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How a Jewish Tailor Became a British Admiral HOW A JEWISH TAILOR BECAME A BRITISH ADMIRALl by Benjamin lubelski Benjamin lubelski, now a citizen of Jerusalem, is one of the few remaining veterans of the International Brigade who served in the Spanish Civil War. His chronicle of those years, Yidn in Spanishn Birgerkrig, 1936-1939 [Jews in the Spanish Civil War1, was printed in Israel by H. leivik Publishing House in 1984 and is now being translated from the Yiddish to English by the author and Dr. Frances Hernandez. 87 As a long-standing member of the Party, I belonged to the so-called nomenklatura: the list of old members who were assigned to specific jobs. I had been given a date to appear before the Central Control Board; they had, after all, to become acquainted with the comrade they were about to assign. One evening three members of different ages awaited me in a beautifully furnished office of the luxurious Party building in one of Warsaw's nicer parts. I had to cross some distance from the door to the table where they sat. It is the same in approaching any high place; much wisdom is required to cross that space. Before one reaches the table, he has been thoroughly assessed. He keeps going, aware that he is being observed and weighed. Be on guard! That first impression may be crucial for the conversation ahead. Keep going; look, but at the same time, do not look. Be selfconfident , but not over sure. Modest, but not servile. With dignity, but- 'From B. Lubelski, At the Extinguished Flame (Tel Aviv: H. Leivik Publishig House, 1989) (in Hebrew). 88 SHOFAR Summer 1994 Vol. 12, No.4 God forbid-not arrogant. The handshake is critical, too: not flabby, not too firm. The way you sit on the chair will be noted and evaluated. But never mentioned, of course. He who knows all this does well. On the other hand, you must not forget that they have all your papers in front of them-everything you have ever written. Above all, your autobiography ... or several versions of it. In a flash it crossed my mind: that autobiography, a simple thing. A few pages mentioning where I was born, when, to what parents, their occupations, my education, my work record. If one only knew how heavily loaded these few sheets are, how decisive they can be; they can allow freedom or determine imprisonment, decree life or death. And one writes countless autobiographies as a member of the Party. I was already struck by the significance of that personal history in my first years with the movement. Two leading members of the French Communist Party, Celor and Barbe, had been expelled as traitors and agents-provocateurs. How could that be? Yesterday, trusted comrades; today, enemies. Was it possible? How were they found out? A few days later this was explained in Humanite, the leading paper of the French Communist Party, by its aged member, Senator Marcel Cachin. This was obviously an emotional matter that Cachin was obliged to deal with clearly, thoroughly, and intelligently. He helped me a lot-may he rest in peace. In his discussion, J learned that everyone who belongs to the Party must submit an autobiography. When he is nominated for a higher position, he is again requested to present a resume. Whatever he writes is checked against the first one. If he arouses any suspicion, all his biographies are studied more minutely. But he is only human. Sometimes he remembers everything; sometimes he forgets some detail. Occasionally he is in a more cheerful mood, but other times it changes. Now he writes in one style; later, another. Those in responsible positions compare these versions and discover discrepancies. Often minor facts become the foundation upon which accusations are accumulated. The resulting charges can have tragic consequences. Thus, at the beginning of my life with the Party, I had read of these dynamics of the autobiography. I admired this as a remarkable piece of Party wisdom. That such a technique could be used against me never entered my head. In later years, however, I came to realize that these small differences in an...

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