Frida Khatset’s birth certificate

My birth certificate issued by Kiev Rabbi on 6 September 1919, Kiev.

I was born on 2 September 1919. I still have my birth certificate signed by the Kiev Rabbi. There was a number of Jewish pogroms at that time and my mother came home from hospital with me a day after a pogrom. There was a Ukrainian janitor - Stepan, a strong broad shouldered man. He had no education, but was eager to study and my father was helping him. My mother told me that in a day or two after we returned from hospital bandits came to our house. We lived on the 2nd floor. Stepan told all tenants to close their doors and let nobody in. He stood by our door with an ax and said 'You will only enter this apartment over my dead body!' Pogrom makers retreated. Stepan always did physical work for us and brought wood for heating the house. He was very grateful for my father's help. My father taught Stepan until he could go to study at rabfak. He finished rabfak and got a job at a housing agency. We loved and trusted Stepan.