The Last Israelis - an Apocalyptic, Military Thriller about an Israeli Submarine and a Nuclear Iran (3 page)

“OK, then how about the stick?”

“Great! I knew you’d pick the stick. So now watch how I do it.” And Esty, who already had her red crayon and pad of paper ready, proceeded to draw a line that was mostly straight.

Moments later, she proudly waved the pad of paper, displaying her masterpiece.

“Very nice, Esty! But why don’t you use the starfish I gave you as a stencil to help you draw a star? Did you bring it with you?”

“Of course she did. She takes it with her everywhere,” Sivan said with a smile.

“You said it would protect me, so I always keep it in my pocket,” Esty explained, pulling it out of her pant pocket.

Daniel crouched down to Esty’s level, and started demonstrating how to trace a line around the sides of the starfish with her crayon.

“Let me do it! Let me do it!” she exclaimed, seizing the crayon and star from her father.

Esty quickly finished one star and then moved the starfish to another part of the paper and drew another.

“Good job, Esty-leh! Can I keep this picture with me?”

“OK,” she said. “I’ll draw another one for me. And one for Mommy. And one for Amir. And I’ll draw another one for Hila,” she said, referring to her older siblings.

Daniel and Sivan shared a look of smitten delight as Esty began to prepare similar drawings for the rest of her family.

“So why the sudden reunion?” Sivan asked. “And what happened to your two-week break? What’s going on?”

There wasn’t much that he was allowed to tell his wife. Of course, Navy regulations didn’t prevent him from saying that there was a vague, ominous feeling in his gut. But what was the point of sharing that? Why make her needlessly worry for the coming weeks about a captain’s foreboding?

“You were still at sea when this came out but headquarters must have told you about the latest.”

“The latest?”

“That Iran’s nuclear program can no longer be attacked by the Israeli Air Force,” she explained. “So maybe you’re back for a quick visit before a special operation related to Iran’s declaration yesterday?”

“Even if I knew, do you think I could tell you?” Daniel’s quasi-playful tone successfully concealed his premonition.

“Of course not.”

“So why do you ask me about things I can’t discuss?”

“Just to see if you’re still following orders,” she said with a mischievous smile.

“Yes. Still following orders,” he smiled back.

“And when do you start following my orders?”

“When I get back from this mission.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve decided that this is my last mission. I’m retiring.”

“Really? What happened?”

“It wasn’t an easy decision. But it hasn’t been easy to be away from you and the family for so many long stretches of time. And for so many years.”

“One year longer than our marriage.”

“Yes. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been a submariner for exactly half of my life…And that I’ll be ending this phase of my life.”

“I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.”

“You will.”

“Does anyone else know?”

“No.”

“So Yisrael will be promoted to replace you?”

“It’s very likely.”

“Well, don’t mention your decision to anyone until you’re done with this mission. I wouldn’t want him to think his promotion happened before you actually leave.”

“Don’t worry. He may want to replace me, but he’s more likely to get that promotion if I’m his ally in the process.”

“I’m all for someone replacing you…The crew’s loss is my gain.”

“And mine too…But I’ll miss the team…And having such a clear mission every day.”

“Don’t worry – I’ll come up with a clear mission for you every day…And every night…” Sivan pulled him toward her for a tight embrace and a long kiss.

Esty abruptly interrupted them with some important news: “Mommy, look at that puppy,” she said, pointing to the tiny Pekingese being held by a girl only slightly taller than her, just across the lawn by the water. The girl was Tikva, the five-year old daughter of Ethiopian officer Ambesah and his wife Yardena.

“I wanna hold it too!” Esty declared.

“Maybe if you let her hold your starfish, she’ll let you hold her puppy,” Daniel suggested. And that was all the permission Esty needed. She left her drawing pad and crayon on her mother’s foot, and went scurrying off toward the negotiation zone.

“See how much she misses me? In a competition between daddy and a puppy she’s never seen before, the puppy wins in a heartbeat,” Daniel joked.

“You know how much she misses you. But she’s still a little girl.”

“Maybe it’s time to buy her a puppy.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready for a puppy. Unless of course you’re going to help me take care of it.”

“I will.”

“And how exactly do you expect to clean up the puppy’s poop from 200 meters below the sea?”

“OK. So we’ll get the puppy after I return from this mission. Deal?”

“As long as it doesn’t bark too much.”

“Moving on to humans,” he said, “how’s my grandfather holding up?”

“If I have half of his wits at age 91, I’ll consider myself very blessed. Actually, if I even get to 91, I’ll feel blessed.”

“And his cataracts?”

“The doctor said that they’ll get worse without laser surgery, but it’s a bit risky, so the family’s not sure whether he should do it.”

“Yes. That is a tough call. And what about the rest of his health?”

“He seems to be doing OK. He always asks about you.”

“I wish I had enough time to go and visit him today.”

“Seeing him whenever you want will be one more retirement benefit, right?”

“Very true…How are Hila and Amir?”

“Sorry I couldn’t bring them…It’s hard to get them out of class on such short notice.”

“I know…Did Hila move forward with her patent?”

“Her science teacher insisted on it. He thinks her invention could revolutionize solar power.”

“At age seventeen. It’s unbelievable. She must have inherited that gene from you.”

“If her next invention is a subaquatic breathing device, then we can credit your genes.”

“I’ll take what I can get. How about Amir? How’s he doing?”

“Not so well, unfortunately.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“He’s been getting bullied at school lately. The awkward pimple stage doesn’t help. He doesn’t seem to have enough confidence to stand up for himself. I think if you were around more it would help. He needs a male presence.”

“I know. And that will change very soon. But in the meantime I want you to enroll him in some martial arts classes.”

“I think he’ll feel intimidated by that too.”

“He’ll have to get over it. He needs to learn to stand up for himself. We’re enrolling him in martial arts. Period.”

Chapter 4: Ambesah

Yardena and Ambesah also had worries about one of their children who couldn’t join the brief reunion. Yardena reported that their eight-year old daughter, Adi, one of just a few Ethiopians in her school, was having trouble fitting in with her classmates although she had finally made a few friends.

“A few friends is all you need,” Ambesah said; his large and gentle brown eyes seemed to sparkle with optimism, like those of a child endlessly interested in the world around him. One of the handful of religious submariners, he wore a knit skullcap and had a well-trimmed beard.

“You’re lucky to have more than a few on the submarine.”

“Well, the submarine is very different from a schoolyard. We’re all brothers by circumstance. There’s no race or ethnicity on a submarine – only grown men with individual strengths and weaknesses. And that’s all that counts on a ship where we all sink or swim together. One day all of Israeli society will be like the submarine.”

“I work for that day every day,” Yardena said, smiling at how nicely her daughter Tikva was playing with the captain’s daughter, Esty. They were taking turns playing with the starfish and the Pekingese puppy. Tikva wasn’t old enough to know how unlikely her own existence was, given what her parents had endured.

Ambesah was born in 1980, in a tiny village that was part of the minuscule and isolated Ethiopian Jewish community that traced its roots back millennia, to the Biblical Queen of Sheba. Cut off from the rest of world Jewry, the members of the tight-knit group thought that they might be the last Jews left in the world. The 1974 revolution that brought Communists to power in Ethiopia would also make it illegal to practice Judaism there. But Ambesah’s family had heard rumors of a modern Jewish state that would welcome immigrant Jews. So, in 1984 they joined forces with several other families to cross the desert on foot to Israel. They walked barefoot for 400 miles, hiding in caves along the way. Five of Ambesah’s 11 siblings died during the arduous journey. The surviving family members made it to a Sudanese refugee camp, where they were eventually rescued by Israeli paratroopers who escorted them onto the airlift that would bring them to Israel. Thus, Ambesah was a born survivor: In just 15 years, he would go from a toddler running around barefoot in a village without electricity or running water, to a submarine officer who had mastered over 4,000 switches and valves on the most powerful machine in the Israeli military.

Yardena was just two years old when her family came to Israel in the same 1984 Operation Moses that brought her future husband, after her family undertook the same journey out of Ethiopia. She would go on to serve with distinction in the intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces or “IDF,” before becoming a print journalist in one of Israel’s leading daily newspapers, where she led investigations exposing incidents of racism and other scandals. Her work was credited with helping to raise public awareness and catalyzing legislative reforms and protections for Israel’s racial minorities. She was also one of the founding members of Israel’s first Amharic-language paper for the Ethiopian community.

Their youngest daughter, Tikva, whose name means “hope,” was happily oblivious to her parents’ history. With a similar simplicity, they were content just to watch her enjoying her childhood. Their daughter ran around laughing with Esty, who gripped the starfish in her hand, as they both chased after the Pekingese puppy that was running around in circles and barking intermittently, as if to announce to the rest of the world that they were all playing a very important game.

“Of course, we don’t all get along perfectly – it’s not so easy with so many guys sharing such a small space. But there’s always enough respect among individuals for the mission to succeed. And the good humor helps.”

“Is Yisrael still your most trusted friend on the crew?”

“I couldn’t have come this far in my naval career without him. He adopted me like a brother, stood up for me, and encouraged me along the way.”

“And he’s going to be captain soon, right? That could be very good for your advancement.”

“Yisrael will almost certainly take over the submarine. Daniel has to retire first, and no one knows exactly when he’ll do that. But probably soon, because he’s served for so long. He’s a very dedicated commander and a great leader…Anyway, enough about me and the crew...Back to Adi – is she at least communicating better with my father?”

“No. He speaks to her in Amharic and she answers in Hebrew, and it’s as if we have the Tower of Babel unless I’m there to translate. It’s really sad. We have to make more of an effort to make her speak Amharic. And we should do it with Tikva too.”

“We always say that. And then we always realize that it’s easier said than done.”

“Especially since you’re hardly around to help enforce that rule.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I wish it were different,” he said, sensing the need to change the subject. “How are things at the newspaper?”

“Everyone’s talking about Iran and the Prime Minister’s health. I don’t cover either of those areas, but my friends do, so I hear things.”

“Like what?”

“Military officials aren’t talking about it but there are worries that Iran will come out with yet another surprise announcement any minute. Apparently it’s something very disturbing.”

“Great – just what I was hoping to hear on my brief shore break,” Ambesah joked. “And what about the Prime Minister?”

“That’s where there’s the most speculation. Nobody seems to know what actually happened to him or when he’s expected to return to his duties.”

“Maybe the doctors themselves still don’t know.”

“I think it’s more of a cover-up. The public doesn’t have as much faith in the Deputy Prime Minister. So I think everyone at the top is just hoping that they can soon announce a full recovery, to avoid a public loss of confidence. But after eight days in the hospital with no detailed updates about his health, I think their strategy may be backfiring.”

“You’re right. It does start to seem like a cover-up after so much time…Speaking of people’s health, how’s my father doing?”

“He hasn’t gotten better, unfortunately. We missed you at his seventy-third birthday…We’re trying to change his diet, so maybe that will –”

“Hey Sanbeto!” Ambesah’s face lit up as he saw his younger brother walk up to them. The two siblings reunited in a tight hug. “Thanks for coming – it’s great to see you!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for anything. Sorry the rest of the family couldn’t make it.”

“I wasn’t expecting anyone else, so this is a wonderful surprise…What’s new with you?”

“New? Let’s see – I got a new job!”

“Really? That’s great! Where? Doing what?”

“Same thing as before – database software architect. But at a bigger high-tech company that pays more.”

“That’s fantastic!”

“Yeah. I’m pretty excited about it. The people there are all really nice. And they’re at a very high technical level, so that’ll help my programming skills too.”

“That’s great news…But what about the important stuff?” Ambesah asked ironically.

“And what would that be?” his brother responded with a grin.

“Do you have a girlfriend yet?”

“I tried to set him up with my younger sister’s friend,” Yardena began, “but he’s still obsessed with trying to date a non-Ethiopian Israeli,” she said, in a slightly teasing tone.