Christmas of 1951 at the Târgu-Ocna prison
Christmas Time It was a quiet winter, with snow but no frost. The surrounding hills stood grey and still. From the hermitage, the bells rang out the monks’ prayers, and we joined them—as did all Christian souls—in silent prayer. It is impossible to believe that these voiceless prayers of people caught between death and torture went unheard. They were heard; they brought heaven to earth. I believe that God will have mercy on this world and on those great and faithful souls of Târgu-Ocna. In Room 4 sat, among others, Archimandrite Gherasim Iscu; beside him, a Jewish former Soviet politician […]
