Watching the waves froth against the shore and ripple back
out to sea, Shmuel and his young wife stood at the dock.
They came a full two hours early. They drew closer, walking
the length of the magnificent vessel, talking non-stop about
their upcoming voyage. All the money gifts from the wedding,
as well as all the money the young man had saved for the
last few years were invested in this trip. A fabulous voyage
to a new life in a new country. All around them, happiness
filled the air.
The cruise liner's interior consisted of three levels:
various degrees of luxury. Tiffany lamps at tasteful
intervals, walls lined in high quality tapestries, and an
Olympic swimming pool were only a few of the numerous
creature comforts on board. A broad staircase with
elaborately designed gold handrails led to the stateroom.
Turkish baths separated with latticed wooden partitions were
located not far from the a la carte restaurant - the
tables draped in perfect white tablecloths and surrounded by
plush gold colored chairs.
The couple went into the terminal. Faigy, the lovely young
bride, thought about the separation from her family and
friends in Romania, and her eyes began to tear. It was the
most difficult thing she had ever done. All the relatives
from both sides lavished an abundance of hugs, loving
advice, as well as kosher food packages and more food
packages. These hugs would have to last her for a very long
time -- perhaps forever... Now she looked up at her tall,
square shouldered husband, who seemed to know that he was
doing the right thing. She straightened herself up as well.
She would be a wife who provided him with support, she
resolved firmly. A wife that stood straight and strong in
any decision he made. Yes, she would stand at his side for a
lifetime of true togetherness. Faigy looked around and let
the excitement of traveling on such a luxurious ship suffuse
her with the joy of anticipation. Closing her eyes, she let
the lush rooms of the ship fill her mind. The thought of it
made her want to dance! She had been dreaming of this trip
for weeks. The glitz and the glamor excited her beyond
belief.
The British seacraft weighed 46,000 tons gross. This was
the colossal craft's maiden voyage. The seas were completely
smooth on this chilly spring day. 2,200 passengers had
already boarded.
Shmuel and Faigy passed through all of the customs and
passport controls. Singles, couples and whole families began
to go out and board the ship but Shmuel and Faigy lingered
in the bustling area for a few extra minutes, mesmerized by
the amazing numbers of people saying their farewells with
raw emotions revealed on their faces. Tears, smiles and
laughter were plentiful. A little girl licking an enormous
lollypop held on tightly to her father's hand while his free
hand twirled his long handelbar moustache somewhat
nervously. A short teenager walked through the crowd,
hawking his wares of pastries and drinks displayed in a box
hanging from his shoulders by a stout rope.
Suddenly, Shmuel noticed a commotion by the passport
control. From afar, he saw a fellow Jew attempting to argue
with the officer on duty, and pushed his way through the
throngs to see if he could be of help. It was a lad of no
more than fourteen. Shmuel asked what the problem was and
quickly realized that of the three languages his landsman
knew, English was not one of them.
They exchanged a few sentences. "My parents sailed to
America last November," Yossi, the young boy, explained.
"They've been saving money to send for me. Meanwhile, I've
been living with an elderly uncle, working and saving money
as well." He bowed his head sadly and paused for a moment.
"My uncle passed away last week. The shiva ended
yesterday and I have nowhere to be. I desperately want to
sail on this ship and be reunited with my parents as soon as
possible. But I don't know if it is possible..." He sniffed.
Shmuel handed him a handkerchief, then turned to the
official and explained the situation. He did not notice how
empty the huge hall had suddenly become. Faigy stood quietly
by. Over the roar of the engines the tooting of the ship's
horns and the booming of loudspeakers, she could barely make
out the announcement of imminent departure, demanding all
passengers to board ship.
"Shmuel," she said hesitantly. "We must get on the ship now.
Can't you hear the whistle? I think it's the last one."
"One minute, please. We want Yossi to come with us, don't
we?" Shmuel turned, looked at Faigy, and said, "We can't
leave him stranded, can we? He is all alone and has nowhere
to go!"
Yossi looked up at Shmuel, tremendous gratitude sweeping
across his face, but Shmuel didn't notice. He had already
turned his attention back to the customs officer and was
trying to impress upon him the seriousness of the
situation.
Faigy shifted uneasily but remained quiet. The large room
had almost completely emptied by now. A brisk sea breeze
whistled through the air.
A final blast of the ship's horn. Outside the building,
the vessel raised anchor and began to churn out to sea.
Hands held high, waved good- bye, on shore and at sea.
Shouts and noise. Soon a soft quiet settled over those
remaining on dock as the ship drifted further and further
out to sea.
"You can argue from today till tomorrow, sir, but this
passport is not in order. It is not valid and this gentleman
will have to take care of it at the embassy." The officer
was red-faced by now. He removed his spectacles, which were
steamed up with perspiration and frustration, turned his
back on them, went off to a side room and slammed the door
behind him with finality.
When the threesome went out through the wide entrance of the
now totally empty building, they were met with the sight of
a ship dwindling into the horizon, seemingly tiny. They knew
how huge it was. All the wellwishers had already gone and
the ground consisted of a few stragglers, a lot of litter,
and two cleaning men. Faigy burst into tears.
"All of our dreams! All the excitement. We've lost it
all!"
Shmuel looked her in the eye with firmness and
determination. "Faigy, we were helping a fellow Jew in
distress. That's all that is really important in life.
Everything Hashem does is good and you must never forget
that. We'll go help our new friend get a proper passport and
find out what other ships are available. We don't need to
travel with frills. Mitzvos are the only ornaments we
need."
Faigy looked at her brave young husband through tearsoaked
lashes. Pride swelled in her heart. She straightened herself
up and wiped her eyes. She was so blessed to have a husband
like Shmuel!
The next day, from their hotel room, the young couple
heard the news screamed throughout the city, round the
world.
Fredrick Fleet was in the crow's nest as lookout that night
and was the first to sight the iceberg shortly after eleven
thirty. He quickly rang the crow's nest bell three times and
telephoned the wheelhouse to warn them of the deadly
obstacles, but the ship was speeding too quickly to turn and
smashed into the iceberg. Water began pouring into the
vessel amongst screams and hysteria.
Jack Philips operated the ship's wireless radio. He sat at
his station sending out the international distress signal.
He stayed at his post, issuing the call for help until the
end. He died that night, Sunday April 14, 1912, one of the
1500 people who perished. 705, mostly women and children,
survived the freezing Netherland sea in life rafts to tell
the tale when they reached the Carpathia and safety.
The luxury liner, which sank within three hours after
breaking in two, was the Titanic.
The young couple was my maternal grandparents who later
moved to Canada to raise five beautiful children, of which
my mother was the third. Thanks to my grandfather's desire
to help a fellow Jew and his faith in Hashem, his
grandchildren and great-grandchildren are able to follow in
his footsteps of chessed and emuna, seeing the
goodness and kindness within every situation and knowing
what is important.
