THE COUNTERFEIT COSSACK, THE LIFE OF ARTHUR FEDER, is the story of one man, but it’s so packed with adventure, it could provide the basis for ten exciting biographies. It seems unbelievable that one person could have gone through so much, especially with such humble beginnings.

     Arthur Feder was born Ovram Feder in a tiny Polish town of just two thousand souls. His father was a pious fish monger, and little Ovram seemed destined for the same. But World War II intruded upon their lives, and he was plucked from his provincial existence by the Soviet state, and sent away from his home to learn to be a cog in the Soviet State. It turned out to be an education of a different kind, however. Due to class tardiness, the fanatical totalitarians sent him to jail for a year, and inadvertently saved him from the Nazi invasion. Imprisoned in the Ukraine, he learned to grow up fast. It was a hellish struggle just to eat and avoid beatings. Ignorant of the tragic fate of his family, Ovram Feder became Arturo Arkadivonovitch just to avoid the anti-Semitism of his cell mates. And, just as ironically as the Soviets saved him from the Nazis, fascism saved him from the Communists. The Luftwaffe bombed the jail, and he was freed. Hopping freights and robbing open air markets to survive, he wound up on one of Stalin’s collective farms where bizarre fate dictated that he become a musical entertainer. Seeking warmer climes, Arturo headed south. But the Germans were headed the same way, and their invasion of Russia was to determine his life for the next four years. Curious to see his first big city, Arturo made it to Stalingrad just in time to be rounded up by the authorities and placed in the patriotic Communist Youth League, manufacturing war goods. But he found it so boring that he volunteered for combat duty, despite being too young to serve. To save him from the grim fighting in Stalingrad, an old friend arranged for him to be assigned to the newly revived Cossack brigade. Hiding his faith even deeper down inside, he learned to ride and shoot with the best of them. Fate assigned him to be the general’s aide, and he was given a noble white steed and a uniform tailored just like his commander’s. Arturo rode with two thousand savage warriors. They charged into battle, sabers raised high, and didn’t retreat until they were drenched in Nazi blood. In countless battles, Arturo blasted away at the retreating German Third Army with rifle, pistol, and submachine gun. Standing out from the other battles was the ambush at the train station, where Arturo and his comrades trapped thousands of wermachte troops and left no prisoners. Grievously wounded by a German dive bomber, Arturo was evacuated to Baku, on the Caspian Sea, to convalesce. Then he made his way to Moscow where he was personally decorated by Joseph Stalin. Determined to discover his family’s fate, he hitch-hiked back to Poland. There he learned about his family’s grim end. Assigned Commissar of the region, he hunted his family’s betrayers, but also found love. After a simple marriage he took up a position in Krakow to hunt collaborators. And with the war’s end, he and his bride made their way to France and a boat to Palestine.

     A struggling pioneer, Arthur was ecstatic to see the birth of the State of Israel, only to witness the invasions of five Arab armies. As an experienced soldier he volunteered to train his fellow citizens, and also fought in various campaigns. But even with the coming of peace Arthur found it hard to earn a living, so he returned to Europe to initiate immigration to America. After managing a Jewish wrestler in Germany, he was granted passage to New York. Taking whatever work he could, he wound up waiting tables in Miami Beach, where he met the famous playwright Arthur Miller. The noted man of letters befriended our hero, and even entrusted his wife, Marilyn Monroe, to his care.

     Finally achieving some success as a builder, Arthur takes a well earned vacation to Puerto Rico. There, destiny arranges for a well timed builder’s convention in the lobby of the hotel. Arthur becomes the construction king of Puerto Rico, and his company ends up going public on the New York Stock Exchange. Freed by new found wealth, he is finally free to return to Europe and hunt for his family’s betrayer.

     Arthur Feder’s life has never ending twists and turns, and it’s told with a great eye for detail. Events from fifty years ago come alive, and one can feel one’s self inside his skin.