The story of how a former Jewish shoemaker saved a Russian battalion from falling into a Nazi trap at the front is reported in the Russian press today.
The shoemaker, Leib Rossin, who has been serving in the Red Army since the outbreak of the Russo-German war, noticed a fallen pine tree in the woods near where his battalion was stationed. There was nothing unusual about this, but Rossin suspected that a Nazi trick might be behind it. “I am sure that the Germans out down this tree for a purpose,” he reported to his commanding officer. Upon investigation, it was found that the tree had narrowed the path across which it fell. Both sides of the narrow opening which remained had then been mined. If the battalion had passed through this narrow path, it would have been annihilated.
Russian sappers immediately rendered the Nazi mines harmless, and the battalion proceeded to its destination attacking a German position and taking it. “Thus,” one Russian paper points out, “Rossin not only saved his battalion, but must be credited with making it possible for his comrades to gain another position from the Nazis.” The former Jewish cobbler, who was decorated for this act, has participated in numerous battles and has been wounded. He returned to the front, however, as soon as the doctor permitted him to leave the hospital.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
