Page 50 of The Righteous
JULIA AND THERESA were at the embassy gathering the morning’s supply of letters of protection when Carl’s secretary came in. “There is a Samuel Weissbach here to see you,” she said. “Shall I let him in?”
“Absolutely,” Theresa said. “He’s my brother.”
Sammy came into the room, said, “ Jó reggelt ,” and hugged Theresa.
“Good morning to you as well,” she responded. “What brings you over here this early?”
Sammy’s face was serious. “I need to talk to you. It’s very important and very private.” He looked at Julia and said, “I would like you to listen as well, if you wouldn’t mind. I need advice.”
They took Sammy into a private office and shut the door. “What’s wrong?” said Theresa. “Is everyone okay?”
Sammy nodded. “We’re fine. As you predicted, neither the British nor the Americans would accept Eichmann’s offer to negotiate for the release of a million Jews.”
“That’s not a surprise. I read it in an editorial in the Times of London and saw Winston Churchill’s furious remarks.”
Sammy nodded. “That’s true. The transports that were paused are due to start rolling again from the smaller country towns. Do you remember meeting Rezs? Kasztner?”
Julia and Theresa nodded.
“I believe that it was Rezs? and Joel Brand who began the negotiating process with Eichmann back in Slovakia. They were notified by his assistant, who said Eichmann was amenable to negotiating for money and material items,” Theresa said.
“I think it was also Eichmann’s deputy who approached Gisi Fleischmann at the Bratislava Working Group. ”
“You have a good memory, Terri. It was Wisliceny who communicated the blood-for-goods offer.”
“But you believe that it has failed. So what brings you here?”
“Because there is another deal in the works. Rezs? approached Wisliceny and proposed a deal to allow Rezs? to take a number of Jews out of Hungary on a train. The train would go through Austria to Switzerland. For that, Rezs? is offering to pay money and jewelry. I understand that Eichmann considered the deal and set a price. For that set amount, Rezs? will be allowed to take seventeen hundred Jews.”
“Who are the seventeen hundred Jews? Where are they supposed to come from?” asked Julia. “Will they be released from concentration camps?”
Sammy shook his head. “No, this is a personal, cash deal. Rezs? and his friends drew up a list of people, mostly Rezs?’s family, friends, and other wealthy Jews. They would agree to pay Eichmann’s price to escape going into concentration camps.”
“You’ve seen the list?” Theresa asked. “Do you know the people on the list?”
“Many of them, not all, but don’t criticize him. It’s not only wealthy friends. There are two hundred fifty children, many of them orphans.”
“Who chose the passengers to go on Rezs?’s train?”
“Hansi Brand, for one. You may have heard that Joel is currently under arrest, being held by the British in Egypt for trying to make the blood-for-goods deal. When Joel left for Palestine, Hansi stayed behind to help Rezs?. Ottó Komoly and others from the Aid and Rescue Committee chose the rest of the list. Some are calling it ‘Noah’s ark,’ because the list is a cross section of the Jewish community, including people who worked in public service.
I’ve seen the list. There are 972 females and 712 males in all; the oldest being eighty-two, and the youngest just a few days old.
There are housewives, farmers, industrialists, bankers, journalists, teachers, and nurses. ”
“And those people will escape the death camps? Good for Rezs?,” Julia said.
“He is a champion rescuer. The fact that he paid money, and his family and friends are going to safety, is an accomplishment. I know some will criticize him for doing business with murderers, paying a ransom to the devil, but he is looking to save lives.”
Sammy looked at Theresa. “Terri, do you feel that way, too?”
“I guess so. It does turn my stomach to pay a ransom to a bastard like Eichmann, but if it rescues seventeen hundred innocents, then it was a smart move.” Theresa suddenly stopped. Her eyes were wide open. “Sammy! Are you going on the Kasztner train?”
“I’ve been a friend of Rezs? for a long time, and when he started putting together his list, he offered a seat for both Alana and me.
Alana is now five months pregnant. If escapes require long journeys on foot or over rough terrain, Alana can’t do it.
So this is what I came to talk to you about.
Do you think I should go, or would I be making a deal with the devil? ”
“Are you nuts?” said Julia. “You put your butt and that pretty, pregnant girlfriend of yours on that train without a second thought. You and Alana have your baby in a safe, free land, not here in Nazi-occupied Hungary.”
“I agree,” said Theresa. “My niece should be born in Switzerland. If you need Carl’s help in any way, you let me know. When is the Kasztner train leaving?”
“As soon as we can get our money together and our things packed. Each person is allowed to take two changes of clothing, six sets of underwear, and food for ten days.”
“Is this costing you money, Sammy? How much do you have to pay?”
Sammy swallowed. “Five thousand Reichsmarks—twenty-five hundred apiece. Apa is helping me with the money.”
Julia whistled. “Wow! That’s a lot of money, over a thousand American dollars apiece. But it’s well worth it if it saves a life.”
Sammy looked at his sister with a tear in his eye and said, “Rezs? is taking nurses, and I suggested that Becca go along, and Rezs? said it would be all right, but Becca doesn’t want to leave her post at the hospital—not now, during the war, when so many need her.
If you think you can change her mind, the train leaves pretty soon. ”
Theresa smiled. “I respect my sister for making that decision. She is a dedicated girl.”
“I know, but anyone who stays risks being captured and transported to Auschwitz to die. Who knows when the SS will start rounding up Jews in Budapest? Who knows if they will all be taken? We don’t know for certain what happens when the trains take prisoners to those camps.”
“The man in the black hat said they will die,” Julia said.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Theresa said.
“Joel was negotiating with Eichmann for release of a million Jews out of Auschwitz, Majdanek, and Chelmno. How could he make the exchange of blood for goods if they’re all dead?
He said Auschwitz is only a prison. It is hard to believe that twelve thousand people are being taken and murdered every day. Maybe it is just a prison.”
“Terri, I don’t want to take that chance, and neither should you,” said Sammy. “I might be able to get you on the train. You’re family. I talked to Rezs? about it, and he said there would probably be room. If not, you can have my seat.”
Theresa broke into tears. “Sammy, I love you so much, but you need to be with Alana and your baby when it’s born. I came here on my own to rescue my family, and I will be okay. I have a Swiss ID. Don’t worry about me. What about Anya? Take her on the train.”
“I suggested it, but Anya said no. She is staying behind with her husband in the only country she has ever known.”
“That’s my Anya,” Theresa said.
Sammy smiled at his sister, gave her a strong hug, and said, “When you get the chance, you come visit us in Switzerland.”