sweet cat. He set it up on the table with a smile. The animal was moving his moustache and softly re- yelling.

  “I’ve brought this with me – simply to check that Shocker!” said Pavlov. “Putty,” he talked to the little beast, “excuse us - if we’ll cause you some pain. It would take a few seconds.”

  He looked at the electrician, who nodded.

  “Very well,” he said, “I would bless a pre-check. Why not?”

  He tied the eletcrodes to both sides of the small animal’s temples. Then he directed the Shocker Indicator toward ‘10’, and connected the cable to the electric contact at the wall, near which the Rabbi was lying, listening to the conversation with a hope that either a miracle will appear- or he will lie dead. Both possibilities would be blessed, as they come from God.

  The shocker was activated. The cat yelled from an acute pain and jumped from the table. It jerked – and climbed on the window sill. The window was half open, so the cat jumped from the second floor to the ground. There it was mewing for a short time, that soon stopped.

  The Rabbi, Pavlov and the Gepau men heard the yells downstairs, and the doc seemed happy.

  “A cat always knows to fall on its four feet,“ he said, “even from an airplane, even without a parachute.”

  “You see: your anexiety about the Shocker’s functioning - was in vain.” said the Electrician.

  “Well, you can operate your shocker,” reckoned Pavlov. “Now I have no problem with it.”

  “Rabbi,” Pavlov grabbed Rabbi’s arm tightly, “D’you hear me? Now we'll try to cure you by a new method, of Electric Shocks. It has become a known method in psychiatry...You don’t seem to understand, man.”

  Rabbi Aaron moved his head and shoulders, then rose a little by his elbows, looking around.

  Psychiatrist Pavlov pushed him back to his previous position. Rabbi Aaron was lying down again on his back. He closed his eyes, then re-opened them widely. He was terrified.

  “You set up the Gauge Indicator,” said the electrician to Aliosha, “reach the middle point, and gradeually increase amperage.”

  He pointed on number 0.15 on the gauge. Pavlov, who was standing by him- looked at Rabbi Aaron, who was lying quietly.

  “You can touch the patient by your finger,” told them the electrician, “and feel, that this current is tolerable! Remember the number…”

  They nodded, and the electrician increased the amperage. He indicated Aliosha to touch by his palm - the shocking electrode point on Rabbi’s temple.

  Aliosha shouted: ”Oy Vey”-( ‘Jewish’ pain cry). Rabbi restrained himself, but suddenly he laughed loudly.

  The Electrician brought the current amperage back to “O” by moving the Current Indicator reverse clockwise.

  “I see,” said Aliosha, “that it’s quite simple to operate!”

  The Electrician showed him again the top current magnitude on the gauge. Doc Pavlov looked aside in dread. Tall Aliosha’s hands became shaking. His forehead became perspired.

  “Good Rabbi: I connect you again to a medium current Amperage. It will not hurt… too much.”

  Aliosha re-shocked Rabbi, and he screamed three times. But. . .

  A sudden blackout took place in the room. Shouts were heard also from the first floor of the building.

  “Current shortage, don’t panic! Don’t panic!” a woman’s voice was calling from the first floor.

  Tall Aliosha lighted a candle, that he had found somewhere – and all looked at the shocking apparatus. It was smoking, and the electrician’s fingers were busy with it.

  Rabbi Aaron opened his eyes, and raised on his elbows. He was looking around and no one saw him smile in the darkness.

  The electrician reconnected and disconnected the cables, assembled and disassembled all the parts. Nothing could bring the shocker back to life. Rabbi Aaron thank God in his heart. The electrician cursed Gepau in his heart, and Pavlov cursed Stalin in his heart. All hearts had been hidden behind dumb and helpless flesh and blood.

  Rabbi was brought back to his room and left there alone.

  He muremured, listening to his inventive prayer:

  “God! How can I be sure that I’m not really mad? Save me from real craziness. Don’t let me be mad like poor Mogid. Let me continue to counterfeit the mad, let me- God Almighty, be like King David. Though I am far from his righteousness and his strong belief in you. Who am I? An insect – in comparison to him. Could I compete with him about the ardent love of the people, and along so many generations?…”

  CHAPTER 38