FROM ALL THE RIVERS TO THE SEA

Fima Szmulewicz, a civil engineer in Radom, a small town in the Russian-occupied part of Poland, was passing through Antwerp and was walking along the Scheldt. The pogroms, the forced enlistments in the army, the confiscations of property and the social unrest pushed him, like other Jews, to seek a better future in the new world. Everywhere people lived the carefree life of the belle époque, and America remained to be conquered by all those who found themselves excluded from the old Victorian Europe. And that is how he found himself in Antwerp, the first port of embarkation for America. He had settled down on one of the benches punctuating the harbor and was inspecting the boats leaving for distant horizons. Next to him sat an elegant gentleman with a beard and a bowler hat. After some reflections on the grey and windy weather, the elegant man, proud of his city like any self-respecting Antwerp resident, could not help but tell the legends that inhabit the old stones that line the harbor of the Scheldt. - You see this old castle on the right, it is the Steen. In this legendary castle once lived the giant Antigon. He reigned with terror on the banks of the Scheldt, and no boat could pass the Steen without being boarded and sacked. With a courage worthy of ancient heroes, little Brabo cut off the hand of the giant Antigon and threw it into the Scheldt. This is how the name of the city was born Hand Werpen and later Antwerpen which means Throw the hand. - But it is like the story of little David who challenged the giant Goliath with his sling, retorted Fima. It is a story that speaks to me. Do you know any others? - Yes, come, my name is Paul Jansen and I invite you to be your guide for a little walk. There is a small square not far from here with a market… Absorbed by Mr. Jansen’s stories, Fima had inadvertently left a small bag containing his kosher sandwiches on the bench. The two men moved away from the quays and after walking through a few narrow streets found themselves in a small square. - Look, do you see this gray facade? - Yes - Well, that’s where Plantin and Moretus printed their first book. And do you know which one it was? - I’ll give you a thousand guesses - The Bible, in Latin and Hebrew, yes sir - What a fabulous city! - But how come I have so much trouble finding a synagogue? - Ah sir, the Spanish domination was tough, you know. All the intellectuals, Jews and revolutionaries called Geuzen or Beggars had to leave the city after the invasion by Farnese in 1595. They enriched Amsterdam, and our city slept for 3 centuries until the Napoleonic era. Did you know that until the Spanish invasion Antwerp was the largest city in Europe? Just by seeing the cathedral that stands proud above the roofs you can imagine the city's influence. As they walked, the two men passed two large squares, the green square, the old cemetery of Antwerp, and the main square with its typical buildings with crenellated roofs and its town hall. Mr. Jansen was a wonderful guide and knew quite a few juicy anecdotes about each of the houses they passed. One thing led to another and they found themselves on the quays. - It was Napoleon who understood the strategic interest of Antwerp, the revolver pointed at the heart of England. And it was he who built the first dock that you see there at the end of the harbor, where all the masts of the sailing ships crowd together: the Bonaparte dock. It was he who gave Antwerp back its vocation as a metropolis. And since then, shipping companies have been fighting over the quays, traders are doing business after business, and the quays are unloading all the riches of the Congo. Yes sir, you will see, it won't be long before all nationalities will be crowding into this business metropolis. But it is getting late, and I have to go home. I was delighted to make your acquaintance. If you ever come back to Antwerp, we might have the opportunity to see each other again, here is my card... Fima then walked to the Red Star Line office to ask for information for the crossing to New York. Suddenly he realized that he had left his shopping bag on the bench. All sorts of thoughts came to mind. Perhaps he should have offered to buy Mr. Jansen a drink in one of the taverns. But that would have been difficult. How would he have managed to get kosher food? He hoped to find his little bag again, otherwise he would have to wait until the next day to get kosher food. But what a surprise when he returned to his bench to find his bag where he had left it. His decision was made. A country where people do not need to steal bread is a country where life is good. The next day he telegraphed to his wife and promised her a better future in the “Joyeuse Belgique”.