“I’ve heard all of these things, too,” the man said. “But the passeur will avoid Swiss border controls. Once you’re there, your documents will disguise who you are.”

“How soon can we leave?” Abba asked.

“Producing the false documents will take time. Two or three months, at least. And that’s if we start the process right away.”

“I will pay any price,” Abba said.

“Can we assume that the terrain will be rugged?” Avi asked. “We have a small child.” He gestured to Miriam, who had been pacing the tiny living room while the men talked, rocking Elisheva to sleep in her arms.

“The child is going?” he asked in alarm.

“Yes, of course. All four of us are going,” Abba replied. “I can pay for all of us.”

“A child will be a problem, especially one that small. The route is physically demanding and dangerous. A crying baby can give you away. I don’t know of anyone who has tried to do it with a small child. I’m not certain the passeur will even agree to try.”

Miriam’s hope evaporated, and despair rushed in to take its place. She held Elisheva tightly as if someone might snatch her from her arms.

“You said it will take a few months for all our papers to arrive?” Abba asked. “The baby will be stronger by then.”

“I can strap her to my chest and carry her,” Avi said.

“Smuggling two men will be no problem. Even you,” he said, gesturing to Miriam, “if you have sturdy shoes.” He lifted the book, and the map curled up on its own. He rolled it tightly and pushed it back into place in the spine. “But traveling with a baby will be close to impossible.”

Disappointment nearly crushed all three of them. Abba gave the man a down payment to begin the process and asked him to please inquire about taking Elisheva. “It’s unthinkable for any of us to leave without her,” he said.

In July, the synagogue was vandalized with painted swastikas and slogans reading, “Jews die!” Miriam remembered Kristallnacht and everything that had happened to her family after that terrible night. It was happening all over again in the Netherlands.

New rules for Jews appeared in the newspapers, including a summary of all the places they were forbidden to go. They could no longer ride on trams or buses or trains. They couldn’t visit parks or do business with non-Jewish shops. They could no longer visit non-Jewish households. Miriam’s world shrank to include only the synagogue, the Jewish grocery store, and the streets around her apartment.

As her life grew more confined, her fear grew more expansive, enlarging with each new proclamation until it nearly overwhelmed her. She had to protect her daughter, but how? She and Avi searched for a way as they lay in each other’s arms at night, whispering their love and their fear. They found no answer.