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Soon I was able to walk and decided to go to the Central Administrative Board of Industrial schools (it was situated near the Circus). There I told them that I was left alone and physically was not able to reach our school canteen.
An employee asked me distrustfully: ‘Who is the director of your school?’ – and other similar questions. I answered all of them correctly. And again, a life-saving miracle: they gave me permission to eat at the canteen at the Industrial School #38, which was situated ten minutes walk away from my house.
They wrote: ‘Put B. Lerman down for allowances until trams resume operation.’
This occurred on February 25, 1942. And on March 8 we learned that our school was going to be evacuated by crossing the Ladoga Lake (the Ladoga Lake is 40 km far from Leningrad) southward (to Stavropol region). The director warned me that I had to be evacuated with my school. So I packed my things and went with that school. Every student was allowed to bring one person (a relative) along, but I had nobody to take with me.
We reached the Finnish railway station and moved towards the Ladoga Lake. There we spent a night. The next day we boarded the train. We were lucky to get into the heated car, but there were too many of us In it: we were only permitted to seat. So it took us 22 days (sitting in the car) to reach a settlement in Stavropol region. It was Gorbachev's birthplace [16]. There they placed us in a school building and fed us like prize turkeys. People did not starve there. When we got off the train we were given a loaf of bread (one for every two people) and a piece of lard. It was like a dream! Bread seemed to be sweet honey. They also gave us soup and porridge. So we were fattened up and sent (again by train) to Moscow to aircraft factory.
An employee asked me distrustfully: ‘Who is the director of your school?’ – and other similar questions. I answered all of them correctly. And again, a life-saving miracle: they gave me permission to eat at the canteen at the Industrial School #38, which was situated ten minutes walk away from my house.
They wrote: ‘Put B. Lerman down for allowances until trams resume operation.’
This occurred on February 25, 1942. And on March 8 we learned that our school was going to be evacuated by crossing the Ladoga Lake (the Ladoga Lake is 40 km far from Leningrad) southward (to Stavropol region). The director warned me that I had to be evacuated with my school. So I packed my things and went with that school. Every student was allowed to bring one person (a relative) along, but I had nobody to take with me.
We reached the Finnish railway station and moved towards the Ladoga Lake. There we spent a night. The next day we boarded the train. We were lucky to get into the heated car, but there were too many of us In it: we were only permitted to seat. So it took us 22 days (sitting in the car) to reach a settlement in Stavropol region. It was Gorbachev's birthplace [16]. There they placed us in a school building and fed us like prize turkeys. People did not starve there. When we got off the train we were given a loaf of bread (one for every two people) and a piece of lard. It was like a dream! Bread seemed to be sweet honey. They also gave us soup and porridge. So we were fattened up and sent (again by train) to Moscow to aircraft factory.
Period
Year
1942
Location
Leningrad
Russia
Interview
Boris Lerman
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