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In 1971 my wife Zina died. In 1974 Alfred’s opinions changed so dramatically that he decided to move to Israel. He began to ask our relative to send him an invitation letter. In 1975 Alfred, his wife Ania and their two sons left for Israel at the invitation of our relative. I also had an invitation and was to go with them, but I didn’t want my daughter-in-law to look after me. I told them I would stay to have a gravestone installed on my wife Zina’s grave. I hoped to find a woman to go to Israel with together.
When Alfred was leaving his older son Alik was ten years old and his younger son Zhenia was one year and a half. They settled down in Nes Ziyyona, Israel. Alfred worked as a design engineer at a military plant and his wife worked as a medical nurse. Now they are pensioners. My older grandson Alik is a doctor. He is married and has three children: two girls and a boy. My younger grandson Zhenia is a lawyer.
After my grandson left I lived alone for a long time. There was a ban for departures to Israel after 1980, even though I had an invitation. I submitted my documents to obtain permission to leave several times, but each time I got an unmotivated refusal.
In 1987 my niece Raya, my sister Milia’s daughter, introduced me to her colleague Octiabrina Kocherga. She worked at the shoe repair factory. We got married in 1988 and lived in my apartment. Octiabrina is a Jewish woman. She was born in Odessa in 1924. Her maiden name was Savchenko. She had a Jewish mother and a Ukrainian father. He died when Octiabrina was six years old.
Before the Great Patriotic War, Octiabrina finished a secondary school and a school of medical nurses. During the war Octiabrina was a medical nurse in a hospital at the 3rd Ukrainian Front. She demobilized in 1946 and returned to Odessa where she soon met a military that became her husband in 1948. He was Ukrainian. In 1949 their daughter Natasha was born and in 1953 their daughter Galia was born. In 1953 Octiabrina’s husband perished in service. Octiabrina worked at the shoe repair factory raising her daughters.
When Alfred was leaving his older son Alik was ten years old and his younger son Zhenia was one year and a half. They settled down in Nes Ziyyona, Israel. Alfred worked as a design engineer at a military plant and his wife worked as a medical nurse. Now they are pensioners. My older grandson Alik is a doctor. He is married and has three children: two girls and a boy. My younger grandson Zhenia is a lawyer.
After my grandson left I lived alone for a long time. There was a ban for departures to Israel after 1980, even though I had an invitation. I submitted my documents to obtain permission to leave several times, but each time I got an unmotivated refusal.
In 1987 my niece Raya, my sister Milia’s daughter, introduced me to her colleague Octiabrina Kocherga. She worked at the shoe repair factory. We got married in 1988 and lived in my apartment. Octiabrina is a Jewish woman. She was born in Odessa in 1924. Her maiden name was Savchenko. She had a Jewish mother and a Ukrainian father. He died when Octiabrina was six years old.
Before the Great Patriotic War, Octiabrina finished a secondary school and a school of medical nurses. During the war Octiabrina was a medical nurse in a hospital at the 3rd Ukrainian Front. She demobilized in 1946 and returned to Odessa where she soon met a military that became her husband in 1948. He was Ukrainian. In 1949 their daughter Natasha was born and in 1953 their daughter Galia was born. In 1953 Octiabrina’s husband perished in service. Octiabrina worked at the shoe repair factory raising her daughters.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Isaac Klinger