JEFF ROUSS - THE TRANSLATOR

Raised on Venice Beach, Jeff Rouss is a longtime fan of Harry Turtledove, Philip K. Dick, and S. M. Stirling.  His wife and daughter are successful authors, so he decided to try his hand at writing. “The Translator” creates an alternative Jewish history in the Americas of the 16th century.

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The Translator
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​By the time I reached my 18th birthday in the year 1497, Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand had, by force of arms, succeeded in expelling or killing nearly all the practicing Jews in Spain.  Those of us who managed to survive only did so by pretending to be “Nuevo Christians.”
Even as a “Nuevo Christian” though, no one was safe.  There was the constant threat of being discovered as a pretender, the punishment for which was being burned at the stake. Fortunately, I had a gift for languages, which offered me a way out.  With so many Spanish ships setting sail for new lands, there was a great need for translators.  As a child, I had spoken Hebrew, Spanish and Arabic with my family, and I learned Greek and Latin at school.  Perhaps because of this, the words and patterns of new tongues came easily to me.  I listened well, paying attention to the rhythms and inflections in one’s voice, hearing each language as if it were a kind of music.
After some two decades of traveling among the islands of the Caribbean Sea, I had mastered another three languages and native dialects. It was around this time that I found myself in Cuba where I met the adventurer Hernando Cortes. I had made a name for myself as a reliable translator and he was all too eager to have me join him as he sailed from Cuba to the land of Mexica seeking gold and glory.
It didn’t take long for me to learn that Cortes was an unpleasant man and arrogant commander, whose dreams of conquest and power even outraced his desire for wealth.
As we made our way into the land of the Mexica, native tribes opposed to the Mexica joined our ranks.  It was from them that I learned the language of the Mexica, so that when we reached their capital of Tenochtitlan, I was nearly fluent.
This is how I came to be at Cortes’s side when he met with the King of the Mexica, Montezuma.  Cortes instructed me to tell Montezuma that we came in peace seeking only friendship and trade.
I looked back and forth between the two men, one whom I knew to be a ruthless and greedy liar, and the other a stranger, perhaps no better, but certainly unlikely to be worse.  I decided to take my chances with the stranger.
I calmly told Montezuma that Cortes was here to take his gold and enslave the Mexican nation. Montezuma’s face was expressionless as I finished speaking.  Oblivious to what had been said, Cortes nodded for me to go on.  And so I did, urging Montezuma to expel the intruders.
For a moment, no one spoke.  Then Montezuma quietly excused himself to meet with his advisors.  Upon hearing my warning, they unanimously recommended war.  And, in due course, the Spanish invaders and their allies were defeated and Cortes met his end impaled on a Priest’s cross.
Grateful for my honesty, Montezuma kept me on as his own translator and advisor.  He feared future attacks by the Spanish, and I told him what I could of their tactics and weapons and encouraged him to take steps to modernize his military.  Mexican scholars, specifically the mathematicians, astronomers and physicians, were tasked with learning the sciences of the Spanish.  Within just a few years, Montezuma’s sailing ships and military were equal to or greater than the Spanish.
As our friendship grew, I revealed my own story to Montezuma, sharing with him the horrors inflicted on the Jews in Spain and how I had kept my faith secret to survive.  Montezuma was inquisitive. He wanted to know more about my people’s history. He was particularly taken by the story of the Khazar King who, in the 7th century, adopted Judaism for his nation because it avoided involvement in the constant warfare of the neighboring Christian and Moslem kingdoms.  He also took to heart the story of the “Akedah”, where God stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac. It seemed a revelation to him, that human sacrifice was only a test by God, not meant to be acted upon.  Within the year, he proclaimed that both he and his kingdom would observe Judaism and thus end human sacrifice.
Meanwhile, Montezuma sent emissaries to the enemies of Spain seeking alliances.  At my behest, he also offered the Sultan in Istanbul to take in the Jewish refugees who had fled Spain.  Many alliances were established and thousands of Jews made the long journey from Africa and the Middle East to the land of the Mexica.  There they found refuge and an opportunity to rebuild their Jewish communities.
Emissaries to the Inca Empire in the south and to the pueblo dwellers in the north warned them of the Spanish threat.  Alliances were formed, and the new technologies shared.  Proselytizing Rabbis, following these new trade routes, found many willing and enthusiastic converts to the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  And before not too long, there were competing Rabbinic academies in the Americas that recalled the days of the Babylonian and Jerusalem Talmudists.
Years later, after the Bar Mitzvah of one of Montezuma’s grandsons at the Great Synagogue in Tenochtitlan, we spoke about the changes we had seen since our first meeting.  His nation was at peace and played a leading role in the kingdoms of the world. Mexican technology and science were now superior to the Europeans, and the people were prosperous.  Hebrew was the official language of the court and rapidly becoming the language of the nation.  Allies and enemies alike proclaimed the Mexica nation the “new Israel” and Tenochtitlan the “new Jerusalem”.  And, whenever he went out among the people, Montezuma was greeted with a new interpretation of the Talmudic text of praise for King David: “Montezuma, Melech Yisrael, Chai Chai v'kayam”.