The year: 1937. Location: A small town in one of the Asian republics of the Soviet Union. The protagonist of our story is Leiser, a proud Jew of his faith. For "crimes" of the type of teaching Torah to the children of Israel, he is sentenced to exile from his home and family. In his new place of residence, Lazer became friends with another young man, who was also sentenced to exile for similar "offenses." The two rented a tiny one-room apartment from Tatar, in an "excellent" location: between the headquarters of the secret police (NKVD) and between the apartment of the local prison director. Only a few houses separated the apartment of the two friends from their "high-ranking" neighbors, but they had no choice, because at the price they could afford, it was not possible to rent a better apartment elsewhere. Besides, when they rented the apartment. They still did not know what "honorable neighbors" they had...
Leiser worked in a factory within the city, while his younger friend found employment in a factory some distance from the city. Both were subject to very severe regulations and restrictions. They were required to report in person to the secret police once every ten days; they were forbidden to have any contact with local Jews, or with other deportees; and they had to undertake not to engage in any illegal activity. Leiser and his friend strictly followed the orders, knowing that any minor "offense" would mean a long prison sentence combined with their work Hardship, deportation to a concentration camp, or even death. For this reason, their extreme caution was such that they did not even visit the local synagogue every day, but prayed at home. On Shabbat they could not resist going to the synagogue, but they made sure to sit separately from the local worshippers. They did not even exchange the Shabbat Shalom blessing with their fellow worshippers, knowing that the secret police had agents and spies everywhere and therefore had to be extra careful.
The holiday of Sukkot approached and Lazer and his friend asked the Tatar owner of the apartment to give them permission to build a small sukkah in the yard of the house. They explained to him that this was their religious requirement and that otherwise they would not be able to eat anything for seven days. The Tatar, who was a devout Muslim, understood their desire and approved their request. He greatly appreciated the two Jewish guys, who always paid the rent on time and were generally quiet and nice tenants. So Laser and his friend built a small sukkah, a sukkah for two. When the holiday came, they quietly made kiddush over the wine and ate their meals in the small sukkah. They couldn't invite anyone to their sukkah, and no one invited them either. When Simchat Torah eve arrived, Leiser's friend offered to buy a bottle of vodka. "Let us rejoice a little," he said, "after all, this holiday is called the festival of our joy, and thank God we have something to rejoice about that we were able to celebrate the holiday properly." Leiser, who was the older of the two, tried to dissuade his friend in vain. He told him that in their situation it would be quite dangerous. "We'll take another drink, and before we even notice, we'll be drunk and forget where we are. It can be too dangerous for us. Don't forget that our neighbor, the prison warden doesn't like us too much. Didn't he tell the landlord that we were not wanted and that he would try to get rid of us?" But the young friend insisted. "There is no law that forbids us from drinking some vodka. I want to rejoice, in spite of the wrath of our enemies. If you don't want to join me, I'll do it alone!" Lazer allowed himself to be convinced. From their meager savings, they bought a bottle of vodka, and sat down in the sukkah to say "Lachaim." With each more drink, their mood rose and improved, and they thanked God that with His great mercy, even in their exile, they had a kosher sukkah and could celebrate Sukkot properly. They began to hum a Hasidic tune, first quietly and then louder and louder. Until finally they jumped to their feet and went out in a passionate dance. They were so happy that they did not hear the heavy footsteps approaching their sukkah. "What the hell is going on here"?! They finally heard the rough voice of the prison commander. The man's face flushed with anger, and their landlord, the Tatar, stood on the sidelines, frightened and amused. "I told you," they heard the Tatar say to the prison commander, "there is no one here except these two Jews. They celebrate their holiday and do no harm to anyone. I can assure you that this is the first time I've seen them in a drunkenness." Lazer was the first to recover from the astonishment that had descended upon them. He forced himself to smile pleasantly and invited the uninvited guests to raise a toast with them. The prison commander turned his back and walked with a nose to his nose, with the Tatar trailing behind him. The next day, the Tatar met with Laiser and told him with concern that their situation did not seem benign to him. The deputy commander of the secret police told him that many complaints had come from unknown people. According to the complaints, Lazer and his friends' apartment was a meeting place for subversive groups against the regime; Lazer himself is planning sabotage operations at the factory where he works. Any of these serious charges could have sent the defendant to many years in distant Siberia. "I told him," the Tatar told Lazer, "because all this is a lie and a lie and that you are honest and decent people, the best people I have ever had. But in any case, you must be very careful, before it is too late."
A few weeks have passed since then, and the "bag" that was sewn into the laser has been completed. On the 19th of Kislev, the day on which the world commemorates the holiday of redemption of the old Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Lyadi from the Russian Tsar's prison, a policeman arrived at their apartment with an arrest warrant for Lazer. He searched the apartment thoroughly but found no incriminating findings; finally, he ordered Lazer to come with him. His first interrogation did not last long, and after a week he briefly informed him that he had been sentenced to death by firing squad. He was handed a document to sign, authorizing the authorities to hand over the suitcase and a food package that had arrived for him in the meantime to his wife. Lazer refused to sign the document without seeing his wife, but the interrogator responded dryly: "Your wife is not interested in meeting with you. She is here and has explicitly announced it." He added: "Actually, we don't need your signature at all, but if you sign, I promise you to arrange for you to be able to see your wife, before the judgment is implemented"... Although he knew that the interrogators' words should not be trusted, he hung on to the last salvage straw he had and signed.
A few weeks passed, the longest weeks of Leiser's life, and suddenly, one dark night, he was woken up and told to get dressed quickly. He was taken to the prison yard, where several detainees were already waiting. It was very cold outside, and an open truck was waiting for the detainees to take them to an unknown destination. Soon, the head of the secret police appeared, accompanied by his deputy and the chief investigator, all drunk and in an "uplifted" mood. The order was heard: "Get into the truck," and the detainees began to climb into the car. The laser did not move or move. "I demand to see my wife," he said, turning to the chief investigator, "you remember that you promised me that I would see her before I died!" But the interrogator laughed in his face... At that moment, the deputy head of the secret police pushed him lightly and whispered in his ear: "Don't be an idiot. This is your only chance, this is where you will be shot." Lazer
