Jimbo - 17. Vienna

“You are going to Vienna?”

“Yes, papa. We found out this afternoon. We are meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Vienna, the Chief Rabbi of Paris, Mr. Cohen and some others we don’t know.”

“May I ask why?”

I turned to Herbert and told him that I had the same question and we had not been given a credible answer. Herbert and Judy looked at each other without saying a word.

“It is an evil place. I do not want you to go.”

Judy was busy cleaning up the mess from the overturned tea cup. Herbert was visibly shaking.

I looked at Matan and knew that we would not share the information about my mother’s dream.

“Papa, we are only going for the day. It will be okay.”

“I don’t like it. Horrible things happened to me in Vienna. Horrible things happened to your mother’s family in Vienna. Why would you want to go there? I don’t understand.”

“Papa, it is not that we want to go there. The Chief Rabbi and Mr. Cohen say we have to go there.”

“I promised myself I would never return to Vienna and I have never have gone back. Neither has your mother. And now, our son, OUR SON, is going to the city that led to so much unhappiness in our lives? Why, Creator of the Universe, do you need to take our son to this place of evil? Why do you need for our Matan and our Yonatan to go into the place of evil?”

We all sat and said nothing.

“I am going to bed. I will not sleep. I tell you I will not sleep at all tonight knowing that my son is going to Vienna. I will say many prayers tonight for your safety. I don’t know why; I just don’t know.”

Herbert left and we sat in silence. Judy then kissed us good night and went to bed. Matan walked through the apartment turning off the lights. When we got to our bedroom, we undressed without speaking. I don’t think either of us slept much that night.

When we got up for breakfast, Herbert had already left for his office. Judy said he had paced their bedroom most of the night. She had even heard him crying. We were not in the mood to talk, each of us living in our own head. Finally, I said we needed to get ready for the day ahead. We bathed and then went to dress. I saw the postcard of Diana and the Stag which we had propped against the mirror on our dresser. I put it in the breast pocket of my jacket. I then placed my hand across the pocket and my heart. We waited for Black and Green to come pick us up. Just as there was a knock at the door, the telephone rang. I opened the door while Judy answered the call. Green was giving us specific instructions and said we were already running late. Judy came in and said we could not leave until Herbert returned. He was on the way from his office. Green said we did not have time.

“We will make time, Green. We don’t leave until Matan and I speak to Herbert.”

“You don’t understand, Yonatan, we must hurry.”

“I understand what is important. Herbert talking with us in important. More important than going to Vienna, in fact. More important than anything else in the world right now.”

We sat in the kitchen drinking another cup of coffee while we waited for Herbert to arrive. He came through the apartment door and was totally winded. He had run from his office. Matan and I walked up and hugged him. He was crying. Judy was standing to the side and I pulled her into the hug. I finally spoke.

“We know how hard this must be for you. We know that your future, our future, and the future of our children is at stake today. I don’t know how I know, but I do. I promise that I will bring Matan home safely. I will say a prayer in the synagogue for our family today. All of our family; those who have died and those who are here now. Shalom. We must go and I know this is heavy on your heart. Matan and I need for you to take care of yourselves today and know that we love you. Please give us your blessing so we can do the work of the Creator of the Universe.” Herbert nodded his head and gave us his blessing.

There were tears as we walked out of the door with Green. Black was on his way up the stairs to find out what was delaying us. Amit drove us to a small airport. I had heard about the crazy drivers in Rome and Amit was emulating them in Paris. He was laughing and enjoying himself. He was the only one laughing. Luckily there was no luggage to fly around the car. There was a small jet waiting for us at an executive airport.

“We rearranged the travel plans last night. We were going to fly commercial but I decided that we needed the flexibility to get out of Vienna on short notice if required. Let’s get settled and then Black and I will review our safety plan for the day.” Green was definitely in charge.

“Where are Mr. Cohen and Ayal?” I had moved to a seat. Matan sat next to me.

“They are flying commercial. You can decide if they fly back with us or if they take the commercial flight on return. I needed for you to focus on what we had to say and not what Mr. Cohen might have wanted to talk about. He can be a bit of a putz at times.” It was the first time that Black and Green had smiled all morning.

We were airborne in a few minutes. The flight to Vienna was less than 2 hours so Green made good use of the time. He explained and then reviewed several times everything that was to happen. He had us repeat everything to him. He wanted to make sure that we understood everything.

“Our security team will be speaking Hebrew; only Hebrew. If someone you do not know speaks to you in English or another language they are not part of our team and you should find safety. Immediately. Do you understand?” Green was even more tightly wound than normal.

The locations he was referring to make no sense to me as I had never been to Vienna. I was a Boy Scout and good with a compass but I was confused. If I got lost in the woods, I could find my way back to civilization. Matan asked that we look at a map again so we would have some notion of where we were. Once I established where north was located, I turned the map and everything aligned for me. Then I instinctively knew my way around. There were pictures of the buildings where we would meet. There was a picture of the Chief Rabbi of Vienna. Green said he knew who else had been invited by position but not by name. We were so focused on the security protocol we did not have time to worry about the purpose of the meeting.

“Another thing, gentlemen. Black and I ask your permission to sit in on the meeting. My gut tells me that your mother was right. This has not been our standard operating procedure because we have wanted to honor your privacy. We will honor your confidentiality and not disclose anything we hear. If someone tries to dismiss us, can I ask that you please state that you want us present. It is asking a lot of you and I know that is not easy. I apologize. Remember when we met, I told you I would only speak when there was danger. That will be the only time I speak today. Black will communicate everything else. Can we do that?”

Matan looked at me and nodded. I said that we agreed and thanked them for asking us ahead of time.

“I promised Herbert and Judy that Matan would return safely to Paris tonight. We will all work to do that.”

“Both of you will return to Paris safely tonight.” Green had a grim look on his face. He was in total security mode.

The pilot announced that we were approaching Vienna and that we should be seated with seat belts fastened. The plane put down with no problem. Green spoke to the pilot before the hatch door was opened. A SUV approached the plane and Green made sure it was safe for us to move to the vehicle. The SUV took us to the terminal where we went through a simple protocol for arriving on a private plane at the airport. Since Paris and Vienna were both within the Schengen area, our arrival was a mere formality.

We left the airport and moved through the city. I would have been gawking at the beautiful buildings except I was focused on our upcoming meeting. The SUV pulled up to a building and Black surveilled the street before we were rushed through the front doors. I knew it was the Viennese campus of the Webster University of America because of the briefing that Green had given us. We were escorted to a second-floor conference room. We saw students in the hall ways. It felt like we were back at college except we were surrounded by security staff. Matan and I were in the pocket again.

When we walked into the conference room, Black told us that everyone else would arrive within 15 minutes. He said that vehicles had been sent to retrieve people from different locations as no one had been told where the meeting was to be held. During that time lapse, Green and Black surveilled the room. I assumed someone had already done that prior to our arrival to check for hidden microphones, recording equipment, and bombs but it felt good that they were taking that extra step. I was now very uneasy being in Vienna. We had gone down many narrow streets that could easily be closed off. People walking on the sidewalks were practically in our vehicle because of the narrow streets. Green had made sure the doors were secured before we left the airport. We had felt very closed in when we entered the center city. My stomach was starting to churn. There was a buffet of food but I could not eat.

The first to arrive were Mr. Cohen and Ayal. They were getting organized when Monsieur Lambert walked in. I was surprised that he was at the meeting. He had given no indication when we met with him earlier in the week that he would be present. He smiled and walked across the room to greet us. He asked that Matan and I sit with him at the head of the table. Tables had been put together to form a large square. Mr. Cohen did not look happy. Ayal sat next to him. They stacked documents on the table top. Monsieur Lambert’s secretary was arranging a table where she also stacked documents and was giving instructions to a young woman who was setting up a dictation machine.

The Chief Rabbis entered together and Matan and I introduced ourselves. The Chief Rabbi of Vienna gave us an appraising look. He then broke into a smile and said that he was so pleased to meet with us. A representative from the Prime Minister’s office of Israel came into the room as did a representative from the Prime Minister’s office of Austria. They sat on opposite sides of the table and had support staff with them. The finance people whom we had met with the day before came into the room with stacks of documents. Finally, an executive from a bank in Switzerland arrived. Who were these people who were meeting with us?

Everyone went to get breakfast food, juice and coffee before we started. Most of them prepared plates filled with food like they had not eaten that morning. Judy had made sure we ate before we left Paris. I grabbed glasses of water for Matan and myself.

Mr. Lambert greeted everyone. Matan and I tried not to look surprised that he was leading the meeting. Mr. Lambert continued by reviewing what brought us together.

“Today is a happy day. With us today are Matan Abraham Jenner-Ward and his partner Yonatan Rachamim Jenner-Ward. Through your work you know of them and for most of you this is your first time to meet them.”

Matan and I looked at each other because we had a new last name and I had a new middle name. Matan had brought the blue portfolio that he had received as a birthday present and started making notes. I had my black one (the color lawyers use) and I made a note to ask about the change in names. We were in another “outfit” that Matan had picked out for this meeting; black suits, white shirts, Italian neckties and our yarmulkes. There were no pocket squares. Matan pulled out a pair of black rimmed glasses to wear. He normally didn’t wear glasses so I knew these were an affectation. He reached into my breast pocket and pulled out my pair. He gave me a look until I put them on. He smiled and sunshine entered the room.

“We are here because a wrong is going to be made right. Dr. Oscar Feldsher was a well-known scientist in Vienna. He was renowned for his work in the field of trauma. He was also a scientist. Not only was he a well know medical professor he was a humanitarian; his wife Rebekah was known for her work to ensure that Jewish children were educated and received medical care. They were great citizens of this city. Their generosity grew out of their kind hearts and also their deep wealth. Dr. Feldsher inherited a great deal of wealth from the Feldsher family and also from Rebekah Emmanuelson’s family. He was a wise and astute investor. When we talk about particulars today you should know that the wealth was accumulated across generations and that Dr. Feldsher was a good steward and was planning for his children and his children’s children.” Monsieur Lambert looked at us when he talked about children’s children.

“Dr. Feldsher was wary of the nationalism that was occurring in Germany. He was concerned because he saw more and more people in Austria mimicking what they were hearing from the national right in Germany. He and Rebekah sent their son to France to try to protect him. He also quietly moved as much of his wealth out of Austria as the law allowed. It was difficult to do. He and Rebekah had a home in Brussels where they planned to move. That did not happen. They were sent to concentration camps where they died. Their son who was sent to France was captured by the Nazis. He, his wife and daughter were sent to concentration camps. Only the daughter survived. She was still a minor when the gates to the concentration camps were opened at the end of the war.”

“Their granddaughter, Judith, was French by birth. She returned to Paris and found that her maternal grandparents had also died in concentration camps. She scraped by and eventually was able to go to London where she studied medicine. She followed in the steps of her grandfather whom she never met. I know her story because I worked with the war crimes commission on repatriation and found her when the family properties were about to be forfeited thinking there was no heir. It was very complex work that took us years to settle. I asked her more than once about her father’s family in Austria. She had no information except for their names.”

“Dr. Feldsher was a very smart man which made our work more difficult. A lesser man would not have been so clever and this would have been resolved years ago. This has been like an onion where we spent years peeling back layer after layer. Judith and her husband, Herbert, told me to move ahead with my legal research but they wanted nothing to do with Vienna. Who could blame them? Herbert was a medical student here who was rounded up by the Nazis. Judith’s family was from here and they were killed in concentration camps. Their country failed them.”

Mr. Lambert was staring at the Prime Minister’s representative when he said this.

“You may ask why aren’t Herbert and Judith here today instead of Matan and Yonatan. The Creator of the Universe has given us long memories. When I told the Jenners I had discovered that there were financial holdings in Vienna they said they were to go to their son, Matan. They wanted nothing to do with them. Even after all of these years, neither of them wanted to resurrect the horrors that had happened to them. Matan was a minor child in Virginia so our firm engaged Mr. Cohen to represent Matan’s interests in the United States and in Belgium where his firm has an office. My firm has focused on the other aspects of this puzzle.”

“While our legal work was progressing, Herbert and Judith were making plans to move permanently to Paris. As an aside, they are doing great work on behalf of the people of Israel.” He nodded to the Prime Minister’s representative. “They had planned to bring Matan with them to Paris. That did not happen. Matan went to summer camp and that is where he met Yonatan. As they say, it was love at first sight.” Matan and I sat there blushing as Monsieur Lambert talked about our romance. “The Jenners decided that Matan was approaching the majority age and it might be possible for him to stay in Virginia. They readily accepted that their son and his partner were in love. More than love, Judith said as soon as she saw them together that she knew it was their destiny to be together. Mr. Jenner set up a legal guardianship if an emergency occurred that would impact Matan. He had named Yonatan as guardian. Matan was sixteen at the time. The Jenners knew before the trip they would not be returning to live in the United States but had not disclosed that to anyone. They contacted Mr. Cohen and asked that he legally invoke the terms of the document to give Yonatan guardianship over Matan. Mr. Cohen then contacted me and after meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Paris we laid out a plan for these gentlemen. I must confess that we thought these boys needed us to make decisions for them. I have since met them and I think we have a lot to learn from them. Today, I want you to think of them as leaders of what we will do. We will offer guidance but they are our clients. They both should be considered men in their own right and we will need to take direction from them.

Yonatan Jenner-Ward has custody of Matan Jenner-Ward until his eighteenth birthday or if and when Matan seeks legal emancipation prior to that date. At the time of emancipation everything would be in Matan’s name and Yonatan would have no legal recourse. There are certain aspects of the guardianship that will be in place until Matan reaches his twenty-first birthday. Herbert and Judith do not seek to reverse that legal relationship between these gentlemen. They, in fact, are ensuring that all of their legal holdings and assets are put in the names of both Matan and Yonatan. We are creating legal documents to ensure they are protected the same way that married couples are protected.”

“I will now ask Mr. Cohen to review U.S. and Virginia law regarding properties and assets held there. He will be able to answer any questions regarding legalities about same sex relationships in the United States, France, Austria and Belgium. I will also ask him to give us information on the property in Belgium, the art work that is in Belgium and art work that has been identified for return from museums and private collections around the world.”

Mr. Cohen provided meticulous details about his research. He had documents that he distributed. Matan was fascinated by the art work listed in the inventory. Fortunately, the original document had been secured at a bank in Switzerland so there was no chance of it being altered or destroyed. The locations of most of the artwork had been identified. Work was continuing on locating many paintings that have moved around the worldwide private marketplace. He answered questions and stated that years of work lay ahead to find and secure the missing artwork.

“Mr. Cohen’s assistant, Ayal Blacyal, is a leading expert on patents and auditing of such patents. Dr. Feldsher was the owner of many patents and what we today call ‘intellectual property’. It is fair to say that Dr. Feldsher never financially benefited from these. He died before most started producing income. Monsieur Blacyal is here today to update us on the status of these patents and intellectual properties and where funds reside as payments were made.” Ayal, like Mr. Cohen, had extensive documentation on all of the payments that had been made since the late 1930s. Funds were in various banks in Austria and Switzerland. Law suits were being prepared for the recovery of funds that had been placed in Austrian banks. There were many questions and Ayal felt sure that his firm had solid evidence and that the Feldsher heirs would prevail.

The executive from the Swiss bank spoke of the accounts that Dr. Feldsher had set up. Those funds were available and the bank stated that they had established accounts for us. Our expenses were actually being paid through those accounts as approved by Mr. Cohen’s office. He looked at Matan and me and said he had documents ready for our signatures so that we could access the funds directly. When questioned about barriers the bank had put in place for us to access the funds he talked about the fiduciary responsibility of the bank. He gave the party line about protecting clients and that there were many accounts from the 1930s that had not been claimed. He kept using the term due diligence when pressed by the attorneys about the bank’s recalcitrance in dealing with them. The more questions he was asked the more defensive he became.

Monsieur Lambert interrupted and said that he felt sure that the bank would cooperate with his firm moving forward and that an audit was being conducted to account for all assets. Monsieur Lambert then talked about the property portfolio in Vienna and that those discussions were ongoing.

“So, let me review what we know at this point: I am going to use dollars as the reference point for financial matters since Matan and Yonatan live in the United States. We don’t want to take the time to calculate currency conversions today.” He chuckled, “After all, it changes from day to day and whatever we say today will be different tomorrow.”

There were knowing chuckles around the room.

“Dr. Feldsher moved $30 million into Swiss bank accounts in the 1930s that now have a worth of approximately $240 million.”

Matan and I gasped. We couldn’t believe we had inherited that much money.

“Next, Dr. Feldsher had patents and intellectual property in his name that are now worth approximately a half billion dollars. Please remember that there have only been deposits into these accounts. The only expenses were related to bank charges. We will review each and every one of those. There is ongoing litigation and this is the best estimate that Mr. Blacyal could give us at this time. Given his financial acumen, I think the actual amount will be within two percent, plus or minus of the financial documents provided.”

Our mouths were hanging open. Ayal was looking at us. I noticed that Black and Green were sitting taller in their chairs.

“Next, Dr. Feldsher moved a large portion of his artwork to Brussels; the rest of the art work is being identified in different museums and private collections around the world. He was a meticulous record keeper. The art work is still being valued and will probably be in the $250 million range;

Dr. Feldsher had an apartment in Brussels which has already been put in Matan’s name which has been valued at $2 million;

Dr. Feldsher’s Austrian real estate portfolio is being reviewed to identify all of the confiscated properties in Austria. Our law firm is working with the government about ownership and repatriation. A rough estimate is $10 million;

The property in Paris had been settled but Judith has said she wants it deeded to Matan and Yonatan. It has been valued at $1.5 million.”

The properties in the United States were not included in Monsieur Lambert’s review. He acknowledged Herbert’s position in the law firm, development company, investments, and the other properties. He stated that Mr. Cohen’s firm was handling all of the U.S. assets. Finally, he said that Herbert and Judith Jenner had assets in Europe and they would decide how those assets were to be distributed.

People sat in awe to hear the extent of the wealth that resided with the Feldsher family. It was the combination of the various assets in diverse places that shocked everyone. Matan had listed the assets on a column on his pad of paper. He totaled the various accounts and circled the number. I had added it in my head but I had a physical reaction when I saw the number on the page. We were looking at each other. We were communicating thoughts about our life and what we should do. When we turned, we realized that everyone in the room was looking at us.

I laughed and told folks we were just trying to understand what had just happened. They laughed and said that often happened to them.

Monsieur Lambert then said he had ordered in lunch and we should take the time to get to know one another as we would be working together for many years. He asked that no one leave the conference room except to visit the toilets and then to have security with them. Matan and I were near catatonic. Suddenly, we discovered we were billionaires or close to it. I still had the €60 in my wallet that we had talked about the day before. Ayal looked across the table and mouthed a question asking whether we were okay. I nodded my head in wonderment. Ayal had known all of this and had not disclosed anything. He was a cool cookie. I could not read his countenance and had no idea what he was thinking.

Neither Matan nor I had much of an appetite but we nibbled at food while talking to different folks. They were mostly nonchalant about the conversation that had occurred. I guessed the only amazing thing was that we were so young to inherit such wealth. Was this a regular kind of meeting these folks attended? Black ensured that Matan and I had plates of food and drinks. He was mother smothering us. He could tell we were shell shocked by what we had heard. Green stood back surveying the crowd while Black stayed close to us the entire time people were eating.

After lunch, Monsieur Lambert called us back together. He said the morning was mainly about the personal assets for the Jenner-Ward family. He kept using that name for us. He said that much work was yet to be finalized but it was important that Matan and I join the conversation and, in most cases, direct the work that involved the various organizations seated at the table.

“First off this afternoon, I would like to talk about the philanthropy of Dr. and Mrs. Feldsher and the foundations they started that went dormant during the war. A foundation in Rebekah Feldsher’s name was established to assist needy Jewish children in Vienna. The foundation had assets of some $5 million when it was deactivated; it is estimated to be worth $40 million today. The Chief Rabbi of Vienna gasped. The original legal documents stated that Rebekah Feldsher or her descendants, and the Chief Rabbi would create a funding committee to advise the family on the distribution of funds. A mirror account had been established in Paris with approximately the same value of assets. Both Rabbis were ecstatic because the need was so great. A family foundation had been established to ensure that educational needs for family members were paid. Monsieur Lambert stated that the foundation had been reactivated and was paying for college for Matan and myself. Dr. Feldsher was a supporter of the arts and had established a foundation to support struggling Jewish artist. The fund had been reactivated and currently had $75 million in assets. Monsieur Lambert said that fund had been reactivated before others because of Matan’s focus on art. Finally, Dr. Feldsher had created a foundation to support a Jewish nation if one was ever established. The specific purpose was to assist people who wanted to live in a Jewish homeland but were too poor to migrate. There was approximately $5 million in assets in that foundation when it was deactivated. There was not a current value. The Prime Minister’s representative took note.

It was stressed that with all of the foundations, a family member was in charge of the assets and decided matters of distribution. It would be up to Matan and me to decide if we made the decisions or included Herbert and Judy.

Monsieur Lambert looked at Matan and me and said that decisions would need to be made about putting the legal framework in place to reinstitute the rest of the foundations. He made clear that we were in charge and that his law firm was there to help. He noted that the Chief Rabbis and the Prime Minister’s representatives were present and that we should plan on a short meeting after other items had been dealt with.

Monsieur Lambert then pulled a Mr. Fish move and asked me if I had anything to say to those assembled. I stood on wobbly legs and thanked everyone for coming.

“I will ask Matan to speak, but first let me say that I am absolutely mentally fried right now.”

There was laughter around the room.

“Many people have worked long and hard to bring all of this information to us today. On behalf of the Jenner and Feldsher families I thank you for your diligence in righting the wrongs that were perpetrated. There are many other families who are in the same position as ours. I encourage you to continue your work. Many lives were extinguished and nothing will ever reconcile us to that. These funds are covered in the blood of millions of Jews who died. We have a duty to use the funds wisely for our family and those in need. This is a great responsibility given to such young men.”

“Matan and I are in college. I thought my workload with classes was full to overflowing but it now looks like nothing.” There was laughter around the room. “We are committed to getting our degrees. Education is paramount to our being good stewards of these funds which have passed to us. We depend on you. Our lives in the past few weeks have changed dramatically ever since Mr. Cohen called and said he needed to meet with us. I thought it was just about the guardianship papers. Little did I know.”

Mr. Cohen and Ayal smiled remembering that meeting.

“I ask your indulgence as we process what we have heard. We will seek your advice. Let us know when something is critical and must be handled immediately. Otherwise we are going to be honor students whom you can be proud of. We invite you to our college graduations in a few years. Thank you for your input today and now I am available for any questions you have.”

There were many. Most were logistical in nature. I made clear that we were not in a hurry to make any changes until we knew the totality of what we were dealing with. Monsieur Lambert stated that since I was going to be an intern in his office the following summer that his secretary would be the conduit for questions in Europe and that Mr. Cohen’s office would serve that function in the U.S. I was grateful that we would have intermediaries working on our behalf.

Matan stood and brushed his beautiful red hair back from his forehead. He said he was humbled that everyone had come together to talk to us. He expressed that we were just two college guys from Virginia. He started speaking of his family history and then broke down crying. I jumped up and pulled him into my arms. We both stood supporting each other and crying. I then looked at the two Chief Rabbis and asked if they would give us a blessing to finish the day. They did. Everyone looked at Matan and me: two young men who had their world turned upside down.

Matan and I went around the table and shook everyone’s hands. Again, Matan had that magic connection with people. They all wanted to touch him. I approached the Chief Rabbi of Vienna and said that Matan and I needed to go to the synagogue to say prayers for the family. He said he would say the prayers and that we didn’t have to go.

“No, I told Mr. Jenner that I would offer prayers at synagogue today. It is something that I have to do. It is part of the healing for our family.”

The Rabbi nodded his head and said he was told that I wasn’t Jewish. I concurred and said that I was studying and hoped that I would be worthy sometime in the future.

“You would honor us, Yonatan, if we could hold that service at the synagogue in Vienna.”

The Chief Rabbi of Paris had approached us and said it was all settled that it was to happen in Paris. He further said, that Matan and I were slated to be on his staff in the near future.

I knew not to get into that battle.

“In time, gentlemen. In God’s time we will let the Creator of the Universe decide. But first, I have much to learn. Yes?”

The Chief Rabbi of Vienna then handed me some letters and asked that I deliver them when I returned to Virginia. I told him I would be honored to be his messenger.

He smiled, “Then you will be of me. You and I will be one in God’s work.” The Rabbis looked at each other and smiled.

Hook, line, sinker. We had been pulled into the boat.

One by one the various people left the room. I already sensed power plays starting among some of the participants. Mr. Cohen put himself front and center and said that we would need to meet as soon as we returned to Virginia. He took my elbow and tried to direct me to a corner where we could talk. I resisted. The look of surprise on his face was priceless. He had accurately assessed that Matan and I would be challenging clients. I smiled and said that I needed to speak with Green.

We huddled in a corner and I said that we needed to go to the synagogue. He started to object but I said we would not return to Paris until I said prayers.

“We will make it happen, Yonatan. It is not safe for you to go to the synagogue but we will make it happen. You will need to do exactly as I say. Agreed?” I nodded in agreement.

“Yes. I promised Judy and Herbert that Matan would return safely to Paris tonight. Can you promise that Green?”

He then said we would both safely return to Paris.

I asked if he and Black knew about the wealth that had been revealed today. He said that they were hired to protect us because we had come into ‘some money’.

“I didn’t know ‘some money’ meant a billion dollars.” He smiled.

“Neither did I. I don’t know how to even grasp the concept of that much money.”

He excused himself and I turned to see Matan continuing to work the room. He had a natural ease with people. Each person he would speak with would stand in awe and listen intently to what he had to say. He had the making of a great Rebbe. Matan was interested in the art work and the foundation to support aspiring artists. He said that he was ready to start formulating a plan for the collection. He asked Mr. Cohen if it was possible, before we left Europe, to stop in Brussels to see the apartment and the art work that was stored there. Mr. Cohen said that was a great idea and that he would start the planning because we would need to leave on Saturday afternoon.

Everyone had left except Monsieur Lambert. He gave us a wicked smile and said he had wanted to tell us earlier in the week when we had met but he knew that the surprise factor for everyone was important.

“It is now more important than ever that you intern in our law office. It is also important that you focus on family law.” He said that financial law should be left to those with a passion for numbers.

“You don’t have that passion, Yonatan. You would be miserable.”

He told us the person we should hire to manage the financial side of our life. We were surprised but on reflection it made sense.

“Gentlemen, I hate to interrupt but we must leave immediately.” Green spoke: we listened.

There were a quick goodbye and a promise to meet again before we left Paris. We were hustled into a car and headed to the synagogue. The Chief Rabbis had left earlier and would meet us there. On the way, Green said it was important that I say my prayers and then for us to leave. The shadows were lengthening along the side streets. The driver switched on the head lights as some of the narrow streets were already shrouded in dark.

“Don’t let them give you a tour of the synagogue. Don’t talk about the foundations. I need for you to pray and then we are going to scatter. Do you hear me Yonatan? No nice southern graciousness stuff. Pray and get the hell out.” I could hear the intensity in his voice. Something had happened but we didn’t know what.

The car pulled onto the sidewalk in front of the door we were to use. Black said for us to wait for his signal before exiting the car. We waited and finally he opened the door for us. We entered the synagogue and I was awed by its beauty. I could feel the Creator of the Universe among us. The Chief Rabbi said that he had a docent to give us a tour. I begged off and said that we wanted to say prayers and then had to leave. He seemed surprised and disappointed. I asked him to lead us in prayer. At the end I named every name I knew in the Feldsher and Jenner families who had died. I named my ancestors who had died. I also asked blessings and prayers for our families. We were silent. I was exhausted and was ready to return to Paris.

I nodded to Black that we were ready to leave.

As we stepped out of the door, I heard someone call out: “Mason. Jimbo. How are you?” I forgot about what Green had told us earlier and was raising my hand to wave when a bullet flew past and lodged into the wall of the synagogue. There was a hail of gunfire. The last thing I saw was four men in black running toward the car. I was thrown to the floorboard with Black on top of me. Matan had been pushed by Green into a prone position on top of us. Green was lying on all of us. His gun was drawn. The car sped down the narrow street. I was told later than when the driver got to the intersection two more men were there with guns shooting at the car. Green had prepared appropriately and the car received the bullets and kept moving. They tried to flatten the tires but the car kept moving. After we sped away, Green notified the airport and said we needed the plane to be ready for immediate take off.

“Yonatan, you are covered in blood. Oh my God. Yonatan. Are you alright?” Matan had started wailing. Green grabbed him with his left arm and held him tight while whispering in his ear. Tears were running down Matan’s face as I lay prostrate on the floor. When I had been pushed in the car my foot caught on the curb and I fell on my back into the car. Had I been shot? I was in tremendous pain. I could taste the blood on my lips. I remembered when Matan and I had become blood brothers. I could taste iron again. All I could focus on was Matan’s grief. Black had his arms wrapped around me and I could not move. He was looking deep into my eyes.

Green told us we would figure out who was injured when we got on the plane. We were kept in the floorboard the entire ride. We were ready to enter the gates of the airport when we were ambushed again. We could hear the gunfire hitting the car. I involuntarily lurched against Black. When our car did not stop, the perpetrators jumped in a van and drove off. Our car stopped on the apron and I thought we would get out and to board the plane. Suddenly I could hear the plane engines revving and it was pulling away. I thought the plane was going to leave without us. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. The car moved forward and followed the plane. The car stopped, Green opened the door and he pulled Matan up and told him to get up the steps to the plane. Black pulled me up using his left arm. He, too, was covered in blood.

“Hurry, hurry. We don’t have time. Hurry, Matan. Hurry, Yonatan.”

We were crouching and running up the stairs. I felt Black push me through the door of the plane. My bloody handprints were on the side of the plane and on the carpet where I was lying. I looked down and my suit jacket was reddish-brown. Green was the last on the plane and we felt it moving. The car was quickly pulling away in the opposite direction. The plane was hurtling down the runway as Green pulled the hatch door closed and secured it. It was all a blur. Time was in another dimension; it felt like it was flying out of control but it also seemed to be in slow motion.

“Stay on the floor. Don’t worry about a seat. Stay on the floor.” It felt that Green was yelling everything at us. His yelling and the noise of the plane were echoing in my head.

We were airborne. I looked at Matan and again saw my fear reflected in his eyes. He was holding my bloody hand. My thoughts were that he was safe and would return home safely as I had promised Herbert and Judy. I was keeping my promise. Matan was safe. That was all that mattered in my world. We both breathed out and I then started going black.

“Stay with us, Yonatan. Stay with us. Don’t go there. You are okay. We are okay.” I floated away. When I came to, Matan was sitting beside me crying. He was still holding my hand. Matan was trying to wipe the blood off of me. I was still lying on the floor of the plane. Pillows had been placed under my feet and legs to raise them. Black was holding smelling salts under my nose. Blood was continuing to splatter on my face. It was running down Black’s hand and dripping on my face and clothes. I realized that Black was injured. I could see the pain in his eyes. How had I missed that earlier?

“Are you okay, Black?”

“Don’t worry about me. You lie here and don’t move.” Matan grabbed the oxygen mask passed to him and put it on my face. I started breathing in the mask and maintained consciousness. I didn’t want to move. Matan was holding me with one arm and was holding the mask with his other hand. We were both wet with fear sweat and had blood all over us.

Green organized medical equipment while Black removed his jacket. Then he took off his shirt and we saw the gunshot wound. It looked like he had lost a fair amount of blood. Green bandaged him and said it looked worse than it was. The bullet had exited his arm. He was lying on one of the sofas. There was no color in his face. His arm had been hoisted above his body and was held up by a strap that had been released from the ceiling. Green had hooked up a bag of fluid and I watched as he inserted the needle in Black’s arm. He used a practiced precision. I looked to see if Black was breathing and I could not tell. I could not see his chest rising with an intake of breath. Mother had been right. Vienna was not safe and now Black would probably be dead by the time we arrived in Paris.

Green went to the cockpit to talk with the captain. We could sense the rush of air as the pilot opened the throttles and pushed us west toward Paris. It was dark when we put down; two ambulances were standing by. One to take Black to a hospital where a surgical team was on stand-by and another for me. Black made incoherent noises as he was put on a stretcher. At least he was alive. Green said I needed to go to the hospital. I told him I was fine. I had not been shot. Matan wanted to argue but I told him I was fine and I wasn’t going to the hospital.

“I told your parents I was returning you safely from Vienna and that is what I am going to do.”

Green guided Matan and me to the terminal where we were taken into a private meeting room.

“Strip. Off with the clothes. You do not want your parents to see you with bloody clothes.”

We had lost all self-consciousness at that point and did as we were directed. The clothes were taken away and we were told to shower and relax. We washed the blood from our hair, face, neck and hands. I didn’t know how they would get all of the blood from our clothes. Green brought us food from a snack machine while we waited. He paced. I knew he was concerned about Black. Finally, a telephone call came through that Black would be okay and was staying in the hospital overnight. He had received two units of blood and had stabilized. The doctors weren’t sure if he was going to need another unit of blood. Tim had been called and was on his way to be with Black. Green gave a huge sigh of relief.

“Okay, let’s get our story straight. I don’t want anybody and I mean anybody to know what happened tonight. Not the Jenners, not Cohen, not Lambert, not Ayal or Zeke nor the Rabbis. Those holy men are the biggest gossips in the world. Nobody. It never happened. We have a major leak in the organization. Do you understand me?”

We nodded.

“I don’t think you understand because you nodded your heads. Someone in that room today notified the assailants. Their job was to kill both of you. We don’t know who they are yet. We will find out. In the meantime, no one can know. Everyone is to assume that you went to the synagogue to pray and we left and had a leisurely flight home.”

“Let me hear you say that you agree.”

We both spoke up and said we understood.

“What about Tim?”

“He will do as Black says. The story is that Black fell when he stepped off the curb at the synagogue and broke his arm. He didn’t want to go to a hospital in Vienna and flew back to Paris to see a doctor. His arm will be in a sling with a partial cast like it was broken. End of story.”

Our clothes were returned or more accurately parts of our clothes were returned. The rest had been replaced with near matches.

An attendant looked at me. “Sir you left this postcard in your jacket. We always check pockets before we clean clothes. It is quite a beautiful sculpture.” Matan looked at the postcard and then at me. It was the postcard of Diana and the Stag. We felt we had a close call but we had been protected yet again.

It was late when we got to the Jenner’s apartment. They were frantic and swamped us in hugs and kisses. We had coffee and the last of Matan’s birthday cake. We could see the relief in Herbert and Judy’s eyes that we were back and nothing horrible had happened. We told them we had good news but it should wait until morning. We said that we were not going anywhere the next morning and we wanted them at home with us as we disclosed everything. They were so happy to have us home safe and sound that they agreed.