Faina Melamed’s father Efim Melamed’s partisan identity card

This is a partisan identity card of my father Efim Melamed. It was issued in Odessa in 1929. This card was issued on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Red army. There is a list of privileges enjoyed by former Red partisans.

My father Efim Melamed was born in 1895. I have an excerpt from the synagogue roster that indicates that he was born in Uman. My father studied at school and received religious education at home. He and his brother studied Hebrew and Torah with a teacher who visited them at home. He also had private classes of playing the violin. My father's family had a talent for music. When the World War I began my father served as a private in the tsarist army. When the October Revolution began he went to the Red army. He served in the troops under command of red commander Yakir. I think he did it because he knew about pogroms and the attitude of tsarist power to Jews. He believed that the new regime would bring wealth and prosperity to all. He had a cavalry unit under his command. At home we used to keep letters of gratitude and awards of my father that disappeared later. My father was wounded in his face and had his jaws and tongue seamed.