Tamara Koblik’s father Elih Podriadchik

This is my father Elih Podriadchik. This photo was taken in Soroki in 1925.

My papa Elih Podriadchik was born in Soroki in 1903. Papa was gifted and studied well - the family could afford to pay for his education. He wanted to become a pharmacists, but after his mother died - he was 12 - he was sent to study tailor's business. He stayed with his father for some time, but his stepmother was such a witch that she charged him for doing his laundry. When he grew a little older, he moved to Floreshty. Some time later he managed to get his own tailor's shop. He met my mother Beila Trostianetskaya in Floreshty. They began to see each other. When papa proposed to her, she only had 17,000 lei of dowry while the standard amount of the dowry was 20 thousand. Papa said: 'I will add the remaining amount so that people cannot say anything about you having less than a girl is expected to have'. 

They got married in 1929. Papa rented his shop facility from Petru Turcan, the owner of an inn in Floreshty. We had two rooms: papa’s shop was in one room - he had 5 or 6 young employees and his clients visited him in his room. Papa made men's clothes.  His employees were young Jewish men and women. On Sabbath papa's room turned into a fancy room. The sewing machines were covered with white cloth. Mama covered the table with a white fancy tablecloth. On Sabbath and Jewish holidays we celebrated in this room. Papa went to the synagogue on Sabbath. When he returned home, we had dinner sitting at the festively served table.

In 1940 the Soviet power was established. At this moment papa was at the training in the Romanian army. Mama dressed me and my sister Sheiva fancily and we went to the railway station to meet papa every day. When he arrived, he told mama that the Romanian military told them: 'Don't worry, we will be back a year from now'. Papa had education and was offered a position of director of the Center for domestic services. Papa went to work there.

In summer 1941 the Great Patriotic War began. Papa, mama, my sister Sheiva and I evacuated. We arrived at Krasnodar. From there we were taken to the kolkhoz 'Verniy put' [The right way] in Kropotkin district by truck. Papa went to work as a shepherd. Few months later Germans approached the Krasnodar Kray [Russian administrative division]. Chairman of the kolkhoz told us: 'You've got to leave. Germans are close, and you are Jews'. They gave us wagons and we rode to Krasnodar. From there we took a freight train to Makhachkala. We were to cross the Caspian Sea to Krasnovodsk. There were crowds of people. We were accommodated in a hostel. One night militia came to check our documents. They took papa with them. Later mama got to know that he was charged of deserting: he was supposed to obtain a necessary military permit in Krasnodar.  Mama said we would not leave Makhachkala till she found out what happened to papa.

We stayed there 5-6 months. Mama was trying to find out what happened to papa. Later she was told he was to be under trial as an 'enemy of the people'. Papa was to be tried by the military tribunal. Mama managed to get to the court building. When papa came out of the building he managed to tell her in Yiddish: 'Take care of the children. I am finished'. He gave her his watch and some money he had with him. Papa was sentenced to eight years, but I don't know whether he had to serve his sentence in jail or in a camp. He was sent to Nizhniy Tagil. This was the last time we saw papa. In 1943 mama met a man, he was in jail with papa in Nizhniy Tagil. He said they released papa after they finished their investigation of his case, but papa fell ill with dysentery and died in 1942.