An excerpt from the new book My Gulag Life: Stories of a Soviet Prisoner, as told by Reb Mendel Futerfas (Hasidic Archives):
I often heard from fellow prisoners about the self-sacrifice of soldiers in the Czar’s army.
They told me that if Czar Nicholas II would happen upon a river with no way to cross, soldiers would jump into the water and create a human bridge. Those on the bottom, they said, would not even attempt to make their way to the surface in order to breathe. Their only goal was to fulfill the will of the Czar.
Once, a soldier stood guard in frigid temperatures, feeling his strength wane until he was frozen in place. When he was found hours later, the commander ordered that he be warmed immediately, and his life was saved. Once he recovered, the commander punished him with lashes.
“How did you freeze in the cold?” the commander said. “You should have warmed yourself with thoughts of your commitment to the emperor.”
If we Jews truly believe in G-d and the Torah, I thought to myself, despite the long exile and the temptation of worldly pleasures, we will remain warm, vigilant in the fulfillment of our mission.
