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In 1913 Russia celebrated the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty [the dynasty of Russian tsars]. On this occasion amnesty for criminal and political prisoners was granted. My father was released. My mother and he returned to Odessa. The department of the Ministry of Education in Odessa decided to allow women to enter university. Many years later, when I was working in the university, I bumped into an interesting document. It was a request of the Ministry addressed to Odessa University: 'What was the result of this experiment?' The response was, 'Women soften the students' spirits'.
My mother was admitted to the third year of studies. On 4th October 1915 she graduated from the Emperor's University in Novorossiysk [Odessa University as of 1919]. I have a copy of her diploma. An interesting fact is that there were two marks, 'satisfactory' and 'unsatisfactory', at her time. They had no internship. Upon graduation they received a doctor's diploma. Women who got higher education didn't change their last name and so my mother had a double name after she got married: Dr. Ghendler-Feldman. My mother went to work at a military hospital that the Jewish community opened during World War I. She received an apartment in the same house where the hospital was. This house belonged to the Jewish burial brotherhood [Chevra Kaddisha], one of the first public organizations in Odessa. They took the responsibility for a burial of the poor at no or minimal cost. They had a Jewish cemetery in their custody.
My mother was admitted to the third year of studies. On 4th October 1915 she graduated from the Emperor's University in Novorossiysk [Odessa University as of 1919]. I have a copy of her diploma. An interesting fact is that there were two marks, 'satisfactory' and 'unsatisfactory', at her time. They had no internship. Upon graduation they received a doctor's diploma. Women who got higher education didn't change their last name and so my mother had a double name after she got married: Dr. Ghendler-Feldman. My mother went to work at a military hospital that the Jewish community opened during World War I. She received an apartment in the same house where the hospital was. This house belonged to the Jewish burial brotherhood [Chevra Kaddisha], one of the first public organizations in Odessa. They took the responsibility for a burial of the poor at no or minimal cost. They had a Jewish cemetery in their custody.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Victor Feldman