Page 60 of The Righteous

IT WAS A clear, moonlit night in late September when a canvas-covered pickup truck stopped at the corner of Cinclolai and Kereztun.

In less than a minute, three families came out of a building, stuffed pillowcases in hand, and climbed into the back of the truck.

The families had been told not to make a sound.

The truck’s next stop was six blocks away.

Ten blocks east of the Great Synagogue, a red farm delivery truck stopped in front of a large apartment building.

It was quickly filled with eight families carrying their small bags of luggage.

When it was fully loaded, it drove toward the Cegléd station, six miles south.

The trucks unloaded their passengers, turned around, and headed back for more.

As the trucks arrived, Raoul and Julia were there to greet the families and help them step down.

They led the passengers in the direction of the waiting train.

The engine was belching steam. Benjamin and Theresa stood waiting on the platform, showing them their assigned cars and helping them climb the steps with their bags.

Becca and Greta helped them find their seats.

Sometimes it was necessary for the children to sit on their parents’ laps, but it was the middle of the night, and they were sleepy anyway.

When the passenger cars were full, the boxcars, with carpets and blankets on the floors, were loaded next.

Altogether, there were thirty-one cars. Three thousand two hundred Jewish passengers would soon be heading south through Hungary.

At six AM , the Stockholm Express, as Julia called it, pulled out of the Cegléd station and headed for Oradea, Romania, two hundred miles to the south.

Five hours later, the train pulled into the Oradea station.

By then, everyone was wide awake and had made a serious dent in the boxes of food that Raoul had supplied with the train.

At the Oradea station, they were met by Ira Hirschman and Laurence Steinhardt.

They had secured permission for the train to travel south through Romania.

Everyone was given thirty minutes to stretch their legs, get a snack, and climb aboard the train headed toward the Turkish border, five hours away.

For most of the trip, Julia and Theresa, the two best friends, sat together, so proud of what they had done.

They had met up in Michigan, traveled to Washington, and flown to Budapest. They had seen it turn from a safe, prosperous town to the most dangerous place on earth.

They had rescued Theresa’s family, as was their mission, and were taking them to a new life and a new settlement in Palestine.

Benjamin would lead his flock, find a new rabbi, and form a new synagogue.

He and Becca would start a clinic and care for the group.

Many would put their skills to work. Some were carpenters, some were mechanics, some were teachers, some were restaurateurs, some were shopkeepers, and thankfully, some were farmers.

There were two dentists, one barber, and a woman who ran a beauty salon. Each of them would be needed.

As for Julia and Theresa, and what the future had in store for them, they were with the group.

For the time being, they would be settlers.

Even if they wanted to leave, there wasn’t anywhere else for them to go.

They were never going back to Hungary, maybe not to Europe either.

They couldn’t get back to the US while the war was going on.

To a great extent, they were responsible for the new settlement, and they intended to throw their lot in with the rest. That was just fine.

They were safe, and they were among friends.