The Southern Jewish weekly. [volume] (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1939-1992, 1941-11-28

far away; and his head was so hot
and aching. He wanted sleep and
rest, that's all, sleep and rest.
In just week, Avram was I'D
and about. People, it appeared,
had heard of him and how he'd de-
rallied a train packed with German
foodstuffs for the Nazi army of
occupation. Avram soon became
a contemporary hero in the
ghetto. Not that anyone had real
hope of being able to escape the
ghetto and flee to point of ref
uge, nor did anyone for moment
even feel that Avram could actu-
ally improve conditions for the
half-million Ghetto-ites. But the
figure of the young man passing
down the streets kindled a spark
way down in Jewish hearts that
had long been forgotten. The
word Maccabee was associated
with Avram.
Yet the heavy feeling of depres-
sion that so long had characteriz-
ed the ghetto was not to be cast
off just because another stalwart,
unflinching young Jew had ap-
peared on the scene. Such things
happen in pretty story books but
not in the Ghetto of Warsaw.
But Avram was all that the
name Maccabee implied: courag-
eous, determined, hopeful. He saw
at a moments notice why it was
that the leaders of the Kehillah
had asked him to become a Jew
ism propaganda" For, indeed,
the spirit OF the people was ter
ribly low. And something had to
be done. So, until he was able to
improve his technique, Avram de-
cided that the best he could do
was to go from house to house,
from Jew to Jew, cheering up, en-
couraging, lending a hand, and be-
ing as good a Good Samaritan as
he possibly could. No sooner de-
cided than done.
It took patience and tact and
doggedness to keep at the task,
but Avram was not one to lose
courage so soon. On the evening
before Sabbath, Avram was about
to enter a so-called apartment to
ask if there were anything he
could do, when he was stopped by
the loud shouting that was eman-
ating from across the hallway. He
listened and heard a girls voice
imploring:
mo, I won't marry him. I
won't have a child by him nor
anyone else. I won't marry! No,
no! How can you expect me to
bring a child-a Jewish baby, yet
into this hell? Better nothing
than a ghetto baby. Can't you
see? I tell you I'd rather kill
myself than marry"
No Jew speaks of self destruc-
ton in the ghetto, for it is the
ugliest crime against God and the
human race that the ghetto
knows. And Avram felt that here
was someone who really was in
need of help. So he knocked on
the door and walked in.
The girl who had been speaking
was beautiful. The scarcity OF
clothes she had on only enhanced
her beauty. Avram had to pause
before he could speak.
He explained as best he could
that he had overheard her CONVEX
sation by accident, and he'd come
in because he wanted to help her
in her delima. He noticed that
the DESTROYS groom was an oldster
who would never again see the
light of forty. Avram asked If the
Young lady, and to all appearances
she was eighteen, would care TO
walk with him for an hour or So
He wanted to speak to her.
Avram explained that he dlon
blame her for refusing to marry
a man as old as the proposed
groom was. But what kind OF
falk was that for a daughter OF
israel? About not. bearing a cnio