The Shield: a novel

by Nachman Kataczinsky PhD

  “What do you make of the announcement this morning?” Zalman asked his friend. He was referring to the notices posted everywhere in the Ghetto, announcing the commencement of transports to Palestine.

  “I almost believe them,” Jacob responded, “though it’s not clear to me how they can transport us to Palestine while they’re fighting the British. The incentive they offer is irresistible. I don’t like it. On the other hand, Günter told me that some of the smaller ghettos in Poland were emptied. According to his source, another Communist that works for the German railways, they were transported to southern Italy.”

  “You believe the stories our sergeant tells? He knows as little as we do and is even more afraid for his life – having been a member of the Communist party doesn’t give him much standing here.”

  “On the other hand, he’s never lied to us and his information about new repressions has always been accurate. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be able to smuggle food into the ghetto. He’s warned us that the Gestapo was coming so we could hide. Also, he's not the only former Communist – There were more than 7 million of them in Germany before Hitler took over, so I believe his story,” Jacob responded. “If they start reducing the number of rations for the ghetto by the number of people who are supposed to leave each day for Palestine, and if people don't actually leave, how long do you think it will take for all of us to starve? I believe they'll starve us as the notice said – I’m surprised they haven’t done it already.”

  “Well, I was considering going to the forest,” Zalman said quietly, “but with a wife and baby I can’t go anywhere. My in-laws can’t go to the forest either and my parents will resist going anywhere. Maybe if they hear that your family is going, they will decide to join.”

  “I don’t think I’ll go to the forest,” Jacob said looking around. “Though both my mother and sister are in good health, the forest with all the bandits is not a place for an old woman and a teenage girl. I’m thinking of volunteering for the first train on Monday next week. We don’t even have enough possessions to fill the suitcase per person that we’re allowed, so moving will be easy. The only thing that worries me is that according to Günter’s friend we will be transported in cattle cars. They’ll supposedly supply water and give us food for the journey, but it’s not going to be comfortable. I wish we had more information from a trustworthy source. I'm going to speak to my uncle today. I hope to persuade him and his family to join us. I’m hoping they’ll treat the first transports well – if only to encourage people to volunteer.”

  Zalman was surprised: “You plan on going with the first train? That’s less than two weeks away! I don’t think I can make a decision fast enough to join you.”

  ***

  Commander Thompson was about to salute, but remembered in time that Churchill did not like formalities at his official country residence - the Chequers mansion.

  “Sir, we have a request from the Palestinian representative to allow their airplane to land at Croydon. They want to transport several people to add to their mission here. They will be bringing equipment and requested full diplomatic immunity for both the personnel and equipment.”

  “Please inform the Air Marshal I want lots of photographs taken and to have our best aircraft designers on hand to take a look. They will need to refuel, and if we do the refueling slowly enough we can get a good look.”

  ***

  When the Israeli executive jet landed, a large party of British officials was waiting to meet it. But Avigdor Mizrahi was the first to approach.

  “Had a good flight?” he asked the pilot that opened the door and lowered the exit ramp.

  “Perfect. Good weather all the way and no other traffic in the air. Very easy.”

  “Good. I need everyone to help unload the equipment so you can take off as soon as possible.”

  They were done in eight minutes – there wasn’t that much equipment and only one suitcase per person. While the Foreign Office bureaucrat was still shaking hands and welcoming the new arrivals the jet revved up its engines and started taxiing for takeoff.

  “Leaving already?” a colonel from the British Air Ministry asked. “We are ready to refuel your plane.”

  “Thanks for the offer,” Mizrahi responded, “but the plane doesn’t need refueling. We appreciate the thought.”

  “Wouldn’t it be safer to take off in daylight?”

  “Not really. Thank you.”

  The aircraft was gone before the conversation was finished.

  ***

  “So, what have we learned from their aircraft?” Churchill was smoking a cigar and drinking tea, relaxing on a terrace at Chequers.

  “We know it can fly nonstop from Palestine to London - and back again without refueling - at an estimated air speed of 460 miles per hour, cruising at 45,000 feet, according to our radar. We definitely have nothing that can catch it. Of course these figures are only very rough estimates – our radar installation could see the plane when it was almost over the Channel. We don’t have enough refinement in the system to see single planes at larger distances.” The Air Marshal looked at the two men at his side. “These gentlemen tell me that the craft is powered by some kind of turbine, though we had no chance to examine it closely.”

  “What was your impression of the plane? Was it a military transport or a fighter?”

  “The writing on the fuselage said ‘IAI Galaxy 200’. I had a glimpse of the interior – very plush. We saw no armaments of any kind, though this is no guarantee that they didn’t carry something we can’t even identify as a weapon. In my opinion it is not a military plane at all, rather a passenger transport.”

  “I must add,” the taller of the two experts said, “that these people could obviously accelerate our jet turbine engine project.”

  “I have no doubt that they could, if they were willing to share,” Churchill said. “Do any of you know what their cargo was?”

  The three men looked at each other again. The Air Marshall answered: “The cargo consisted of suitcases made of fabric plus several boxes about the same size that appeared to be made of aluminum.”

  He paused and then continued: “Sir, may I know who they are?”

  “Well, this is somewhat complicated. The only thing that I can tell you is that they are a Palestinian outfit helping us in various matters. You are all sworn to secrecy and not a word of this may get out as per your briefing. Thank you, gentlemen. Your information was very interesting.”

  Chapter 12

  David Rothstein returned from work to the apartment where his family was settling in. The consulting business he’d started was doing very well. He had decided not to accept any of the job offers presented to him. Instead, he was happily doing what he did best: helping companies design and build microchip manufacturing equipment. His expertise was highly valued before the Event and was even more valuable now that most of the other experts were in the future. David was surprised to discover that Israel had several microchip plants. They were small but sophisticated. All of them were expanding as fast as they could; competition was many years in the future and everyone anticipated Israel establishing commercial relations with the rest of the world – this would present infinite opportunities.

  He was greeted by his wife. “You’re just in time for dinner. Jake called ten minutes ago. He’s going to pick up Josh. They should be here soon.”

  “How’d the house hunting go?” David inquired.

  “Well, I saw a couple in Rishon L’Zion. There is one I liked and the price is right, but I need to research the neighborhood a bit more. I spoke to Ze’ev’s wife - we will go together tomorrow. I’m really tired of this apartment and would like to move as soon as possible.” Rachel was talking and setting up the dinner table at the same time.

  “Well, maybe we should rethink our priorities. I have been car hunting today; spent a good five hours going from dealer to dealer in Tel-Aviv. Lucky they are fairly close together. But it’s a lost cause; none of them have a car for
sale. I thought I got lucky with the Ford guy – he told me on the phone that he had a couple of cars left, but by the time I got there he was sold out. We couldn’t afford the price anyway.” David sounded slightly depressed.

  “How about a used car?” Rachel asked.

  “Just look at the car section of the paper. It’s empty. Apparently old cars sell before they get into the paper. I doubt that many people are selling – everybody knows that car imports will be dead for a while.”

  “While you were running around I was looking at houses and talking to people,” Rachel said while still fussing with the food. “The real estate agent told me that some dealerships and large repair shops are buying junked cars and restoring them. We may be able to buy a Jeep, or an old DeSoto or even a Mercedes. They are not cheap and I have no clue how safe they are.”

  “I don’t have much choice,” David responded. “I need a car to get to the different plants I am working with, though that may be temporary. I met a nice guy today - actually he took pity on me and gave me a lift. He’s a civil engineer, works for a big firm. According to him the upcoming area is Beer Sheba and south. They have a huge contract to develop those areas and are extending the railway to the Sinai border. Maybe we should consider moving there; or at least somewhere closer to a main public transportation hub. It’s too difficult to have to take at least three buses and a train to get anywhere.”

  By this time, the boys arrived and dinner began. For a while everyone was quiet, concentrating on their food, which was different than their meals in the U.S. had been. The supermarkets here were full of fresh produce, poultry and some fish. Bread and grains were plentiful too, but there was an almost total absence of beef. Israel was planning on importing beef from Argentina, like they did before the Event. In the meantime, only small numbers of cattle were coming in from Canada.

  “Jake, how was your day?” David asked.

  “Good, but its hard work. Try studying Hebrew at the same time as taking college courses IN Hebrew. I’m just glad they offer some classes in English. By the way, I got a notice at college today to present myself at the IDF registration center next week. The guys say they’ll probably let me continue with my studies for now and take me in the summer for training.”

  “I hope so,” Rachel looked worried. “David, do you know anybody that could help?”

  “Mother, this is not the U.S. We are in our own country now, and I will share the burden of defense with everybody else!”

  “OK, OK, calm down,” David smiled. “I won’t interfere, even if I did know somebody.

  “How about you, Josh? What were you up to?”

  “I feel like an idiot. My Hebrew is lousy and I think that maybe I should quit high school and volunteer for the Army.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Jake told his younger brother. “First of all, they won’t take you – you’re too young. Second, your Hebrew may be lousy, but it’s much better than it was a month ago and will be even better next month. And if you don’t graduate high school you can, maybe, sweep the streets – any decent job here requires at least a high school diploma. I don’t think you’d like that better than having a hard time in school, so keep working on your Hebrew and you’ll be fine.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  ***

  “Mr. Mizrahi, I appreciate you coming so soon.” General Wilson rose from his chair to shake the ambassador’s hand. “We have a problem that needs to be resolved.”

  The General was transferred to London only a couple of days earlier. He was promoted and given a post at the General Staff, but his main duty was to be a liaison between the Israeli ambassador and the Prime Minister. Mizrahi asked for him and Churchill agreed – he trusted Wilson and agreed that having been in contact with the Israelis and having visited Israel he was the most qualified person for the job. It was also agreed by both parties that for reasons of secrecy the P.M. could not be involved directly. Continuing meetings with a Palestinian business man would be noticed by foreign intelligence services. Neither Israel nor Churchill wanted the secret out. Not yet.

  “Yes, we have a number of problems that need to be resolved.” Mizrahi sat across the deck from the General.

  “You’ll be reducing the number of cannon and ammunition supplied to us. This is unacceptable. We have an agreement, which we respect. There haven’t been any interruptions or delays in our supplies to you, have there?”

  “No, General. Your side has been meticulous about keeping the agreement. We want to keep our part of the bargain but there’s a problem. Actually there are several problems. Let me begin with what bothers us on the political front.” Mizrahi paused for a moment. There was traffic noise coming from the outside - London was definitely reviving, making these negotiations more difficult. “Our talks regarding Kuwait and the Sinai are going nowhere. Your Foreign Office is dragging its feet, probably hoping that we will go away as suddenly as we appeared. Do you want us to go away?” He looked intently at Wilson awaiting a response.

  “Mr. Mizrahi, I owe you an honest reply. My feelings are somewhat contradictory. Your help in Syria has been useful - though certainly not critical - and whatever trick you are using to spot the German submarines has considerably helped both the PM’s popularity and our war effort. The Soviets are certainly benefiting by getting almost all the Lend Lease supplies without interruption and we’re not losing transports on the way to Murmansk. I also admit that the equipment you are supplying has enabled us to slow Rommel’s advance. On the other hand, we’ve paid you generously for this help. Shall I enumerate?” Wilson smiled.

  “Please do.”

  Wilson looked surprised: “If you wish, though this is a very unusual way of negotiating. You are improving my position by letting me list all we do for you in return for your help.”

  “You may be surprised before we are done.” Mizrahi smiled.

  “Very well. We supply you with food and fuel – enough for a small country. We’ve also put fifteen large troop carriers at your disposal for a year. Shall I go into details of the food and fuel supplies, or is a general statement enough?” Wilson was smiling again. Clearly, the listing of the British supplies to Israel cheered him up.

  “No need to go into details - I have them right here.” Mizrahi pointed at his briefcase. “Your supplies to us amount to less than 20% of the surplus the Empire generates. And the troop carriers were sitting in port anyway since there are no invasions planned for the foreseeable future. So in fact, the British Empire is hardly bothered by supplying our demands.

  “You also listed very eloquently the help you receive from us. If you wish, I can give you a rough outline of what happened in the reality we came from, when we were, obviously, not available to assist you.”

  General Wilson leaned forward in his chair: “Please do. I’m an eager student of history, especially military history, as you must know.”

  “If we had not arrived, Rommel would soon be very close to taking Cairo. You would eventually win the war but the price would be the loss of your Empire. Your holdings in the Far East, except India - which you lose after the war, fall to the Japanese. The Soviets advanced into the heart of Germany - and stayed there, controlling Eastern Europe for more than forty years.

  “In my world the war ended in 1945 and the British Empire started falling apart immediately – mostly under American pressure, but also because ‘Great’ Britain, Mizrahi added, with sarcasm dripping over the ‘great’, was exhausted and impoverished by the war. America and the Soviet Union become superpowers dictating policy to the rest of the world, with the United Kingdom a junior adjunct of the Americans.”

  The two sat in silence for a while. “Thank you for the information,” Wilson said finally. “I see that your presence will change things and will report to the Prime Minister accordingly. We must cooperate closely to advance both our causes. I am sure that Mr. Churchill will not allow the Empire to fall apart or let Stalin take over Europe.” He paused collecting his thoughts: “For the sake of o
ur long term relations I would like to clarify a number of points. If I understand you correctly, your government, or maybe it is only you, personally, did not like the world in which two superpowers ruled. Is that so?”

  “You are absolutely correct, and yes, it is my government’s position.”

  “Do I also correctly estimate that your government would like to change the course of history?”

  “General Wilson, we want a better world for all. The world we came from was not pleasant: for more than forty years it was on the verge of a third world war and complete destruction. Each superpower supported its clients and fought wars using proxies, propping up bloody dictators and killing millions. Then the Soviets collapsed, and the vacuum was filled by Muslim religious fanatics, a resurgent Russia with imperial ambitions and Communist China with capitalistic tendencies and somewhat disruptive foreign policies. The world we came from has known no peace since the end of the current war. There was always fighting somewhere in the word, some wars were small and local and some were major. Not like the current one, but still serious with genocide on some scale happening all over the world.

  “Our estimate is that a world without superpowers, with a number of strong countries, will be more peaceful than the one we left behind. People will still try to resolve their differences by force, but they will be less likely to do so if the blood they spill and the resources they squander are their own. We view the situation as the difference between two large feudal lords squabbling by inducing their vassals to attack each other. The lords have little to lose, and in the meantime people die. If there are no vassals, but instead, free democratic countries, wars between neighbors are less likely, since democracies tend not to be militarily aggressive. Do you think that Europe will go to war anytime soon after this war is done? Of course, there are no guarantees for the future, and human stupidity and hubris know no limits, but at least we want to try. We also know that only a minority of the countries existing now are democracies, but without superpowers and with better understanding of social dynamics we hope to help that number grow steadily.”