Chapter 77: The Story of Chaim Shimon

00:01 Everyone was eager to hear Chaim Shimon’s story. He had important details that greatly interested the leaders assembled in Liozna. It turned out that he had overheard Nikolayev and Kozitsky, two enemies of the Jews, plotting a blood libel against them. Chaim Shimon heard Kozitsky tell Nikolayev that when he appeared before the mayor, he must speak clearly and firmly when making his accusation. Nikolayev replied that he was sure his words would make such a strong impression that no one would notice they were invented. He added that he was certain that as soon as their accusation was accepted, the Jews would come to them and offer them large sums of money to influence them. Chaim Shimon’s words stunned Kozitsky and Nikolayev, as though disaster had struck them. They exchanged embarrassed looks. They could not imagine how the Jewish boy had discovered their secret. The town leaders, headed by the governor, were at a loss, not knowing what to do next. Chaim Shimon, for his part, continued to stand straight and confident, unmoved by the effect of his words. The governor was the first to break the silence. He asked the young Jew why he had not hurried to tell his story as soon as it happened. Chaim Shimon said he had hoped the accusers would reconsider and abandon their plot on their own, so he had decided to wait until evening and see whether they went ahead with their plan. Once he saw that they had indeed come here, he decided to come and tell what he knew in their presence. By then, Nikolayev and Kozitsky had regained their composure and, with the brazenness typical of men like them, began denying Chaim Shimon’s account. They even tried to persuade those present that Chaim Shimon had been sent by the Jews to confuse the Christian leaders. As they spoke, they poured fire and brimstone on the character and nature of

02:30 the Jews and their young emissary. But Chaim Shimon remained calm and composed, making a strong impression on those present. He explained that no other Jew knew about this; even his family did not know where he had gone. He had done everything on his own initiative, with no one else involved, solely out of a desire to reveal the truth. He was sure that those assembled, too, wanted nothing but the whole truth. The governor instructed Chaim Shimon to wait in the large waiting room, while he and the priest went into a side room to confer. As Chaim Shimon stood alone in the waiting room, Kozitsky and Nikolayev suddenly rushed at him with murderous looks in their eyes, intending to attack and beat him. Chaim Shimon quickly dodged them and, leaping from bench to bench, escaped into the room where the town leaders were still sitting, waiting for the governor and priest to return. Nikolayev and Kozitsky pursued Chaim Shimon, caught up with him and began beating him. But Chaim Shimon was a strong, agile boy. He gave Nikolayev such a hard shove that he fell flat, injuring his nose, which began to bleed. Kozitsky, however, kept fighting him. With a quick leap, Shimon sprang onto his attacker’s shoulders, wrapped one arm around his neck and punched him in the face with his other hand. This unexpected move left Kozitsky helpless for a moment, allowing Chaim Shimon to break free and run behind the town leaders for shelter. Kozitsky and Nikolayev were furious that their victim had escaped while they themselves had taken a beating. Meanwhile, drawn by the noise, the governor and priest returned to the scene and asked what had happened. Kozitsky and Nikolayev had the audacity to claim that Chaim Shimon had attacked them when they went into the waiting room for a drink of water. Chaim Shimon denied it and declared that the opposite was true. He

05:12 suggested that the governor question the guard who had been in the waiting room and seen everything, as well as the town leaders, who had seen all that happened in the meeting room. But the inquiries produced no clear answer. Half an hour later, the governor and the priest announced their decision: to establish the full truth both about the scuffle there and about the accusation that the Jews had murdered a Christian child, Kozitsky and Nikolayev, as well as Chaim Shimon, would be punished with lashes. Nikolayev and Kozitsky would receive twenty lashes each, and Chaim Shimon fifteen. The governor ordered the three men to be placed in a sealed, windowless room to wait until they were called, one by one, to the whipping bench to receive their punishment. At the same time, he ordered Yan Raus, an expert at administering lashes, to be brought with his whip to carry out the sentence.