A shiver went down Batya’s spine. Where could they be safe?

The negotiation concluded when the woman agreed to give the family a loan to pay the rent. At that, Batya understood. They would never have the huge sum required for the train, passports, and ship’s passages. America was nothing but a dream.

She examined their new home. Rain had cratered holes in the dirt floor. The cracks between the slats of wood needed to be filled with tar, the window shutters fixed, and the thatched roof repaired. Batya sighed. Never mind the stench of moldy hay and dog feces. Never mind that until they built an outhouse, they would relieve themselves in the woods. At least their trek in the muddy road was over.

Batya’s mother pulled the bench against the wall, leaned back as she sat down, and let out an audible breath. She could now rest for a few hours until Shabbat exited.

Batya sat next to her and took her hand. “Tell me a story.”

Her mother smiled. “A man was traveling through the desert, hungry, thirsty, and tired, when he came upon a tree bearing luscious fruit and affording plenty of shade, underneath which ran a spring of water. He ate the fruit, drank the water, and rested in the shade.

“When he was about to leave, he turned to the tree and said: ‘Tree, o tree, with what should I bless you? Should I bless you that your fruit be sweet? Your fruit is sweet. Should I bless you that your shade be plentiful? Your shade is plentiful. That a spring of water should run beneath you? A spring of water runs beneath you.’

“The man thought for a moment. ‘There is one thing with which I can bless you: May it be God’s will that all the trees planted from your seeds should be like you!’”

“Like our oak tree at home,” Batya exclaimed, “the one your father’s father planted.” Their beloved tree in whose thick foliage she and Surale had hidden. She pointed toward the window. “We’ll plant an oak tree right here.” It would grow big and strong, and would serve their family for generations to come.

Chapter Five

Batya tightened her cardigan. In spite of the cold, her heart felt light. Her family had a hut with a door to close. Although it was very late in the season, she and her mother could begin cultivating a vegetable garden behind the house. They could still plant cabbage and even parsnips. For now, she’d search for mushrooms and berries in the forest. It wasn’t labor, she reminded God, just a Shabbat pastime.