No More Fear: 1-The Shepherd

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No More Fear1-The Shepherd

• Introduction
• (Translated from the Yiddish)
• Prepared by Leybl Botwinik

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• A few years ago,
• Lior (a colleague and friend)
• told me that his uncle
• had some Yiddish books,
• and asked me if I would
• like to have them
• before they were disposed of.

No More Fear 1-The Shepherd
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• Since it always pains me
• to see people throw out Yiddish books, I answered
  him positively that, yes, I would come take a
  look.

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• His uncle, Moyshe,

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• waited for us at the apartment

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• which was on the bottom floor.

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• The previous owner had left the place almost
  entirely empty, except for a writing table,

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• and a bookshelf.

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• I took down a book of Yiddish idioms and
  expressions that was published two years earlier,
  and it looked quite old.
• Another book, from 1920, of scientific terms
  (Russian-Yiddish), on the other hand, was in an
  almost new condition. The same with other books.
• I pointed out to them the strange condition of
  the books Those that should have looked old,
  looked brand new, and vice-versa.

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• He was a strange person,
• my friend Liors uncle, Moyshe, said.
• Always cooped up in the apartment.

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• Rarely did I see him go out.
• And each time, looking different.
• Sometimes, with a beard,

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• and sometimes clean-shaven.

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• Sometimes with a mustache.

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• Sometimes, Id see him with grey hair,

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• and a few days later,
• hed have jet-black hair..

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• What did he do here? Its a very big place for
  one person, and I dont see any signs of
  furniture on the carpet, I said.

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• Who knows? He once told me that he was in the
  business of importing/exporting electronic and
  computer parts.

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• As I looked again at the shelves of books,

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• I noticed a bound folder.

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• Do you have any idea what that is?
• I asked.

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• Yes. I remember. Hed call it his Diary.
• He once told me, that it contained his lifes
  work. His dearest possessions.

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• Interesting that he should leave it here. Maybe
  he removed the important documents, and left the
  less important ones.

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• I untied the string and opened the folder. Inside
  I found an old diary that was about
  three-quarters filled.

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• There was a hand-drawn map, and various
  documents. In addition, I found some issues of a
  Yiddish newspaper Ershte Nayes (First News)
  possibly a spoof of the Hebrew Yediot Akhronot
  (Latest News)?

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• There was a hand-drawn map, and various
  documents. In addition, I found some issues of a
  Yiddish newspaper Ershte Nayes (First News)
  possibly a spoof of the Hebrew Yediot Akhronot
  (Latest News)?

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• I opened the diary in the middle.
• There was a date from about 30 years ago January
  22, 1976.
• I began to turn the pages. I was stunned. The
  dates jumped years ahead,
• and then back, but the days / months were
  consecutive. Two pages later
• January 23, 1989
• And the following page
• January 24, 1966.
• Like the person himself, this was quite strange.

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22nd of January, 1976
No More Fear 1-The Shepherd
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• 22nd of January, 1976

23rd of January, 1989
No More Fear 1-The Shepherd
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• 22nd of January, 1976

23rd of January, 1989

• 24th of January, 1966

No More Fear 1-The Shepherd
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• 22nd of January, 1976

23rd of January, 1989

• 24th of January, 1966

I opened up at the beginning, and immediately
closed it.
No More Fear 1-The Shepherd
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• I packed everything up in my car, thanked them,
  and drove home. There I left everything in the
  car, so tomorrow I could take it all down to my
  friend Mendi at the Yung Yiddish library in
  Tel-Aviv.

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• I took the folder with the diary and papers,
  inside. My wife and children greeted me, and I
  spent the rest of the evening with my family,
  until quite late.

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• When everyone had gone to sleep, I reopened the
  diary, and began to read

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• Saturday night, March 25th, 1911.
• Today was the great fire in the Triangle factory
  in New York.
• It was terrible. I did everything I could to
  rescue as many of the innocent victims as
  possible.
• Unfortunately, it was next to impossible to
  approach many of them, and too late to help
  others.
• How Brave they were. How Tragic their Fate.
• But like the legendary Phoenix, hopefully a
  better, purer world for Jews and Mankind will be
  born out of the terrible fire

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No More Fear 1-The Shepherd

• Artwork Nathaniel H. Botwinik
• Photos and texts Leybl Botwinik
• If you would like to read more
• http//www.leyblsvelt.co.il/mkp-I-hoyptzaytl.h
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