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After the war I lived in Zubovsky Boulevard and worked at the housing department as the chief of the planning department. But then two departments merged and I was fired. Later I was asked to return to work because I was good at accountancy. But my boss, Puchkov, was an awful anti- Semite; he tried to make me sign some papers about the fulfillment of plans that had never been fulfilled. He yelled at me, tried to throw me out of his office. But I was bold. I told him, 'I didn't come to work for you, but for the Soviet power.'
It was at that time that I entered the Institute of Foreign Languages. But my boss wouldn't let me off work to take exams. He said to me: 'Who will let you go to university? You're Jewish!' But I still graduated from this institute. Then the campaign against cosmopolitans [12] began and I was fired because my boss found somebody else for my place. I was fired despite the following facts: I had two university degrees, Y. I. Pisareva only had secondary education. I had worked for 10 years and lived in Moscow since 1930. She had only worked for less than 2 years and lived in Moscow since 1950. I lived in an official flat (I lost my own during the war). She had her own flat and lived there with her husband. I was a member of the Communist Party, and she was not. I was Jewish and she was Russian.
I believe no commentary is needed. According to the first four items they had to keep me. But because of the item 5 [13] I was fired. For a long time I couldn't find a job. My friend, a Russian, who had studied at the Institute of Foreign Languages with me, said to me, 'I don't believe that you can't find a job because of your nationality. Our department needs a person who speaks English. I'll talk to my chief about an interview. If you don't get this job, I'll believe that it's because of your nationality.' I went to the interview, interpreted some conversations on the phone in English, got answers to a number of questions, and made a written report to the chief. He was very pleased with me and wrote a note to the chief of the personnel department. The chief of the personnel department sent my documents to the personnel department of the Ministry. I didn't get this job. My friend said, 'You were right, it was only because of item 5. Then another friend suggested that I should go to another institute to ask for work. The chief of the information department there asked me to translate an article, then took me personally to the chief of the personnel department. The chief of the personnel department opened my passport and asked in astonishment, 'How dare you to ask for a job here!' When the chief of the information department learned about this he said, 'Well, the personnel department will probably start doing our work soon.
It was at that time that I entered the Institute of Foreign Languages. But my boss wouldn't let me off work to take exams. He said to me: 'Who will let you go to university? You're Jewish!' But I still graduated from this institute. Then the campaign against cosmopolitans [12] began and I was fired because my boss found somebody else for my place. I was fired despite the following facts: I had two university degrees, Y. I. Pisareva only had secondary education. I had worked for 10 years and lived in Moscow since 1930. She had only worked for less than 2 years and lived in Moscow since 1950. I lived in an official flat (I lost my own during the war). She had her own flat and lived there with her husband. I was a member of the Communist Party, and she was not. I was Jewish and she was Russian.
I believe no commentary is needed. According to the first four items they had to keep me. But because of the item 5 [13] I was fired. For a long time I couldn't find a job. My friend, a Russian, who had studied at the Institute of Foreign Languages with me, said to me, 'I don't believe that you can't find a job because of your nationality. Our department needs a person who speaks English. I'll talk to my chief about an interview. If you don't get this job, I'll believe that it's because of your nationality.' I went to the interview, interpreted some conversations on the phone in English, got answers to a number of questions, and made a written report to the chief. He was very pleased with me and wrote a note to the chief of the personnel department. The chief of the personnel department sent my documents to the personnel department of the Ministry. I didn't get this job. My friend said, 'You were right, it was only because of item 5. Then another friend suggested that I should go to another institute to ask for work. The chief of the information department there asked me to translate an article, then took me personally to the chief of the personnel department. The chief of the personnel department opened my passport and asked in astonishment, 'How dare you to ask for a job here!' When the chief of the information department learned about this he said, 'Well, the personnel department will probably start doing our work soon.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
lubov ratmanskaya