Tag #129152 - Interview #78116 (shlima goldstein)

I didn't know about the situation around or that the Soviet authorities had arrested and deported many leaders of Jewish organizations. There were some changes in the orphanage. We didn't have to sleep in the afternoon or, if we felt like having a nap, we were allowed to go to the bedroom. But most importantly, they opened the gate to the garden and I ran there climbing a tree and breathing in fresh air thinking that this was 'paradise.' However, we had to say 'good by' to our religious ideas as the Soviets declared a war [struggle] against religion [9], and we were told there was no God, but I've always had Him in my heart. We became pioneers [see All-Union pioneer organization] [10] at the ceremony in the new House of Pioneers in the center of the town where we went as frequently as we used to go to the synagogue before.