Bronislava Chepur’s mother Buzia Aloets with her classmates in Jewish children's home

The Jewish children's home, Uman. All children have their hair cut short because of fleas. My mother Buzia Aloets (wearing a shawl) is at the bottom on the right. Photo made in 1923. Photo studio of Butelnokov. I have no information about the others on the photo. The year of 1919. The house has been robbed and Mendel is murdered. Inga is mentally ill. The compassionate neighbors took my mother and the girl to the road, turned them in the direction of Uman and told them to go straight on and to make no turns until they reached Uman. They were to find the town's Komsomol committee to seek help there. My 10-year-old mother took Fania, her 7-year-old sister's hand and they headed to Uman. They got the town committee. They could provide shelter during the day only and they told them to find a place stay at night by themselves. The girls were living with a drunkard woman in some basement with brick floors. It was cold and damp. They lived so for some time until they were sent to different Jewish children's homes. Children's homes often moved and children were sent from one home to another and the sisters lost each other. They met in 29 years afterwards, in 1949. My mother didn't say anything about her life in the children's home. She only mentioned once that the children had music classes. When we got a piano at home she recalled a piece and played it. Her fingers recalled it. When she grew old she recalled that they had had knitting classes and she took to knitting. Her fingers remembered. I have no information about their everyday life or system of education, just one terrible detail. After the war two other former inmates of the children's home visited my mother.