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I didn’t have vacations for few years. Work occupied all my time. In 1959 I decided to go on vacation. At first I went to Kiev where my childhood friend lived. I stayed with him few days and then went to Miklos Farkas in Moscow. When I returned I was arrested and taken to a bull-pen cell. There were no charges brought against me. Only few days later my attorney told me what I was charged with. So I was charged with those upward distortion quantities that I made to write off presents to my management. They demanded that I gave them information about my companion fellows. They kept me in this cell for about a year. Long before the court they expelled me from the Party for ‘blackening the name of communist’. My investigation officer humiliated and beat me. I always heard the words ‘smelly zhid’ from him, this was the only way he addressed me. He got irritated at my silence, but I decided to be silent. I would have had to betray my friend Yakubovich and many other people involved in this process. They would have been imprisoned, but this would not have made them release me. So I decided that if I had to be in jail I was to be there alone. There was a court in Uzhgorod and every time I was taken there from Beregovo. The prosecutor was from Beregovo. He accepted my gifts like all other bosses. When he demanded death sentence for me I asked him: ‘For what? For what I’ve given you?’ They didn’t allow me to say another word. My charges were based on two articles: theft of cooperative property and the biggest sentence here was 7 years of imprisonment, and theft of the state property where the sentence was not to exceed 8 years. According to the law I was to serve one sentence, a longer one, but they summed up these terms and sentenced me to 15 years in jail. Many residents of Beregovo came to the court. They sympathized with me. They knew that I didn’t steal money. When the judge announced my sentence, many of them cried.
After the court I was kept in jail in Beregovo few days before I was taken to Nikolaev of Lvov region [40 km from Lvov, 540 km from Kiev]. I was there for a short time and then taken to jail in Drogobych Lvov region [75 km from Lvov, 560 km from Kiev]. There were 8 thousand prisoners in this jail. There were 3-8 inmates in each cell. Prisoners formed groups of 150-200 inmates in each group. A captain or major was chief of a group. There were two zones: a work zone and living quarters in this jail. There was a work colony in jail. There was an affiliate of the Lvov plant of electrotechnical units in this jail where prisoners worked. Every group had an area of responsibility. I was in group 7. We worked in the galvanic and painting shops. There were 6 inmates in my cell. We tried to get along well and be friendly. Our life was hard anyway so why make it more complicated? Other inmates treated me with respect. There was a system of values in the jail. The inmates sentenced for the theft of state property were respected for being business like and decent people. The next under these rules of rank were professional thieves. Those sentenced for robbery were treated worse, but the worst were rapists and there was a lot of violence toward them in jail. There was no anti-Semitism in jail.
I was an industrious worker and was interested in learning new professions. My performance was noted. They appointed me a crew leader and two years later – assistant superintendent of the galvanic shop. Other inmates members of crews and 3 civilian foremen reported to me. This was a big plant supplying electrotechnical devices to 50 countries around the world. We received wages for our work. Of course, it was lower than civilian workers’, but we could afford to buy food products in the store in jail. It was important for prisoners since we had very poor food in prison. I never had breakfast. There was soup and bread for breakfast. They made soup with the cheapest fish and there were fish eyes sailing on the surface. I couldn’t eat it and gave away my breakfast. I learned to be ascetic in food. My ration often consisted of 200 grams of bread that we received. They boiled beef legs and heads for meat. There was a military division nearby and they gave the prison frost-bitten potatoes or rotten vegetables. Food was the subject of discussion for many inmates. They recalled what they had at home and what they would eat when released from jail. They couldn’t think about anything else. I found it strange. After the concentration camp I thought that the most important thing was to not starve to death and the rest was not so important. I worked in the shop during the day and in the evening I helped accountants of the plant to develop reports. They asked me for help and brought me food from home for my assistance. I was free to go to the plant from the living quarters and could come to the plant in the evening. Every 6 months the inmates were allowed to receive parcels from home. Chief of our group, a major, was good to me. He even gave me the key to the safe with documents. He always emphasized that we could be friends, if we were both free. His friendly attitude ended when he offered me to report on my fellow inmates and I refused. However, he never did me any harm. If I had accepted his offer I might have been discharged before term. I knew about it, but I couldn’t have acted differently. I spent 15 years in prison and was released in 1975. These years crippled me physically and morally more than the concentration camp ever did.
After the court I was kept in jail in Beregovo few days before I was taken to Nikolaev of Lvov region [40 km from Lvov, 540 km from Kiev]. I was there for a short time and then taken to jail in Drogobych Lvov region [75 km from Lvov, 560 km from Kiev]. There were 8 thousand prisoners in this jail. There were 3-8 inmates in each cell. Prisoners formed groups of 150-200 inmates in each group. A captain or major was chief of a group. There were two zones: a work zone and living quarters in this jail. There was a work colony in jail. There was an affiliate of the Lvov plant of electrotechnical units in this jail where prisoners worked. Every group had an area of responsibility. I was in group 7. We worked in the galvanic and painting shops. There were 6 inmates in my cell. We tried to get along well and be friendly. Our life was hard anyway so why make it more complicated? Other inmates treated me with respect. There was a system of values in the jail. The inmates sentenced for the theft of state property were respected for being business like and decent people. The next under these rules of rank were professional thieves. Those sentenced for robbery were treated worse, but the worst were rapists and there was a lot of violence toward them in jail. There was no anti-Semitism in jail.
I was an industrious worker and was interested in learning new professions. My performance was noted. They appointed me a crew leader and two years later – assistant superintendent of the galvanic shop. Other inmates members of crews and 3 civilian foremen reported to me. This was a big plant supplying electrotechnical devices to 50 countries around the world. We received wages for our work. Of course, it was lower than civilian workers’, but we could afford to buy food products in the store in jail. It was important for prisoners since we had very poor food in prison. I never had breakfast. There was soup and bread for breakfast. They made soup with the cheapest fish and there were fish eyes sailing on the surface. I couldn’t eat it and gave away my breakfast. I learned to be ascetic in food. My ration often consisted of 200 grams of bread that we received. They boiled beef legs and heads for meat. There was a military division nearby and they gave the prison frost-bitten potatoes or rotten vegetables. Food was the subject of discussion for many inmates. They recalled what they had at home and what they would eat when released from jail. They couldn’t think about anything else. I found it strange. After the concentration camp I thought that the most important thing was to not starve to death and the rest was not so important. I worked in the shop during the day and in the evening I helped accountants of the plant to develop reports. They asked me for help and brought me food from home for my assistance. I was free to go to the plant from the living quarters and could come to the plant in the evening. Every 6 months the inmates were allowed to receive parcels from home. Chief of our group, a major, was good to me. He even gave me the key to the safe with documents. He always emphasized that we could be friends, if we were both free. His friendly attitude ended when he offered me to report on my fellow inmates and I refused. However, he never did me any harm. If I had accepted his offer I might have been discharged before term. I knew about it, but I couldn’t have acted differently. I spent 15 years in prison and was released in 1975. These years crippled me physically and morally more than the concentration camp ever did.
Period
Year
1959
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Yacob Hollander