Selected text
I don't know how religious my grandparents were. Any talk about
religion was forbidden in our house. But there is a story that I'm going to
tell you which shows that my grandparents observed Jewish traditions.
Around 1936 we visited my mother's relatives. Grandfather Pinhus and
grandmother Riva were living in Kharkov at that time. We were invited to
have dinner with the family. During this dinner I dropped my fork and my
grandfather sent me to the kitchen to fetch another. I fetched a beautiful
silver fork and began to eat. All of a sudden I heard my grandmother
screaming. She slapped my face, because I had taken one of her kosher forks
and now she had to throw it away. We had never had any discussions about
kosher rules or kosher kitchen utilities, and so I didn't understand all
that fuss. My mother was quite hurt. She took my brother and me and we
left. She never again visited my grandparents, and it seems that this
incident was the last straw that spoiled the relationship between my mother
and my grandmother.
My grandfather and my grandmother returned to Kiev with the family of
their younger daughter Margola in 1947. My grandmother died shortly
thereafter and my grandfather lived with Margola's family until he died in
1957.
My grandparents had no children for several years after they got
married. Following an ancient Jewish tradition, they adopted Hina, a girl
from the family of their poor relatives from Ekaterinoslav
(Dnepropetrovsk). Hina was born around 1899. After she was adopted, my
grandmother Riva got pregnant and in 1901 gave birth to Aron, my father's
older brother. My father, Meyer, was born in 1904, and their daughter
Margola was born in 1908. My grandfather used to say that their children
were a gift from the Lord because they had adopted a girl from a poor
family.
After Hina grew up she returned to Dnepropetrovsk, her birthplace.
She married Anatoliy Krugliak, a Russian who was the director of a plant.
In 1937 Anatoliy was arrested and disappeared. We could get no information
about him. During the war Hina and her two children, Victor, born in 1933,
and Tolik, born in 1938, joined us in Ashgabad. They were very poor. I
often brought them food because they were on the edge of starvation. After
the war, Hina and her children remained in Ashgabad. Victor studied at the
railroad school and Tolik also went to school. Victor and Tolik survived
the earthquake of 1948. They were not at home when it occurred,--but their
mother was, and died. They lived in a typical Turkmenian clay house, and
Hina was found there dead on her bed. Margola adopted Victor, the younger
boy, and Hina's relatives adopted Tolik, the older boy. Victor died of
stomach cancer before reaching the age of 30, and Tolik had a stroke
before he was 35. He was paralyzed for a few years and lived with Margola
before he died.
religion was forbidden in our house. But there is a story that I'm going to
tell you which shows that my grandparents observed Jewish traditions.
Around 1936 we visited my mother's relatives. Grandfather Pinhus and
grandmother Riva were living in Kharkov at that time. We were invited to
have dinner with the family. During this dinner I dropped my fork and my
grandfather sent me to the kitchen to fetch another. I fetched a beautiful
silver fork and began to eat. All of a sudden I heard my grandmother
screaming. She slapped my face, because I had taken one of her kosher forks
and now she had to throw it away. We had never had any discussions about
kosher rules or kosher kitchen utilities, and so I didn't understand all
that fuss. My mother was quite hurt. She took my brother and me and we
left. She never again visited my grandparents, and it seems that this
incident was the last straw that spoiled the relationship between my mother
and my grandmother.
My grandfather and my grandmother returned to Kiev with the family of
their younger daughter Margola in 1947. My grandmother died shortly
thereafter and my grandfather lived with Margola's family until he died in
1957.
My grandparents had no children for several years after they got
married. Following an ancient Jewish tradition, they adopted Hina, a girl
from the family of their poor relatives from Ekaterinoslav
(Dnepropetrovsk). Hina was born around 1899. After she was adopted, my
grandmother Riva got pregnant and in 1901 gave birth to Aron, my father's
older brother. My father, Meyer, was born in 1904, and their daughter
Margola was born in 1908. My grandfather used to say that their children
were a gift from the Lord because they had adopted a girl from a poor
family.
After Hina grew up she returned to Dnepropetrovsk, her birthplace.
She married Anatoliy Krugliak, a Russian who was the director of a plant.
In 1937 Anatoliy was arrested and disappeared. We could get no information
about him. During the war Hina and her two children, Victor, born in 1933,
and Tolik, born in 1938, joined us in Ashgabad. They were very poor. I
often brought them food because they were on the edge of starvation. After
the war, Hina and her children remained in Ashgabad. Victor studied at the
railroad school and Tolik also went to school. Victor and Tolik survived
the earthquake of 1948. They were not at home when it occurred,--but their
mother was, and died. They lived in a typical Turkmenian clay house, and
Hina was found there dead on her bed. Margola adopted Victor, the younger
boy, and Hina's relatives adopted Tolik, the older boy. Victor died of
stomach cancer before reaching the age of 30, and Tolik had a stroke
before he was 35. He was paralyzed for a few years and lived with Margola
before he died.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Leonid Karlinsky