by Dayna Rubin
“Good.”
Russell turned toward Dauphine and Natanya. “You will follow me, and I will lead you out. Any missteps and you will no longer be. Is that clear?”
“It is.” They replied in unison.
I. M. Pei opened his eyes, his upper lip glistening from the energy he had cast in his grand daughter’s direction.
He was waiting for them when they entered Warren’s old office. Tsun Jae ran to him, confused as to why he would be there.
“Grand-daughter, there is so much you don’t know yet. You must wait until you are ready.” I. M. Pei whispered as he reached out to her, holding her hands in his.
“I will reveal this much to all of you. There were missions accepted for our Allies during the war. United States harbored some of the paintings, as did other National Galleries such as London, France, and many others for safekeeping. The heads of each government have been entrusted to keep the secret safe until it is time.”
Natanya felt behind her for something to sit on, finding the leather tufted couch, she gratefully dropped into it, while Dauphine remained standing alongside Gage, both speechless as they listened.
“We want to divulge the secrets to the world, let them know of the existence of these paintings. Some of which have thought to have been lost.” Dauphine stated boldly.
“It has been discussed, as we have known this day would come. Just as you have discovered the answer, others are discovering it as well,” Russell spoke smoothly and evenly.
“By others, do you mean Warren, Philippe and Pascal?” Dauphine asked.
“Yes, that is what I mean.”
Dauphine inhaled deeply and continued, “We would like to show the paintings to the world. Let them see, as we have seen, how the Resistance was able to dupe Hitler. Return these paintings and other artifacts to the families of the people who perished in the camps.”
“Yes. It has been fifty years since we moved these few paintings, since we created this haven,” I. M. Pei said solemnly.
“We?” Gage and Natanya asked.
“There are always thirty-six chosen people to maintain the secrets of the world, all of whom are unknown to one another, all of whom maintain the balance. It has been decided that this secret should be revealed.”
“A news conference is approved? To tell the world…show the world…all of us together?” Natanya asked.
“Yes, you may restore what was once taken.” Russell unclasped his hands, which had been hanging loosely before him and in an unhurried manner; he stepped back from the doorway, raising his right hand in the direction of the lobby, guiding Dauphine, Natanya and Gage to the gathering media to disclose the culmination of all of their efforts.
Chapter Forty-Two
Mathematically Composed and Principled
“I would like to take this opportunity to inform the world of an incredible discovery we have made. This will change the way we have viewed the loss experienced by over six million individuals of Jewish heritage, along with hundreds of thousands of individuals from many other races and religions who strove to help them or were caught up in the cleansing affected by Hitler.” Warren paused to gather his thoughts.
Dauphine began to speak from her podium at the National Gallery, “What we would like to impart to all of the people in the world is going to be exalting, but won’t come without a cost.” She also paused; the moment they waited for seemed to loom before them.
The camera operators were signaled, and they began to pan over both rooms, a split screen allowed for both the views of the National Gallery and its contents, as well as those within the estate of Roman Abramovich. The splendor of the original Mona Lisa, the glory of the Road to Tarascon, as well as so many others, including Chagall, Renoir, Manet, and other Old Masters was broadcasted to the world.
Roman Abramovich stepped forward from the shadows to stand beside Warren and Philippe, who had been speaking at the podium from within his ballroom, where the paintings, coins, rugs, and other valued artifacts were displayed.
“I, Roman Abramovich applaud the valiant efforts of this man for bringing back the valued items to not only the people of Russia, but throughout the world. He is a hero for not backing down. We must trust what he is about to tell us.” Roman clapped Warren on the back in a friendly manner with one hand, and shook Warren’s extended hand with the other.
Warren began to tell of their discovery, finishing with this statement. “In the war, there was something that was not lost upon the people of any race, or any ethnicity, and that was the quest for salvation.”
Warren looked into the camera, his eyes filled with unshed tears as he continued. “What we have found is worth upwards of billions of dollars, but is worth so much more than its monetary valuation. Each one of the items you saw before you belonged at one time to someone. Someone who was forced to give it up for either food, clothing, shelter, or for their own lives or those of a family member, and once doing so, lost the very thing they exchanged; their life. There is no value we can put on that, but what we can rejoice in, is how the solidarity of many resistance groups had the ability to create an underground network of humble and unassuming individuals to carry out this vast effort to save what had belonged to them.”
“For them, we would like to say thank you. Thank you for duping Hitler into believing that he had taken something of value from these innocent people, when in fact he had nothing but a replica. Thank you for giving a sense of hope to those who had thought that all was lost. Hashovas Aveidah, which in Hebrew means, All is Not Lost.”
Warren said slowly and deliberately, “I would like to begin reading the names of the families for whom these items ultimately belong;
ABRAMOVICH, SHEIVA ALTER from the SOVIET RUSSIA, who perished at the camp of ZINKOV in 1943 at the age of 47.
ABRAMOVICZ, BENTZION MOSHE from POLAND, who perished at the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1943 at the age of 46.
ABRAMSON, SARA MOSHE from POLAND, who perished at the camp of LIVANI in 1941 at the age of 23.
ADLER, PNINA YESHAIAHU from CZECHOSLOVAKIA, who perished at the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1942 at the age of 42.
ADAM, FEIGA REUVEN from POLAND, who perished at the camp of WARSZAWA in 1942 at the age of 25.
AUERBACH, RIKA ELIEZER from POLAND, who perished at the camp of LODZ in 1942 at the age of 65.
AUGUSTOWSKI, SHABTAI JAKOB from POLAND, who perished at the camp of JANOW in 1941 at the age of 39.
AWROBLANSKI, CHAJM YAAKOV from POLAND, who perished at the camp of TREBLINKA in 1942 at the age of 47.
ALTMAN, BERNHARD ISRAEL from ROMANIA, who perished at the camp of KOPAYGOROD on 22/02/42 at the age of 47.
AMSTERDAMSKI, MENACHEM ELIAHU from LITHUANIA, who perished at the camp of KAUFERING on 23/04/45 at the age of 19.
ANGEL, ISAAC YOSSEF from GREECE, who perished at the camp of POLAND in 1940 at the age of 64.
ANDERMAN, CHAIM BENIAMIN from POLAND, who perished at the camp of BUCZACZ in 1942 at the age of 60.
APELBOJM, SENDL FISHEL from POLAND, who perished at the camp of TREBLINKA in 1941 at the age of 37.
AKSELRAD, ETI AVRAHAM from POLAND, who perished at the camp of JAGIELNICA in 1942 at the age of 19.
The Chief Justice had taken a position behind Warren; tears filled his eyes as Warren continued to read the list of names.
While in museums, mansions and estates, there were gasps of utter disbelief as the owners of the copied paintings realized some of their prized possessions might not in fact be real.
“There he is…that handsome man from our building…See, I told you they were doing something big!” Mrs. Orbis squealed as she sat beside the women from her aerobic swim group. They had all gathered in front of the television at the YMCA where there was breaking news.
“That the one…that one who won’t pick up his dry cleaning! I try, Mr. Hee, but he not listen. Come in with that girl. Do a little hanky-panky. Mrs. Hee not like it. Tell them to leave. But he doesn’t pick up dry cleaning!” Mrs. Hee yelled out to her
husband who was bringing in large quilts to the front of the store where she sat transfixed watching the television broadcast from the set hanging from the wall at the front of the dry cleaner.
TAUB, MISHA MIKHEL from the USSR, perished in the camp of ODESSA in 1941 at the age of 41.
SHPIALTER, NESIA GERSHL from the USSR, perished in the camp of ZINKOV in 1943 at the age of 37.
KUGLER, NAFTALI MEYER from POLAND, perished in the camp of SIEMAKOWCE in 1941 at the age of 64.
BLOCH, SIEGFRIED MAX from GERMANY, perished in the camp of THERESIENSTADT on 08/10/42 at the age of 69.
KOTLYAR, MATIA BERL from the USSR, perished in the camp of STEBLEV in 1941 at the age of 30.
BRASLAVSKI, LUZIA MOZIA from the USSR, perished in the camp of KIYEV in 1941 at the age of 48.
KOGAN, ARKADI SHMUL from the USSR, perished in the camp of DZHONIKIDZE in 1942 at the age of 37.
KHASIN, YAKOV PINKHAS from the USSR, perished in the camp of BRUSILOV in 1941 at the age of 42.
NUSSBAUM, SIEGFRIED FERDINAND from GERMANY, perished in the camp of LODZ on 23/02/42 at the age of 43.
HERING, SARA YANKEL from POLAND, in the camp of TARNOGROD in 1942 at the age of 52.
WAISMAN, YOSEF ELIEZER from POLAND, perished in the camp of TREBLINKA in 1941 at the age of 19.
MOLHO, SOL SALOMON from GREECE, perished in the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1943 at the age of 63.
WAISMAN, NACHUM ELIEZER from POLAND, perished in the camp of MIEDZYRZEC in 1943 at the age of 25.
BERNSHTEIN, REGINA MOR from CZECHOSLOVAKIA, perished in the camp of AUSCHWITZ 1944 at the age of 25.
CZODIK, MARIA MOR from ROMANIA, perished in the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1944 at the age of 58.
CZODIK, OSZKAR ANDRAS from ROMANIA, perished in the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1944 at the age of 59.
MOSHENSKI, ESTER ITZIK from the USSR, perished in the camp of BAKU, AZERBAIDZHAN (USSR) in 1942 at the age of 62.
SEIDER, ARON LEV from the USSR, perished in the camp of KHARKOV in 1941 at the age of 56.
KLEIN, KLARA MIKSA from HUNGARY, perished in the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1944 at the age of 38.
RINGER, CHAIM SHAUL from BELGIUM, perished in the camp of AUSCHWITZ in 1942 at the age of 59.
“Ahh, yes, you see Zaideh, I told you we shouldn’t give up.” Tears cascaded down her face as she reached out to her invalid husband in his hospital bed. The numbers boldly contrasted against the skin of her forearm as she held his hand, they watched as Warren continued to read the list of names, his voice strong and clear. He carefully enunciated each word, pausing to catch his breath between each name, as the list was very long.
The End
Natanya’s Notes
