This week Pegman has gone to Moscow. Many thanks to K Lawson for graciously hosting. To choose your own photo click here. Write your own flash fiction of 150 words or less. Click the blue frog to add your own link.
Here’s the photo I chose:
Genre: Historical Fiction
Word Count: 150
POETIC INJUSTICE
“I adored the stage,” said Bubbe Gittel of her time in the Moscow State Jewish Theater. “I had a crush on the director, Shlomo Mikhoels. What a performer he was!”
I switched off the TV. My grandmother’s stories beat summer reruns. Even in her 80’s she could still recite Shakespeare—in Yiddish.
“During the war Mr. Stalin kept us safe from Hitler and made Shlomo the head of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee. The show would always go on. So I thought.”
Bubbe’s smile faded. “The war ended and with it, Stalin’s favor.”
“What happened, Bubbe?”
“They called it an accident, but I saw it with my own eyes. A KGB monster shoved Shlomo in the path of a speeding truck. Other members of the committee were arrested for treason—poets and writers they were. Four years later, they were executed. Their real crime? We know what that was, don’t we?”
.
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Thank you for helping us never forget the atrocities of the past so that we may (hopefully) not relive them in the future.
– Lisa
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Dear Lisa,
It does seem to be where the muse has been leading me the past two weeks. Thank you for your comments. I share that hope.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Still fresh in the minds of those who have survived…
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Dear Courtney,
Trauma indelibly etches itself in our minds, doesn’t it? I was in the 5th grade the day Kennedy was assassinated. I remember that day and ensuing weekend vividly. thank you for stopping by.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I am currently taking a History class and the focus is political assassinations. Mostly we are discussing Presidents of course, but others have come up in conversations. The question today was: Are there times when a political assassinations are justified? Interesting question.,, yes? There were a variety of answers but we all agreed that there are certainly times when it is warranted and other times it isn’t… Hitler’s name came up over and over of course. I was only a few months old when JFK was killed and too young to remember MLK or Bobby. But other historical situations will stand out like John Lennon and 911.
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This is really moving. I guess the specter of imminent brutality looms large over us all. Nicely written piece.
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Dear J Hardy,
These are uncertain times. Thank you for your generous compliments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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How you manage to teach us week after week through a wonderful story (even when there is tragedy, the story is so well told) blows me away. Fabulous
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Dear Dale,
When Esther whispers in my ear I must write, right? Of course right! Guess you could call it my weekly rite. Seriously, it’s that drive within that forces me to tell these stories. We must never forget and we must remember that Hitler, as horrible as he was, was not in a class by himself.
Thank you, my friend, for such a magnificent comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes, Esther must not be silenced! We all benefit in the end. 😍
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Really moving and thought provoking. We need to stay vigilant.
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Thank you, Debra. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks for once again driving home the dire need to be vigilant in today’s troublesome times, Rochelle.
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Dear Neel,
Something we all can agree on is that we’re living in troublesome times. Thank you for reading and appreciating.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Excellent and moving story, especially pertinent in these times.
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Dear Karen,
I believe that no matter what a person believes these days, we are living in uncertain times. Some say it’s 1939 all over again. I pray they’re wrong.
Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Youre so right with your comment above, Rochelle – Hitler was not the only monster of the twentieth century and Stalin murdered so many more of his own people even than Hitler. Poor Shlomo – but then, artists tend to be free thinkers and tyrants are threatened by those can can think for themselves. A sad and scary tale, though Bubbe is a sparkling light – love her voice.
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Dear Lynn,
Up until yesterday, this was a piece of history I knew nothing about. Stalin was accepting of the Jews as long as it benefited his agenda. I’ve heard that he had his own ‘solution’ to the ‘Jewish question,’ that died with him in 1953.
Enough of my ramblings…thank you for your lovely comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Evil, evil man. These people come to power, have been put there by hoards of supporters, but they have no empathy for anyone, not even their own people. Save us from such tyranny
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This is a great story. Stalin was not a nice man and not a friend of the arts. It is scary that he is becoming popular in some parts of Russia again….
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Dear Trent,
Stalin was only a friend to Stalin. He killed thousands of his own people. Thank you for your generous compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Yes, he was brutal.
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That was horrific…i can’t imagine how it would have been in real..God Bless
There is a “Letter Writing Challenge” from the 30th of January. It would be amazing if you could participate in it.
Here is the link for the challenge
http://mrsdashsayss.blogspot.in/2017/01/12-weeks-of-letter-writing-challenge_24.html
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Thank you for reading and commenting, Dee Dee. Ill have to think about the letter writing challenge. It looks interesting but I don’t want to overload.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Nice! You should write more about this.
I keep thinking you’re going to do a Jewish Martian Chronicles-type novel — short stories that connect in some way with the main subject. Could be a start.
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Dear Cuzzin Notnek
I’ll never say never. It’s not a bad idea. Actually, I think most of Bradbury’s ‘novels’ were short stories on a single tether, save Fahrenheit 451. The Illustrated Man comes to mind as well. We’ll see where my muse, Esther, takes me this year.
Shalom,
Cuzzin Shelley
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your H theme continues….
very well done. 🙂
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Dear Yvette,
I’m a little late replying to this comment, but I’m just now seeing it. A post mature thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂 hope you have a nice week
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