*Orit* After months of negotiation, Avraham, a Jewish scholar from Odessa, was granted permission to visit Moscow. He boarded the train and sat down. At the next stop a young man got on and sat next to him. Avraham looked at the young man and thought: This fellow doesnt look like a peasant, and if he isnt a peasant he probably comes from this area. If he comes from this area, he must be Jewish because this is, after all, a Jewish area. On the other hand, if he is a Jew, where could he be going? Im the only one from our area to be allowed to travel to Moscow. Wait - just outside Moscow there is a little village called Samvet, and you dont need special permission to go there. But why would he be going to Samvet? Hes probably going to visit one of the Jewish families there, but how many Jewish families are there in Samvet? Only two - the Bernsteins and the Steinbergs. The Bernsteins are a terrible family, so he must be visiting the Steinbergs. But why is he going? The Steinbergs have only girls, so maybe hes their son-in-law. But if he is, then which daughter did he marry? Sarah married that nice lawyer from Budapest and Esther married a businessman from Zhitomir, so it must be Sarahs husband. Which means that his name is Alexander Cohen, if Im not mistaken. But if he comes from Budapest, with all the anti-Semitism they have there, he must have changed his name. Whats the Hungarian equivalent of Cohen? Kovacs. But if he changed his name he must have some special status. What could it be? A doctorate from the University. At this point Avraham turns to the young man and said, How do you do, Dr Kovacs? Very well, thank you, sir answered the startled passenger. But how is it that you know my name? Oh, replied Avraham, it was obvious.
Posted on: Mon, 27 Jan 2014 04:23:53 +0000
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