Chapter 5
In September 1921, the 4th All-Russian Komsomol Congress was scheduled to take place. In preparation for this event in August, Zorkin organized an All-Russian Congress of Jewish Komsomol sections. The delegation from Bobruisk was headed by Joseph. He made a report on the activities of the underground Komsomol cell in Bobruisk during the occupation, about the struggle and death of his comrades. He was listened to with great attention and interest. And after it turned out that Joseph willingly and with great feeling sang popular Jewish songs, he became a prominent figure at the congress, the delegates surrounded him during the breaks and enthusiastically one after another in a chorus picked up melodies familiar from their childhood.
Braina was not present at the congress, because by that time she had already parted ways with Motya Zorkin and with her work in the Central Committee of the Komsomol. The so-called executive work to which Zorkin had drawn her — meetings, development of directives, requests, reports, inspections, protocols — all this bustle did not suit Braina’s character at all. She bitterly regretted that she had not dared to resolutely refuse Zorkin’s offer while she was still able to, missing the opportunity to continue her studies at the Pedagogical Institute. For some time she was embarrassed to tell Zorkin about it. But the events that happened soon pushed Braina to the decisive step.
A conflict arose between the leaders of the local Komsomol in Kharkiv. Zorkin insisted that Braina take over the situation. When she arrived, she found herself in a whirlpool of sordid gossip, intrigue, and denunciation. This condition was so intolerable and disgusting to her that she refused to look into anything, returned to Moscow, quarreled with Zorkin, and left her job at the Komsomol Central Committee.
Just at that time, courses for young teachers were organized for tutors of homeless children, where Braina was accepted. In October, in front of the audience of these courses Zorkin gave a speech about the results of the 4th Komsomol Congress. Before he left, he met with Braina and in conversation, among other things, told her about the heroic guy from Bobruisk, Joshka Gershon, who knows and wonderfully performs all the same Jewish songs that she loves as well.
Braina remembered that she had once seen Joshka in Bobruisk at the holiday on November 7, which reminded her of relatives, friends and acquaintances, the quiet shady streets, the Berezina River, the grove, the fortress… And she longed unbearably to be in those familiar places again, among the people dear to her heart.
At the end of October 1921, Braina returned to Bobruisk. Zorkin gave her a letter of recommendation from the Central Committee of the Komsomol, which confirmed Braina’s positive pedagogical experience “in the revolutionary education and training of children”. This letter was of no small importance in getting her a job.
The situation in her parents’ house was difficult. After her father’s dismissal from the forestry office, his hands dropped, he fell into apathy, and made do with odd jobs, drawing up various business papers and letters for the peasants. He was paid almost nothing for this, and there was an acute shortage of food, clothing, and heating in the house. The elderly grandparents were often sick and needed care and help. Braina’s mother was constantly busy selling and bartering, trying to somehow feed everyone, patch clothes, and repair the children’s shoes.
Feeling the real distress of the family, Braina suggested that the older boys be sent to the Malakhov labor colony. There, at least, they would be provided with normal conditions for living and learning. Seeing no other way out, the mother grudgingly agreed to it. Braina wrote a letter to Malakhovka, and soon received a positive response from Shvartsman. Thus 15-year-old Solomon and 12-year-old Chaim became Malakhovka colonists.
And Braina got a job as an educator in the orphanage in Bobruisk, after which the financial situation of the family improved noticeably. However, having already gotten accustomed to independence, Braina felt uncomfortable and constrained in her parents’ house, so she got herself service housing, a small room in the administrative building of the orphanage. Here she felt like the mistress of the house, in her free time she read a lot, communicated with friends.
One day, while out on a walk, Braina met Hava Margolina, whom she knew well from her school years, a nice, neat, educated girl. They were both delighted to meet, and an interesting conversation ensued about everything in the world. Hava opened up and told Braina that she was being courted by two of the well-known guys in the city, best friends, Eli Kaplan and Joshka Gershon. Eli is handsome, educated, and an interesting conversationalist, but he does not take life’s practical problems seriously, reducing them to jokes and pranks. He is a big partygoer and generally flies through life with ease. Hava is sincerely in love with him, but is not sure of his feelings in return, although he has repeatedly sworn his love to her.
Joshka has also told her that he is serious, but she only treats him as a friend. At the same time, she wants to hold on to him, because for all his outward unattractiveness and lack of education, Joshka is undoubtedly a very smart, cheerful, tactful, and reliable guy, who besides is also a promising Komsomol leader.
“If Eli was like Joshka, one would not hesitate to tie their life to him. But if things don’t work out with Eli, then I can get used to Joshka with time. And maybe even fall in love,” Hava reasoned aloud.
These thoughts displeased Braina greatly. She was unpleasantly struck by the frankly consumerist attitude toward such tremulous, most intimate human feelings. For some reason, she even felt hurt for Joshka Gershon, about whom Motya Zorkin had told her so admiringly and proudly in Moscow. Braina asked whether Hava knew the details of Joshka’s participation in the illegal fight against the Poles. In response,
Hava suggested simply introducing Braina to Gershon, so that she could find out everything she was interested in directly from him. Braina willingly agreed.
The next day, renovation began in the orphanage where Braina worked. In the morning she was talking to the workers when the door opened and a tall, slightly slouching, broad-shouldered guy with an expressive face and sharp features, framed by blond curly hair walked in after Hava. It was Joshka Gershon.
The moment they met, he looked intently at Braina, their gazes met, and Braina was suddenly overcome by a bright, warm wave of inexplicable joy. Gershon’s eyes simply shone with intelligence, attention, and benevolent interest. After briefly asking Braina about her work and family, Joshka immediately took an active part in the discussion of the upcoming repair, giving some sensible practical advice. The workers listened to him attentively and agreed on many things.
Then Joshka stated that he had an urgent matter at another Jewish orphanage nearby and invited Braina to go there with him and Hava. On the way, he told Braina about the nature of this important business.
A few days ago a girl was brought to the orphanage, who was sobbing hysterically, and repeatedly asking to be released to go to her father. With difficulty, it was found out that her sick father had been taken from the train station by orderlies in a serious condition, and that she had been sent to the orphanage. The girl calmed down only after Joshka firmly promised to find her father.
Only on the third day did he manage to find out the whereabouts of the sick man and tell him where his daughter was. Now Joshka hurried to reassure the girl that her father would come for her soon.
As soon as the kids playing in the yard saw Gershon, they rushed to him in a group, greeting him in Hebrew: “Good morning, teacher Joshka!” It was obvious that the children were genuinely happy with their older friend and mentor. Gershon looked around and headed toward a girl about ten years old standing alone against the wall. He bent down to her and, stroking her head affectionately, said a few words to her. The girl’s face brightened, and she silently hugged Gershon with tears of joy in her eyes. Without letting go of her, Joshka energetically created in the middle of the yard a living circle of children and adults. Holding hands, this circle dance, led by Joshka, sang several Jewish songs, moving in the rhythm of the melodies over to one side, and then the other.
At the opportune moment, Gershon introduced Braina as the new teacher who had arrived from Moscow, telling them as a “secret” that she, too, knew Jewish songs. The children roared and applauded, and Braina sang “Unter a kleine beimele” (“Under the Little Tree”). The song was well-liked, applause erupted again, and Gershon clapped the loudest of all.
This is how the first meeting and acquaintance of Braina Shvedik with Joseph Gershon took place. Now Joshka often dropped by while Braina was working, checked in a businesslike manner on how the renovation was going, and discussed the current issues of the children’s everyday life, behavior, and learning with her. Listening to his conjectures, Braina was often surprised by his deep understanding of child psychology, natural pedagogical instinct, tactful and fair conclusions. These conversations made a deep impression on her.
Sometimes Joshka asked Braina to help him out, to make the protocols of the executive committee of the tanner’s union because he did not have a permanent secretary. When Braina attended the meetings, she was always amazed by Gershon’s ability to create an atmosphere of free, creative, and at the same time purely businesslike discussion of industrial and social issues, which usually resulted in decisions that pleased all or a large majority of the participants in the meetings. To Braina’s admiring comments about his organizational skills, Joshka shrugged his shoulders modestly.
One day there was a discussion about who should be given a free family voucher to a sanatorium in the Crimean resort of Evpatoria, sent from Minsk and intended for the executive staff of the union of tanneries. The treasurer and the personnel department inspector laid claim to the voucher. Opinions were divided, a conflict was brewing. Then Gershon asked to hear it out and discuss his opinion, “This sanatorium is not just a place to rest by the sea, they treat asthma there, it says so in the voucher. No one in your family has it, and we wish there will never be any such patients, and you can sunbathe on the sand just as nicely on our Berezina River. Although we all feel good, the well-known and respected Comrade Entin and both his sons are asthmatics. He is an old worker, now a foreman, which means that he belongs to the leadership staff of our union, too. Therefore, if we offer him a ticket and allocate money for the trip from the mutual aid fund, it would be fair, dignified, and in full accordance with the instructions of the authorities in Minsk”.
The proposal was approved unanimously, even the two original applicants nodded approvingly. And Braina was happy for Joshka and proud of him; to her, he represented a just, popular Soviet power!
Sometimes on weekend evenings, a group of friends and acquaintances would gather in Braina’s room: young teachers, educators, students, and clerks. A modest meal would be laid out, and the table would be filled with debates, poetry recitations, and songs accompanied by guitar and mandolin. With the table and chairs pushed aside, the young people danced or played “spoiled telephone,” “bottle,” and other fun games. Braina once invited Gershon to one of these evenings, where he came along with his bosom friend, the jolly and handsome Eli Kaplan.
In the company, most of whom were supporters of the Zionists, Joshka felt uncomfortable; he felt their alienating and even wary attitude toward him, a committed communist and Komsomol leader. But Braina was such an attractive, intelligent, sincere, and kind girl; he liked her more and more from their first meeting, so, refusing her repeated invitations to house parties, he did not miss any opportunity to meet and talk with her personally, especially since she was expecting these meetings, which was evident. Unlike Joshka, Eli Kaplan began to make regular appearances at Braina’s parties, quickly gained the popularity of the whole company with anecdotes and jokes, and was perceived as being one among his own kind.
Soon it became noticeable that he also showed an interest in Braina. Now and then Kaplan started talking to her about the right of young people to “love freely,” transparently hinting about his readiness for such a relationship. Braina tried to laugh it off, but Eli insisted, so she firmly stated that she knew about his relationship with her friend Hava Margolina, and shamed him by comparing him to an irresponsible and immoral womanizer. At that, Braina couldn’t resist mentioning Joshka Gershon as an example worthy of emulation.
In response, Kaplan was quick to reveal to Braina the “secret” of the complicated relationship between him, Hava, and Joshka, which is that this “exemplary” Joshka is allegedly madly in love with Hava, worships her as a superior being, and Hava unconscionably uses it and torments Joshka, making fun of him and allowing him to court her just for the laughs.
Such words at first had a heavy effect on Braina’s mood. She felt bitter and hurt for the bright expectations that she had had after meeting Joshka because from the first meetings she felt that he cared for her, and she felt more and more affection and respect for his kindness, justice, modesty, and honesty. A woman’s intuition told her that her meeting with Gershon was no accident, that fate had brought them together! But was she so cruelly mistaken? Was the relationship at the same time with her and Hava just a love affair for Joshka?
However, from somewhere suddenly came the certainty that this simply could not be! Meanness, deceit, and humiliation are incompatible with the man named Joshka Gershon! And even if anything similar to Eli’s story happened between Joshka and Hava, it was only before he met her, Braina, and now it’s all in the past. Most likely, Eli wanted to arouse in her distrust of his friend in order to take advantage of the situation.
Eli noticed that Braina began to shun him, but continued to visit her, though not as often as before. Meanwhile, Hava, who very soon became aware that Eli was clearly courting Braina, began to pay more attention to Gershon and interfere with their meetings with Braina, who felt more and more of an acutely constant need to see Joshka. No one had ever understood her as deeply as he did, no one had ever been so sensitive to her worries and doubts, and no one had ever made her feel so easy, so sure, so safe, and so happy.
For several days Joshka did not see Braina at all. She was worried and wanted to find out what was wrong as soon as possible. One evening, when Braina was getting ready to go home from work, Eli came into the orphanage and offered to walk her home. As they were heading for the exit, the door opened, and Gershon appeared on the threshold with a joyful smile on his face. He was clearly in a good mood, but when he saw Braina with Kaplan, he instantly changed, and his eyes became sad. Briefly explaining that he was in Minsk on business, he hurriedly said goodbye and left.
Braina felt bitterly disappointed that because of Eli’s presence such a necessary and welcome meeting had not taken place. She became agitated, and when she came home she could not calm down. She wanted to see Joshka, to talk to him frankly, heart to heart.
She no longer doubted that she loved him as she had never loved anyone else. To be his wife, to take care of him, to help him, to be there for him always — that was her happiness, her destiny, the most important event of her life! And it would not be the case that Eli would become a hindrance between them.
As if flying with wings, Braina rushed to the Sands, to the Gershons’ house, past her parents’ house, without even looking at it. Now she could see the little house, faintly lit from inside by a kerosene lamp. Two people came out of the house. They were Joshka and Hava. As if waking up from a dream, the shaken Braina sank without strength on a stump, which happened to be conveniently nearby. Through the bushes, she saw that after walking a few steps and a short conversation, Joshka returned to the house, and Hava quickly walked away.
It dawned on Braina: she must immediately talk frankly with Hava about Joshka, find out about their relationship, and then it will be clear what to do next.
She caught up with Hava outside her house. When she saw Braina, Hava was not surprised at all and invited her into her room. There was a difficult but frank conversation between the former friends. Braina confessed that she had fallen deeply in love with Gershon, ready to tie her fate with him forever, and it seems to her that the feeling is mutual. Nevertheless, since Hava knew Joshka before she did, Braina asked for an honest and straightforward account of Hava’s plans for Joshka, without any intrigue. If Hava sincerely loves him and wants to become his wife, and Joshka responds to her in the same way, then Braina would not interfere with them and would even go to another city to try to forget everything. In Braina’s opinion, torturing and deceiving a man like Joshka would be unfair, despicable, and unworthy of both of them.
Hava and Braina. Bobruisk, 1921.
Braina easily dispelled Hava’s reproaches about Eli Kaplan’s advances and reassured her that she was completely indifferent to him.
At the very end of this difficult conversation, Hava said that an hour ago Joshka had also confessed to her that he liked Braina, and now she could only envy their mutual love. In the end, Hava promised to think about everything and give an answer.
The next evening, when Braina was walking home after work, Joshka was already waiting for her in the square near the orphanage. A passionate explanation and confession of mutual love took place between them.
Later, Braina learned that Hava had not only told Joshka about their frank conversation, but even wished them both happiness and love, and she soon left to go to Petrograd permanently.
Then Braina and Joshka came to the Gershons’ house and announced that they would live together from now on. This happened in June 1922. In Joshka’s small room, with only a bed, a couch, a table, and two chairs, the young lovers experienced the incomparable happiness of spiritual and physical intimacy, the joy of finding their one and only desired life partner.
Braina temporarily left her job, all her feelings and thoughts were focused on her beloved, she experienced a state of a wonderful celebration, which took over her whole being. With difficulty, she and Joshka parted every morning when he left for work. They were truly happy.
But not everyone approved of their union. Although the Soviet authorities had legalized free civil marriages, and in such large cities as Moscow and Petrograd they became commonplace, in the Jewish community of Bobruisk the news of such a union between Gershon and Braina caused a stir and lively gossip. Even Braina’s young friends did not approve of marriage without a huppah, a rabbi, or a wedding, and to her parents and grandparents, it seemed like an unacceptable sin.
At first, the relatives demanded that Braina come to her senses and end the shameful, scandalous relationship. They tried to influence
Joshka’s father, but he only threw up his hands, philosophically noting that times were changing, and the young generation now understands more than the older one.
A few days passed, and the parents began to beg Braina to at least formalize the marriage according to religious rites. No matter how much Braina tried to explain to them that the old customs had been abolished and that only the mutual consent of the young couple was important, the parents continued to insist that Braina and Joshka agree to at least a marriage-appropriate prayer by a rabbi in the presence of ten Jews.
Joshka firmly refused to do it, and Braina supported him wholeheartedly. Then Braina’s grandmother decided on a naїve trick. One morning, as soon as Joshka had just left the house, Gindochka, Braina’s younger sister, carefully knocked on the window. She said that their grandmother was very sick and asked Braina to visit her urgently. When Braina sat down by the bedside, her grandmother pleaded in a weak voice that she was very sick and did not have much longer left to live, and her last request was that Braina and Joshka agree to a simplified marriage according to the Jewish custom.
It was half dark in the room, but Braina could still see that her grandmother did not look sick at all, and certainly not dying. She wished her a speedy recovery and tried to convince her that even without this prayer she and Joshka were happy and would always be faithful to each other. The grandmother had no choice but to rise from her bed and pray for her granddaughter’s happiness herself.
Braina and Joshka turned out to be a rare, truly happy couple. A great mutual love united them, and from the very beginning of their life together, their complete mutual understanding was evident, not only in the basic problems of life but even in everyday household affairs. Both of them placed spiritual values above material goods, both were humble and lacked personal ambition. Their characters combined so
harmoniously that there was no reason for contradiction, and instead of arguments there was a respectful exchange of views that brought them even closer together.
When Joshka went to work in the morning, Braina together with Ida did household chores, and in the evening she assiduously helped her husband to master Russian language grammar and mathematics. These activities gave them great pleasure, especially as they were interrupted now and then by warm hugs and kisses.
In a burst of tenderness, Joshka sang Russian and Jewish songs to Braina. She especially liked the Russian romance, which had such stirring lyrics:
I’ve never been to the Bosphorus,
But I’ll tell you about it.
In your eyes, I have seen the sea,
Blazing with blue fire!
At the family’s evening tea, the Gershons discussed the events that were taking place in the country and the city. Joshka’s father, a lifelong, elderly Jew, usually took an active part in these conversations and insisted that the Soviet authorities were wrong to try to achieve success in production by appeals and slogans alone because all the blessings in life are created by people who are interested in their work.
Joshka explained to his father that the Soviet regime was instilling in the people a new attitude toward the state as their common home, in which all people, from the common laborer to the leader, were brothers and caring overseers, so everyone worked amicably, well, and honestly. In response, the old man shook his head incredulously, while Braina admired her husband’s mature judgment and his deep faith in Soviet power.
Ida was not interested in such talk, for it was of little understanding to her. She either fussed about the table or sat with her hands folded in her lap, silently and devotedly watching her father and brother, whom she loved and respected endlessly.
No wonder they say that the time spent in happiness flies by. Since Braina became Gershon’s wife, she had no time to think about the work she had left behind at the orphanage. But after almost six months, a reminder of this one day appeared in the form of the well-known and respected Roza Alexandrovna Gorelik, a tireless enthusiast and innovator in the field of preschool education. For the first time in Belarus, she proposed organizing “zero groups” in schools, where children of seven years of age would be gradually accustomed to the school routine so that in the first grade it would be easier for them to adapt to the new conditions and requirements.
Roza Aleksandrovna offered for Braina to collaborate with her in implementing this idea in one of the schools in Bobruisk. Braina, of course, agreed enthusiastically, and for the next four years, she passionately worked as a teacher of the zero group under Roza Alexandrovna’s guidance.
Braina, Joshka, and Lena. 1925
A happy young family… Nothing yet foreshadows the trouble that will come in a few years.