The Remnant - Stories of the Jewish Resistance in WWII by Seiden Othniel J

Author:Seiden, Othniel J. [Seiden, Othniel J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: WWII Fiction
Publisher: Books To Believe In
Published: 2008-04-11T05:00:00+00:00

45

The Gunfire

Continues...

Father Peter and most of the equipment were brought into the family camp the next day. Two radios were brought up, the third left in camp two. Gregor's tools were brought up. If only the blacksmiths themselves would check out as safe, they would be invaluable to the guerrillas.

"Kiev is an unbelievable place to live," Father Peter told the news starved Jews that first evening after dinner. "Starvation, looting, disease, reprisal roundups, shortages of everything-people are living in constant fear.

The Jews were unimpressed.

True, they ate well, but they knew cold and the threat of discovery and death. And they knew that much of what was being sold and traded in the marketplace had been stolen from the hundred thousand Jews who had lived in Kiev. Still, no one interrupted the priest.

"People had to destroy all of their books under threat of death. Most used them for fuel to heat their houses. All the books from the public library were thrown out of the windows to be burned. Schools are closed."

Finally someone asked about the ravine-Babi Yar.

"Babi Yar..." He hung his head. "Babi Yar is the shame of the world." It obviously pained him to talk of the ravine. He spoke, eyes to the floor. "It is inconceivable what the Germans do at Babi Yar, but everyone knows they do it. It's inconceivable that no one speaks out against them, but I know the world is silent. Babi Yar is everyone's sin. In just two days at Babi Yar, over thirty thousand people were murdered-all Jews. Perhaps a few escaped. But they had no chance! Those who tried were shot on the spot. Many invited death by running just to end the torture of waiting."

The room remained hushed as the priest paused. Even Sol, who had lived through it all at Babi Yar, found the tale crushing when told by someone else.

"By the end of the week, no Jews could be found in Kiev. There had been over a hundred thousand! No one raised a protest. It is a sin shared by all the world."

The priest was still for a few moments, still gazing at the floor. Then he continued. "But the ravine is not full yet. The gunfire continues. From dawn to dusk, I hear the deadly report of the guns. Trains come with thousands of new victims. I cannot recall a day when I've not heard the terrible staccato from Babi Yar. I've prayed for the wind to change directions-blow toward the ravine-and a few times my prayer has been answered. But too briefly and I would hear it again!

"And several times each day, I've heard enormous explosions. What they mean, I don't know. I fear to think what new device of death the Germans have come up with."

Again he fell silent. Rachel handed him a cup of tea. He thanked her and continued his morbid account. "Only the efficient Germans could invent the gas wagon. I first heard of it when one of my parishioners came to me distraught over the death of his mother.

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