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Moishe Russie
Fictional Character
Worldwar
POD: May 30, 1942
Appearance(s): In the Balance
through
Aftershocks
Type of Appearance: Direct (POV through Striking the Balance)
Species: Human
Nationality: Poland, later Palestine
Date of Birth: c. 1916
Date of Death: Unknown, After 1995
Religion: Judaism
Occupation: Physician, Rabbi
Spouse: Rivka Russie
Children: Reuven, Sarah (d. 1942), Esther, Judith
Relatives: Chaim Russie (grandson)

Moishe Russie (b. ca. 1916) was a Polish Jew living with his family in a ghetto under German rule when the Race invaded in 1942. His initial support for the Race made him one of the most important human beings on the planet. He eventually became personal advisor to Fleetlord Atvar himself.

In 1942, Moishe and his family were barely eking out an existence. Indeed, his daughter Sarah had already died of malnutrition when the Race arrived. The situation was so dire that the devout Moishe willingly traded family silver to a Pole for some pork so his remaining family, wife Rivka and his son Reuven, would eat for another few days.

One night Moishe prayed for a miracle to save them from the German terror. Immediately after the Race began exploding explosive-metal bombs at high altitudes in an attempt to disrupt Earth communications with an EMP blast. Moishe took this explosion high in the sky to be a sign from God. As the Jews of Poland were very thirsty for hope at this time, this story spread quickly among them, and Moishe gained some renown among his people.

Moishe would serve as the liaison between the Race's governor, Zolraag, and the Jewish community. Moishe would make radio broadcasts for the Race's propaganda efforts that detailed the Nazis' actions in Poland and praising the Race for dropping an explosive-metal bomb on Berlin. However, Moishe would refuse to continue when he was pressed to praise the Race for the explosive-metal bombing of Washington, DC. He attempted to defy the Race, but his words were edited to benefit the Race and broadcast. Having angered the Race, Russie and his family forced to flee, first to an underground bunker, then to Lodz.

Russie was able to hide in Lodz for a time, but was eventually discovered by the Race. He was then rescued by the British, who sent Russie's cousin David Goldfarb into Polda. Goldfarb took the Russie family to Britain. Moishe would then make radio broadcasts for the BBC until the Race's attempted invasion of Britain, where he would serve as a combat medic.

Once the Race had been repelled from Britain, he resumed his job at the BBC until he was asked to go to Palestine to prevent it from defecting to the Race. On the way there he would witness the Germans detonating an atomic bomb in Rome. Once Russie reached Palestine, he tried to appeal to the anti-British Jewish rebels to lay down their arms by contrasting Britain's relatively benevolent treatment of Jews to Germany's horrific persecution, and also to describe the injustices which had led him to denounce the Race in Poland. This mission failed as Russie and his family were kidnapped from their British handlers by the Jewish resistance shortly after his arrival, and the resistance then began an uprising against the British as the Race drove on Palestine from their base in Egypt.

After the Race conquered Palestine, Russie became a liaison between the Race and the warring human nations in the Peace of Cairo. After the treaty was signed, Russie warned and shared with Atvar the history of the enslaved Hebrews who built the Pyramids and later against rebelled their Egyptian masters. Russie then paralleled this with the human beings now living under Race rule.

In the next twenty years, Russie and his family lived in Race-ruled Jerusalem, with Russie himself periodically traveling to Cairo to consult with Atvar. Russie finished his medical studies under the Race and he and Rivka had twin daughters. Russie became a respected doctor in Jerusalem.

With the arrival of the Colonization Fleet, Atvar and other males began considering more forceful efforts to assimilate the Tosevites under their rule. One of these measures was to begin to tax Tosevites for practicing their native religions, hoping it would encourage them to turn to Emperor-worship instead. Russie was dismayed and frequently tried to contact Atvar about the matter. Atvar's subordinates kept most of the calls from reaching him. Regardless of the tax, Russie and his family remained devoted, although now he had to worry about being caught in the fighting between Race soldiers and Muslims who violently opposed the new taxes.

Russie Medical College in Jerusalem was named in his honor.

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