Moscow office of a German firm. The text included chemical formulas of poison gas, manufactured in liquid form, which the firm had supplied to Egypt at the behest of the Soviets in the past few years. The difficult translation to Hebrew was tiring, but the implications kept her awake. The quantities of poison gas Egypt had acquired would suffice to kill all the inhabitants of Israel several times over. She thought of the cemetery, Lemmy explaining the religious significance of the ritualistic expansion of the sacred burial grounds. Would anyone remain alive to bury the dead?
She cringed at the memory of his explosive anger, so uncharacteristic of him, yet so understandable for a son whose mother had hung herself and was buried outside the fence as a pariah. But was he right? Had their relationship been rooted in her unresolved feelings for Abraham? Or had she loved the boy for his own qualities? Would she ever know the answer? Probably not, but whatever subconscious motives had driven her, there was no question that by luring Lemmy away from Neturay Karta, she had set those tragic wheels in motion.
Forcing her mind to concentrate on her work, Tanya finished translating at sunrise. The eavesdropping equipment came to life, and she put on the headphones to listen. The exchange was initiated by General Rikhye, an Indian officer who commanded the forty-one observation posts along the Egyptian border with Israel. Four thousand five hundred UN observers served as a buffer that stretched from Gaza, across the Sinai Desert to Eilat and Aqaba, and down to Sharem Al-Sheikh and the Straits of Tiran. Rikhye insisted that General Bull be woken up and read to him verbatim a letter from General Fawzi of the Egyptian High Command. The Egyptians demanded the UN move out of Sharem Al Sheikh, warned that Egyptian forces were already on the way there, and that any attempt to stop them would cause “clashes.” General Bull asked how much time they had, and Tanya was shocked by General Rikhye’s response: “The Egyptians want us out immediately.” The Indian officer then launched into an angry monologue about UN Secretary General U Thant, who apparently had failed to respond to Rikhye’s repeated warnings about the risk of war and the need for an emergency mediation mission. Bull, whose voice betrayed something close to astonishment, asked if Rikhye had told the Egyptians that a UN departure could trigger war. Rikhye replied that he had said exactly that, and that the Egyptian general had declared: We shall meet next in Tel Aviv!
Tanya reported by phone to headquarters. She knew others would be listening in on the UN international phone lines and would soon be able to hear General Bull’s discussions with the UN headquarters in New York. If the UN agreed to evacuate its posts, Nasser would be emboldened to act on his threat to blockade the Straits of Tiran. The worst-case scenario was unfolding into reality!
Elie arrived shortly afterward to collect his car. Tanya told him about Lemmy’s accusations.
“It sounds like the normal process of grief,” Elie said. “Shock, pain, anger, guilt, and finally, acceptance. You shouldn’t blame yourself. If anyone is responsible, it’s Abraham. She was his wife. How could he miss the signs of her desperation?”
Surprised by Elie’s criticism of Abraham, Tanya said, “I’m only telling you all this because I’m worried about Lemmy. He hates his father, and now he hates me too. With no one in the world, if war breaks out, he might feel that he has nothing to lose.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Elie said. “He’s still in training, right?”
Tanya nodded.
“The IDF will use trainees for support services, not front-line fighting. They’re only kids, after all.”
“You think?”
“I’m sure of it,” Elie said. “And in a few weeks, he’ll probably come back to you with an apology.”
“I don’t need his apology. I just want him to be safe and happy.”
“I see no reason to worry.”
“Maybe it’s for the best,” she said. “Like Cortez, who burned down his ships upon reaching the New World, Lemmy can now start a new life on a clean slate. He’s finally free from our sins—mine, Abraham’s, and yours.”
Chapter 39
The graduation ceremony began late in the afternoon on May 18, 1967. The field was divided into squares for each company of graduating trainees from various divisions of the IDF. Lemmy’s company was assigned to the front. They lined up, their olive-green uniforms neatly pressed and their red berets tilted to the right. Zigelnick assumed position a