*
One of those leaders was Zivia, a shy and serious young woman, born in 1914 into a lower-middle-class and religious family in the small town of Byten, where the only road was lit by kerosene lamps. Lubetkin’s parents wanted her to function comfortably in Polish society, so they sent her to Polish state elementary school; she was also her after-school Hebrew teacher’s star pupil and became fluent in the language. Zivia was clever, had an excellent memory, and, of her six siblings, was the one her father trusted most. Instead of attending high school, she worked in his grocery. But she was taken by the idealism of Freedom, living for its egalitarian philosophy and muscular cause. Soon she was donning baggy clothes and a leather jacket （the sartorial sign of a socialist）， nearly unrecognizable to her parents on her visits home from the kibbutz that she attended against their wishes.
Thanks to her Zionist and socialist passions, her self-control, and work ethic, Zivia （meaning “gazelle” in Hebrew） made quick strides in the movement, and, despite her timidity and awkwardness, was promoted to leadership roles. （Her family used to urge her to loosen up; when guests came over, they forced her to practice giving speeches standing on a chair in the kitchen. She blushed and could barely utter a word.） At twenty-one, she was sent on a mission to lead the failing kibbutz in Kielce, a community that was crowded with “imposters” who wanted to go to Israel but did not subscribe to Freedom’s principles. Her success was hard-won and evident to all; she also had romantic success and met her first boyfriend, Shmuel.
Zivia, strict with others and with herself, was unafraid to offend, always speaking her truth. Her own emotions, including self-doubt, almost never poked through her tough facade. She became known for the ease with which she settled others’ disputes, and commanded respect, even from those rattled by her honesty. Each night, after completing her administrative duties, Zivia joined her female comrades for manual labor in the laundry or at the oven baking bread, and she insisted on trying men’s labor too, like constructing rail lines. She once single-handedly fought off a group of hooligans who’d been taunting the comrades. A stick in her hand, she threatened them until they ran. Zivia was “the Big Sister,” responsible for the whole family.
Promoted to coordinator of The Pioneer’s training programs for all of Poland, Zivia moved to Warsaw, accompanied by Shmuel. The British white paper, which severely restricted Jewish immigration to Palestine, made Zivia’s work even more challenging. Youth hoping to emigrate lost morale while lingering in preparation kibbutzim, but she managed to sustain educational programs and push for additional visas. Her leadership role took her to Switzerland in August 1939 as a delegate at the twenty-first Zionist Congress, a meeting of Zionist delegates from around the world. She enjoyed Geneva, liked strolling along the elegant streets, taking in the manicured lawns, the shop windows, the smartly dressed women. “If I, Zivia, ever decide to write a novel,” she said, “I shall call it From Byten to Geneva.” But despite the city’s dazzle, twenty-four-year-old Zivia was eager to rejoin her pupils, poor children, and teach them the path to personal fulfillment. The delegates sensed the difficult political future ahead; many leaders found ways to flee Europe from Switzerland. Zivia was given a special certificate allowing her to travel immediately to Palestine and completely bypass the impending war.
She did not use it.
France had closed its borders, roads were blocked, trains rerouted. It was not easy for Zivia to return to Poland, but she arrived in Warsaw on August 30, right in time for the first day of Hitler’s campaign. In the early days of the war’s chaos, Zivia traveled to shut down movement farms and seminar sites. The Pioneer’s plan B went into effect, placing her and fellow female movement leaders at the helm.
But with the immediate retreat of the Polish army, this plan, like so many that responded to the constantly shifting political reality, was revoked. Instead, Zivia and her comrades were told to head east, past the Bug River, to Russian territory, the same direction in which Renia’s family fled. For several months, the movements were based in towns that were under Soviet control, where the youth had relative freedom. During this period of upheaval, the groups solidified as strong and organized units. Zivia ensured that Freedom stayed committed to its ideals while learning how to handle new situations, like the increasingly forceful Soviet ban on religion and Jewish activity. Her new skill: quickly shifting to a new modus operandi when circumstances flipped.