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I went to primary school in Gulbach in fall 1942. I went to the Russian class. Our teacher had evacuated from Chernigov. I had excellent marks in all subjects. When we had tests, children from wealthier families sat next to me to copy what I was writing. They offered me food for giving them permission to copy the tests, but I was too proud to accept it. I was rather ashamed of our poverty. I had a friend called Tamara. I helped her to do her homework at her place. Her mother knew that we were starving and always offered me some food or just a glass of milk, but I never accepted anything from her and said that I wasn't hungry.
My mother first worked as a guard in Gulbach. She watched over cotton piles. Later she began to work at the accounting office of the sovkhoz. She had meals at the canteen. She brought us soup with horsemeat that we liked. We received bread per coupons. The woman that handed out the bread felt very sympathetic with us. She gave my mother work to do: she had to put together all bread coupons for reporting purposes. My mother and I did this work at night and the woman gave us half a loaf of bread for it. My mother cut the bread into equal, small pieces to give it to the children. She cut a slice for herself, kissed it and gave it to me saying, 'Give it to Edik because he is the youngest of us'. My mother was always hungry, but she couldn't afford to even eat a small piece of bread.
Grandmother Pesia got ill in spring 1943. She was severely ill for a long time. My mother cried and said that my grandmother was going to die. When my brother and I came to say farewell to our grandmother she said, 'You've come too early to my funeral. Go away, I shall live longer'. She died on the following day. I didn't attend my grandfather or my grandmother's funeral, but I know that they were both buried in accordance with Jewish tradition and wrapped in a shroud. Some older Jewish men recited the Kaddish over my grandmother's grave.
My mother first worked as a guard in Gulbach. She watched over cotton piles. Later she began to work at the accounting office of the sovkhoz. She had meals at the canteen. She brought us soup with horsemeat that we liked. We received bread per coupons. The woman that handed out the bread felt very sympathetic with us. She gave my mother work to do: she had to put together all bread coupons for reporting purposes. My mother and I did this work at night and the woman gave us half a loaf of bread for it. My mother cut the bread into equal, small pieces to give it to the children. She cut a slice for herself, kissed it and gave it to me saying, 'Give it to Edik because he is the youngest of us'. My mother was always hungry, but she couldn't afford to even eat a small piece of bread.
Grandmother Pesia got ill in spring 1943. She was severely ill for a long time. My mother cried and said that my grandmother was going to die. When my brother and I came to say farewell to our grandmother she said, 'You've come too early to my funeral. Go away, I shall live longer'. She died on the following day. I didn't attend my grandfather or my grandmother's funeral, but I know that they were both buried in accordance with Jewish tradition and wrapped in a shroud. Some older Jewish men recited the Kaddish over my grandmother's grave.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
lina mukhamedjanova