by Noah Beck
“I don’t follow you, Sir.”
“Think about a virulent epidemic that requires quarantining an entire city, even though most of the residents are healthy. For the safety of surrounding areas and to stop the spread of the virus, healthy residents in the infected city may have to die. Is that fair to them?”
“Bb…But that definitely pp-promotes the greater goo…good, Sir,” Zvi said. “Ifff…If Israel has already been de…de-destroyed, how does our killing mm-millions of inn…innocent Iranians promote the gr-greater goo…g-good?”
“By eliminating a growing military menace from a hostile country that is the leading state sponsor of terror, and is only going to threaten more of its neighbors as it grows stronger.”
Bao chimed in: “Now we’re back to a rationale I can relate to. Think of Iran as a tough schoolyard bully who regularly terrorizes about twenty students. What if you could improve the lives of those twenty students by terrorizing just two innocent people – the bully’s parents – enough to make them change their son’s behavior or leave the neighborhood? They really aren’t responsible for their son’s bullying because there’s only so much that they can do to change it, just as – according to Ambesah – there is only so much that the Iranian people can do to change their government. But if terrorizing his parents means that twenty students would stop being bullied by their son, wouldn’t that be worth it, even though his parents did none of the bullying?”
Samir added, “Exactly. And in the case of Iran, the cruel bullying is on an infinitely more evil scale. That regime will soon be terrorizing the rest of the Middle East and beyond, even more than it’s done in the past. And let’s not forget that their attack on our state was totally unprovoked. We did absolutely nothing to deserve a nuclear attack.”
Ambesah rejoined: “Well, there’s been a shadow war for years between our countries. Iran blames us for the assassinations of some of its nuclear scientists.”
Samir dismissed his answer: “Come on, Ambesah. That’s a ridiculous point. Even if those accusations were officially confirmed, preemptively killing some scientists working to create a weapon that threatens a country’s existence is hardly grounds to destroy that country and kill millions of people.”
Eitan joined in: “Iran was involved in major terrorist attacks against the Jews long before the nuclear issue arose. What did the people in the Argentine Israeli Embassy or the Jewish center in Buenos Aires do to deserve the horrific attacks that took their lives and were planned and funded by Iran in the early nineties?”
Daniel reinforced Eitan’s point: “And if Iran was responsible for those massacres under the leadership of Rafsanjani, who is considered to be a moderate, then what does that tell you about the nature of the political system there? And if it pursued such horrible acts without the cover of a nuclear weapon, how much more aggressive and cruel could it become once it possesses the world’s most dangerous weapons? Well, we have the answer to that question in the last two updates from headquarters,” he said, holding up the printout of the updates. “So stopping this threat with an overwhelmingly forceful retribution definitely serves the greater good.”
Ambesah spoke next. “Sir, I feel like we’ve discussed the moral issues pretty thoroughly by now, but I wanted to raise a practical consideration as well.”
“Go on.”
“The Jewish people have never been numerous. In Ethiopia, we were only about 100,000. And in the entire world before the first Holocaust, the Jews totaled about 18 million. After the Holocaust, we dropped to 12 million. If this turns out to be the second Holocaust, then our numbers may have dropped from about 14 million to 7 million. As horrible as such things are, we always seem to survive. We always rebuild. And in a sense we on this ship are on a kind of Noah’s Ark.”
Eitan blurted out some banter to Boutrous: “Wow, Ambesah pulled out Noah’s Ark again – you’re getting the origins of two nicknames in a single day.” There were some scattered chuckles among the men.
Ambesah continued: “I know it may sound a little silly. But that really is Jewish history – surviving one disaster after the next by focusing on rebuilding each time, as unlikely and hard as it may be. And killing millions of innocent Iranians won’t help us to do that. If anything, it will make rebuilding that much harder because the world will hate us even more than it already does.”
Michael replied: “History has shown that the world hates us no matter what we do, so we should just focus on doing the right thing, whatever that is.”
Eitan agreed: “Indeed, the Jews were never destined to win a popularity contest. No point in trying to start winning one now.”
Daniel spoke next: “I understand the need to move on and rebuild as a people, no matter how huge the scale of the tragedy that hit us. But I think there is a fundamental injustice in not responding to what Iran did. And what kind of message would that send to the rest of the world? That naked aggression pays off? That a regional minority can be slaughtered by the millions without consequence? That the Jews are as powerless today as when they were rounded up and put into Nazi cattle cars?”
Michael replied: “I don’t share Ambesah’s hope for renewal. Jewish history grew weary of having us live as subjects at the pleasure and mercy of our hosts, as we were ostracized from one country to the next. It took us two millennia to regain our sovereignty. And now that it’s been destroyed, what’s left? Am I supposed to return to Russia, where my parents are from, and live in fear again as a member of some small and abused ethnic group? I have to embrace a weak and pathetic destiny dependent on favors from greater powers? I prefer that we leave history in dignity, with one last, unforgettable message to the world.”
Eitan addressed Michael: “Does this mean that you’re no longer among the undecided?”
“Yes, I’ve made up my mind. We should attack.”
Samir offered a psychological explanation for Eitan’s indecision: “Maybe you’re still unsure because you have distant cousins in Iran?”
“Don’t be a smartass, Samir. I have my parents, my siblings, some cousins, and all of my friends in the country that was reportedly just destroyed. So a few distant cousins I never met in the country that destroyed Israel isn’t going to change anything. My hesitation has nothing to do with cousins in Iran or even being proud of my Persian heritage. It has to do with the fact that it’s such a monumental decision. I don’t know how we’re supposed to make such a decision when most people here are only in their twenties and nobody’s over forty years old…Normally this type of decision is left to the Prime Minister and his security cabinet. Not to a bunch of kids on a submarine.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised there’s any ambivalence,” Samir responded. “I mean, each of you chose to serve in the submarine force knowing that a potential nuclear strike was exactly what you were signing up for.”
Jacob rejoined: “It’s one thing to sign up for it in the abstract. It’s quite another thing to be here, just 300 kilometers from being able to hit the preferred Iranian targets, deciding to actually do what we signed up to do.”
Chapter 32: Standing at the Altar
Samir’s suggestion that Eitan somehow had conflicting loyalties because of his Persian roots continued to grate his conscience after the second debate. When he lay in his bunk a few hours later, trying to fall asleep, his mind began visualizing the countless stories that he had heard from his parents and much older siblings about their flight from Iran before he was born.
His mother and father were each born in 1950 to relatively poor families in Tehran but, by 1977, the two had grown to symbolize the “Iranian dream.” When they were each just 18 years old, they risked their meager savings on a fashion venture that they launched from their humble one-bedroom apartment, where they were raising a one-year old daughter and a newly born son, and barely had enough money to pay the rent. But in under a decade, thanks to the creative vision of Eitan’s mother and the business savvy of his father, the two would go on to build one of Iran’s most
successful fashion design companies, by creating elegant, European-style clothing that most Iranian families could afford. They patriotically represented Iran at international fashion shows and design competitions where they won various awards and honors. In 1977, the family moved into a beautiful, ten-room villa, and Eitan’s father assumed an active leadership role in the Iranian Jewish community. The young, remarkable couple’s talent and hard-earned success caught the attention of the political elite and they eventually became the personal tailors to the Shah and his family.
With the advent of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, however, their fates would change forever. They became persecuted political targets because of their close ties to the Shah and Jewish activism. One day Eitan’s father was randomly stopped on the street, taken into police custody, accused of having ties to Israel, and lashed all over his back until he lost consciousness. Upon learning of her husband’s fate, Eitan’s mother bribed some of the officials and guards at the prison where her spouse was being held, and arranged for his mysterious “disappearance” from prison a few weeks before a trial that could have led to his execution or decades-long imprisonment. After that ordeal and hearing what had happened to many of their Jewish friends and extended family, Eitan’s parents began plotting their immediate escape from Iran.
With the assistance of Muslim friends who risked their lives to help, Eitan’s father managed to hide from the regime and eventually escape from Iran to Turkey with the aid of Kurds. Meanwhile his wife did her best to wrap up the family’s affairs as quickly as possible and prepare their two children, now 11 and 12 years old, to uproot. A few months later, Kurds at the border helped her and her children to cross over to Turkey. But a few miles past the border crossing and into Turkish territory, Eitan’s mother was raped by a Turkish guard in front of her two children. The three of them scarred forever, reunited with Eitan’s father in Istanbul before finally making it to Israel about a year later. The pain of their escape didn’t end there: they also had to forfeit everything they had built. They didn’t have enough time to sell their business and, soon after rumors circulated that the family had fled Iran, a Muslim family moved into their villa and claimed it.
Eitan’s parents had to restart their lives from scratch in Israel at age 30. Forced to provide for their two children in a new country where they knew no one and barely spoke the language, Eitan’s mother worked as a cook in a Persian restaurant, and his father worked in construction until he could save enough to become a taxi driver. He also became religious, regarding his family’s timely escape as something of a miracle. Going to synagogue also gave him a sense of continuity and an appreciation for his newfound security as a Jew. In 1988, after their first two children had each left the house for a prestigious, military officer-academic program, they had their third child, Eitan.
As Eitan’s mind remembered the voices of his parents and older siblings recounting, throughout his life, their family’s history, he gradually fell asleep.
****
“Set a course for Tehran,” the captain ordered.
“But Sir, the submarine will collide into the shore. There is no navigable course all the way to Tehran.”
“What’s the nearest position?”
Eitan consulted the maps and instruments in front of him. “Sir, if we sail towards the northernmost tip of the Persian Gulf, then we will have about 550 kilometers to travel north by land to reach Tehran. That is the closest that the submarine can bring us to Tehran, Sir.”
“What position is that northernmost point?”
“30 degrees 12 minutes North, 49 degrees 99 minutes East, Sir.”
“Steer a course towards that position at five knots.”
“Yes, Sir,” Eitan’s mother said to Eitan’s father. She then turned a little to face her son. “Thank you for giving us a ride on the submarine, Eitan. We really had no way to get back to our ancestral home without your help.”
“Mom, why are we going there?”
“There’s a very important family event,” she explained. “Why do you think we’re all dressed up like this?” While operating the Dolphin, Eitan’s parents appeared dressed in some of the elegant eveningwear that they had so successfully produced for the Iranian public in the 1970s. Eitan wore the same dapper outfit as his father.
“Eitan,” his father said, “You’re the guest of honor at the event we’re going to.” He looks at his watch and frowns. “We’re running a little late now. Increase speed to 20 knots.”
“Yes, Sir.” His mother accelerated to 20 knots. “Eitan, your cousins are very excited to meet you for the first time,” she said, turning to face her son again.
“There are quite a lot of them,” his father added, switching to Farsi, the language they usually spoke at home. “But there is one cousin in particular you’re going to pay special attention to. And I’ll be right by your side the whole time, to make sure that you don’t forget your role.”
A little later, Eitan finds himself at a gigantic banquet hall, with endless tables of food, elaborate decorations, and traditional Persian music playing in the background. Everyone speaks only in Farsi. All of the guests are wearing the most stylish eveningwear from his parents’ collection, complimenting his mother on her visionary design talent. The tables, floral decorations, and other ornaments are all arranged in a way that gives additional prominence to an altar that is placed at the very center of the banquet hall.
Eitan is indeed the guest of honor. Countless relatives he has never met come to greet him, shake his hand, and otherwise show their respect as his parents bask in their son’s glory. The distinguished-looking escorts for the event lead Eitan and his parents directly up to the altar, which is surrounded by a hedge of rosebush.
Eitan steps up to the altar with his parents flanking him, so that all three are facing a large square stone that rises to the level of their knees. On the stone is a naked Persian man in his early twenties, lying crouched and helpless in front of them because his ankles and wrists are tied down so that he can barely move. Eitan’s father turns to him and says, “Eitan, this is your cousin, Isaac.”
“Why is he tied down like that?” Eitan asks.
His father unsheathes a large Shamshir and hands it to Eitan. “He is to be sacrificed now. Show everyone that you fear God.”
Eitan reluctantly takes the sword from his father, as the hundreds of guests assembled all have their eyes fixed on Eitan. He raises the blade with both hands, preparing to bring it down on the neck of his trembling cousin, Isaac.
“Wait!” his mother cries out. “Look at that,” she says, pointing to a trapped ram struggling to free its horns from the thorny stems of the rosebush below.
“No!” His father yells. “That was an order and it must be obeyed!” he says, as he forcefully pulls Eitan’s quivering arms down so that the Shamshir falls onto Isaac’s neck and decapitates him.
Isaac’s head rolls away from his torso but is still animated enough to utter some last words: “But there was a ram…”
Eitan awakes in his small bunk, breathing heavily, in utter horror.
Chapter 33: The Vote
By 8 p.m. on the night of the Dolphin’s 26th day at sea, the sailors had exhausted themselves with philosophical and historical analogies, analyses, and arguments during about 12 hours of continuous ruminating. The men on board had heard every conceivable rationale for and against each position during the debates and during hours of conversation among various smaller groups of crewmembers. In the end, it seemed to Daniel that such a grave decision would be made by each man on some basic, emotional level rather than as the result of perfectly computing the many moral considerations to be weighed. Daniel suspected that some submariners would simply opt to follow the lead of someone they trust or respect because – when making such a monumental choice – they would lack the confidence in their own convictions to decide for themselves. As he thought about the handful of crewmembers who would probably adopt someone else’s decision, he speculated that
Ambesah would follow Yisrael’s vote and Zvi would conform to Jacob’s direction. Nevertheless, the captain would urge the crewmembers to choose thoughtfully and independently, rather than copying the results of someone else’s hard, ethical deliberations.
Daniel spoke over the intercom: “We are now about twenty-four hours from our attack position. We have tried many times to retrieve updates from headquarters using the communication buoy but there have been no updates. Heavy surface traffic has prevented us from rising to periscope depth. But I am committed to doing this at least one more time so we can try to reach headquarters by some other method or at least tune in to regular radio broadcasts for news reports about a major attack on Israel. As soon as the risk seems reasonable, we will again rise to periscope depth. Many of you have told me that you’ve thought about this issue enough and are ready to vote, so we will take the tally now. But remember that when you each vote, you are not voting to side with this person or that person. This decision is infinitely more important than our personal loyalties. We must put those aside to focus on the weighty considerations involved in finding the right decision. So I ask that you find the moral truth within you, and have the courage to embrace it – whatever it is – rather than simply follow what someone else has chosen.”
One by one, each seaman walked up to Daniel and handed him his vote. Daniel had insisted on written ballots so that each sailor could vote privately and to minimize the influence of any voter on any other voter. He also wanted to be able to document the tally for Yisrael, so that the deputy captain could count the votes himself.
Daniel read out the results: “18 votes in favor of an attack, 12 against, with 5 abstentions. I’m not pleased about the abstentions but we still have both a plurality and a simple majority, so the motion to attack passes.”
Yisrael took a moment to confirm the tally.
