Summary
On October 30, 1942, the Finnish police informed the commander of the Gestapo in neighboring Estonia, which they intended to hand over to them in the coming days, nine Jewish refugees.
About a week later, only eight Jewish refugees were handed over to the Nazis.
Where did the ninth Jew go?Y?
The code that Nadav, an Israeli nature photographer, discovers, just before he freezes to death in the ice steppes of Lapland, allows him and Heidi, his Finnish friend, to reveal the strange story surrounding the disappearance of the ninth Jew. The plot of the book slowly reveals the mystery surrounding this unknown affair, while chasing a mysterious treasure and a confrontation with the grandson of a Nazi colonel who was serving at the time in Finland. Will they succeed in discovering the identity of the ninth Jew?
Chapter 9 - Press interview
I encountered Jonas about five years earlier, at one of the international photographers' meetings organized by the photography school where I studied and taught.
"Very nice, I'm Jonas from Finland." A guy sitting next to me addressed me in English. He looks about my age, his hair is black and straight, his features are tough and his complexion is slightly dark.
We were sitting in one of the well-known cultural halls in the center of Tel Aviv, waiting to hear a lecture by a world-renowned photographer and be exposed to amazing nature photographs.
"Very nice, Nadav from Israel," I extended my hand to shake, "I know Finland quite well. I have visited there many times."
"What were you looking for in Finland?" He opened a pair of blue eyes, "As far as I know, my country is not a popular tourist site for Israelis."
"Business." I answered.
"Ahh. That explains it," he answered shortly.
"What are you doing in life?" I was interested.
"I mainly guide nature tours and also use them to take pictures. In the winter months I accompany groups of photographers on photography tours in Lapland. Have you been there?"
"Lapland is definitely in my plans." I answered.
The lecture was interesting and during it we exchanged notes from time to time. When she finished, I took his phone number and promised to call to join one of the photography tours he was organizing.
"Can you show me where this cabin is?" Jonas brought me back to reality, "I have to retrace your route from the time we parted until you arrived at the cabin."
"Right now I have no idea where it is, but if I dig into the map, I think I'll be able to locate the place."
A uniformed police officer strode into the lobby, approached us and interrupted our conversation. He introduced himself in fluent English and sat down in the chair in front of me.
He asked me to tell what happened and in the process took notes in a pinx. He asked both of us questions in order to understand how the event started and how things unfolded.
The investigation was conducted in a pleasant and matter-of-fact manner and at the end its conclusion was quite clear - the cause of the near-disaster originated from a mistake I made, but Jonas was reprimanded for responding to my request to be left alone.
They talked in Finnish for several minutes and from the smiles I understood that Jonas would not be hurt by what happened.
"From my experience," said the police officer as he parted from us, "turning into a wolf is a really unpleasant way to die."
He was sure it was a joke but I was not amused at all.
When he left the place we went back to sit down.
"You promised to show me the picture of the address you discovered," Jonas reminded me.
I went up to my room and within a few minutes I came back and showed it to him on the camera screen. Jonas looked at her curiously.
"It's really hard to understand what's written here," he said thoughtfully. "I've never seen anything like it, but it looks completely authentic. When you download the picture to the computer, please send it to me."
"What's so interesting about this address?" I asked.
"In World War II, many battles were fought in this area. It is possible that the inscription is related to these events. What happened here during that time fascinates me and I use my tours to research and find remnants of that war."
"Interesting, Heidi, the young lady who gave me a ride here, also came to the same conclusion," I reinforced his words.
"The location of the cabin can help decipher the mysterious address, but more importantly, it will allow me to understand your route and what you went through," he added, "When you locate the place, don't forget to share it with me. I must understand where this cabin is located," he said quietly.
"I won't forget," I promised.
"Now that this affair is behind us, what are your plans?"
"Originally I planned to rest a bit and return to Israel, but now I intend to check what is behind this intriguing cipher and understand if it is more than just a curiosity. Happily, Heidi offered me her help in deciphering the cryptic script and I agreed of course. It turns out that she has a master's degree in history," I said.
"I guess you agreed right away," he laughed, "I have a feeling that your interest in the nice lady you met isn't just because of her professional background, am I wrong?" winked at me
The embarrassed smile and blush that appeared on my face confirmed that we were not wrong.
"You're already drinking alcohol. It's time you started going out with girls too," he laughed and patted my shoulder.
I wanted to give him a witty answer one way or another, but a lady who approached us with a brisk step, caught my attention and made me shut up.
"Sorry to disturb you," she turned to me, "are you the Israeli who was saved from freezing to death?"
She looked to be in her fifties, tall, straight, her hair was long and fair and her features were delicate but not particularly beautiful. She wore a long dark gray woolen coat, a black woolen hat with a red pom pom at the top and a scarf of the same color as the pom pom.
"Very true. Who wants to know?" I asked.
Jonas looked at the tag hanging around her neck and answered instead.
"A journalist from the most common newspaper in Finland. You've become a celebrity my friend," he laughed.
"Very nice," the lady removed the glove from her right hand and held it out to be pressed, "I'm Kaiza, a reporter from the Helsingin Sanomet newspaper. I came here specifically to cover your event and I'm glad that, unlike similar cases in the past, it ended well with you. Do you have time for me?" " a question.
I glanced at Jonas. He smiled and stood up.
"I better move Nadav. You can tell your story without interruption and don't forget to send me the picture and the location," he reminded.
He shook my hand warmly, nodded his head politely to Kaiza, and walked out briskly.
"My flight to Helsinki leaves tomorrow at noon. Until then, I am at your disposal," I addressed the journalist.
The interview with Kaiza lasted about two hours. She let me speak freely, listened, took notes in her notebook and only occasionally asked a clarifying question of one kind or another. I told her how I was lost, how I almost lost hope and how I was saved thanks to the survival cabin I discovered at the last minute.
"Do you have a picture of the cipher you discovered in the cabin?" a question.
"Of course, but we prefer not to publish it until we are sure that there is no prank here, and that the whole thing is a joke."
"Definitely makes sense," she said and pulled out a camera, "would you agree to be photographed for the article?"
"happily."
"Who did you mean when you said 'we'll be safe'?" she asked while preparing for the photo shoot.
"Oh, I meant the lady who picked me up from nowhere and brought me here? Her name is Heidi. Turns out she majors in WWII history," I said.
Kaiza went to a lot of trouble to put me on a proper background and to match the appropriate lighting for the photo.
"Thank you, Nadav, for your openness and for the amazing story. Write down my phone number. If you find out anything new or need my help, I'd love for you to call," she said.
"When will the article be published?"
"By tonight I will transfer a summary of the things to the system. I assume that a short news item will be published tomorrow. We will probably publish the full interview at the end of the week."
When we said goodbye I went up to my room to rest a bit, wondering if it was wise to publish the story about the cipher at this point?
The next episode
Chapter 10 - The Home Hotel: Nadav and Heidi begin to decipher the riddle script.
The book was translated into English, published as a printed and digital book
A printed copy, including the author's dedication and signature, can be obtained by contacting her at the address: [email protected]. The book can be purchased at "Hebrew", "BeeBooks", "Stimetsky Digital" and "Amazon".
From the review:
- "An amazingly beautiful historical novel...one of the best books I've read recently" - Shmuelik Katlan 2.5.24
- "A significant book, highly recommended!...touched me in a way that left me with a lot of thoughts." – Ricky Baruch, 9.05.24
- "It's all here... mystery, adventure, suspense, history. Want to read!" –Rinat Elazar Peretz 8.5.24
- Illuminates the cultural differences in a special and inspiring light. A story, about people, with whom you can identify. – Carmel Levy 6.05.24