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Selma’s mother lived in a big one-story house, where there were a lot of children. They lived very poorly. There was no wallpaper on the walls. They treated us badly; I recall that they would add water to the milk they gave us – they even begrudged us milk. Who needed us, outsider kids! Our oldest sister, Lena, went out begging for us.
But we didn’t live there long. After a few months we were all placed elsewhere. Zhenechka, Misha and I were put in orphanages – for some reason we were all sent to different ones. The older two, Lena and Borya (Lena was 14 and Borya - 12 ) were sent to a vocational school in Krasnoe Selo, near Leningrad.
It was then that we completely lost touch with our youngest brother, Mishenka, who was 5 at the time. He sought us out only in 1955. I didn’t recognize him at first. He had became an attractive young man with dark, curly hair.
I was at the orphanage for about a month. It was in summer. A lot of us lived in one room. I always sat in the corner, separately, constantly crying. I didn’t want to eat anything and grew very thin; I missed Mom and Dad terribly. When Aunt Anya Feitelson, dad’s cousin, came to see me, she was told: “If you want this child to live, take her away.” So she and Uncle Vitya, her husband, took me in. Aunt Anya became my guardian, but they only took me. Maybe they didn’t know where my brothers and sisters were. Or may be they did know but didn’t want to assume such a responsibility and take anyone else.
But we didn’t live there long. After a few months we were all placed elsewhere. Zhenechka, Misha and I were put in orphanages – for some reason we were all sent to different ones. The older two, Lena and Borya (Lena was 14 and Borya - 12 ) were sent to a vocational school in Krasnoe Selo, near Leningrad.
It was then that we completely lost touch with our youngest brother, Mishenka, who was 5 at the time. He sought us out only in 1955. I didn’t recognize him at first. He had became an attractive young man with dark, curly hair.
I was at the orphanage for about a month. It was in summer. A lot of us lived in one room. I always sat in the corner, separately, constantly crying. I didn’t want to eat anything and grew very thin; I missed Mom and Dad terribly. When Aunt Anya Feitelson, dad’s cousin, came to see me, she was told: “If you want this child to live, take her away.” So she and Uncle Vitya, her husband, took me in. Aunt Anya became my guardian, but they only took me. Maybe they didn’t know where my brothers and sisters were. Or may be they did know but didn’t want to assume such a responsibility and take anyone else.
Period
Location
Russia
Interview
Irina Voinova