were stirred by him. And since the hearts of our chiefs and our leaders were stirred by our comrade Isaac, they told him that even they might as-cend to see what was going on there in Palestine. In those days, the Zionists used to call the Land of Israel Palestine. And when they got to Palestine, they would come visit him and would have their picture taken with him as he walked behind the plow. How happy Isaac was when he imagined himself standing among our leaders and our chiefs and the photographer is taking a picture of them together. Even the most humble of the humble doesn’t run away from such an honor. Finally, they wrote letters of introduction for him to their colleagues in Palestine. And whereas he was the first one journeying to the Land of Israel and the first to ask for a recommendation, they lavished praise on him, and asked their comrades in the Land of Is-rael to support him and aid him and include him in their circle.
I
Isaac took the letters of recommendation and went to the railroad station. He collected his valise and his sack from the depot and boarded the train. The train was full of Jews and Christians, Jews who look like Christians and Christians who look like Jews. Isaac sat down and didn’t raise his eyes to anyone, like a man who chanced upon great men and wouldn’t dare lift his head. But when he heard their talk, his awe of them departed and he saw himself more distinguished than they, for they were traveling for their imaginary existence and he was traveling to the Land of Israel. He felt the letters and was glad as if he held a banknote hidden in his hand.
The train went on, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, swallowing between its wheels places whose names he had never even
heard of. How many cities there are in the world. There must be a need for them. But Isaac has no need for them. If he hadn’t stopped in Lemberg, he would already have been approaching his destination. At any rate, he has no regrets, for during his visit to Lemberg, he had greeted our leaders and had received letters of introduction to their comrades in the Land of Israel. By now Isaac had stopped reading the names of the cities. Other cities and other places held sway over Isaac’s heart, the cities and villages of the Land of Is-rael. But even in Galicia there are cities steeped in fond affection, like Przemysl, because the prayerbook you prayed from in your childhood was printed in the Holy City of Przemysl, and because Przemysl is a Citadel, a fortress for the whole state. Like everybody else in Galicia, Isaac thought that in the whole world there was no Citadel stronger than the one in Przemysl, and now that the train was arriving in Przemysl, he pressed to the window to see the Citadel, and was stunned to find that you don’t see towers or turrets or can-nons or any of those things he had heard about. But he did see army commanders, generals of legions of several nations with different col-lars and colors, for every single legion has its own color. Officers of the armies of the Emperor were strolling about the yard of the railroad station. Some with red and green and gray epaulets and some had their beards and their mustaches shaved like priests. These were the troops of General Windischgrätz, like those we saw in our hometown when they came there for war exercises. And there were also cavalry and infantry, artillery and sappers, and officers of other troops that you don’t know what they’re used for. Isaac’s eyes were drawn to see but his heart shriveled and told him, Don’t stand at the window and don’t show yourself to them, for the sight of your face can bring trouble down on you, for you have reached the age of military service and you are shirking and going to another land.
So Isaac went back and sat down in his seat and shrank up so they wouldn’t notice him, for you never know if, among the passengers, there are those who would denounce you, who would turn you over to the authorities and you
I
Isaac took the letters of recommendation and went to the railroad station. He collected his valise and his sack from the depot and boarded the train. The train was full of Jews and Christians, Jews who look like Christians and Christians who look like Jews. Isaac sat down and didn’t raise his eyes to anyone, like a man who chanced upon great men and wouldn’t dare lift his head. But when he heard their talk, his awe of them departed and he saw himself more distinguished than they, for they were traveling for their imaginary existence and he was traveling to the Land of Israel. He felt the letters and was glad as if he held a banknote hidden in his hand.
The train went on, sometimes fast and sometimes slow, swallowing between its wheels places whose names he had never even
heard of. How many cities there are in the world. There must be a need for them. But Isaac has no need for them. If he hadn’t stopped in Lemberg, he would already have been approaching his destination. At any rate, he has no regrets, for during his visit to Lemberg, he had greeted our leaders and had received letters of introduction to their comrades in the Land of Israel. By now Isaac had stopped reading the names of the cities. Other cities and other places held sway over Isaac’s heart, the cities and villages of the Land of Is-rael. But even in Galicia there are cities steeped in fond affection, like Przemysl, because the prayerbook you prayed from in your childhood was printed in the Holy City of Przemysl, and because Przemysl is a Citadel, a fortress for the whole state. Like everybody else in Galicia, Isaac thought that in the whole world there was no Citadel stronger than the one in Przemysl, and now that the train was arriving in Przemysl, he pressed to the window to see the Citadel, and was stunned to find that you don’t see towers or turrets or can-nons or any of those things he had heard about. But he did see army commanders, generals of legions of several nations with different col-lars and colors, for every single legion has its own color. Officers of the armies of the Emperor were strolling about the yard of the railroad station. Some with red and green and gray epaulets and some had their beards and their mustaches shaved like priests. These were the troops of General Windischgrätz, like those we saw in our hometown when they came there for war exercises. And there were also cavalry and infantry, artillery and sappers, and officers of other troops that you don’t know what they’re used for. Isaac’s eyes were drawn to see but his heart shriveled and told him, Don’t stand at the window and don’t show yourself to them, for the sight of your face can bring trouble down on you, for you have reached the age of military service and you are shirking and going to another land.
So Isaac went back and sat down in his seat and shrank up so they wouldn’t notice him, for you never know if, among the passengers, there are those who would denounce you, who would turn you over to the authorities and you
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