Selected text
I met my future husband Alfred Lieberman at the construction unit at the plant. He told me that he was from Kiev and lived in a neighboring street. Alfred was born in Kiev in 1914. His father was a legal advisor in the Ukrainian Red Cross in Kiev. My father knew him. Alfred’s mother was a housewife. Alfred was a construction engineer. On the first days of the war he was assigned to Design Department of Kiev Regiment and he was not subject to demobilization to the front. In August 1941 he was transferred to the construction of military sites at the Volga defense line in Ulianovsk, Saratov, Kuibyshev and Buzuluk. When Alfred and I met at the plant my father invited him to our home. I liked Alfred. He was an intelligent man. We began to see each other walking in the town or visiting friends and went home in Kiev together in 1944.
My father returned to Kiev in February 1944, [Kiev was liberated in November 1943]. My father was a member of the commission responsible for evaluation of damage. Our house was not ruined, but our apartment was occupied by engineer Bublik. He worked at the water supply unit and received a permit to move into our apartment from German authorities. In late April 1944 my mother, Alfred, my brothers and I arrived in Kiev. When we entered our apartment we saw as many pieces of furniture as one might find at a furniture store. Engineer Bublik took furniture from other people’s apartment. After the war our neighbors came to our apartment looking for their furniture. There was a special decision of court issued according to which Bublik had to either return furniture to its owners or compensate its value. We lived in the apartment of our neighbors that were still in evacuation for several more weeks. Back in 1937, at the 20th anniversary of the Soviet power, when my father worked at the Town Council and the Regional Executive Committee he was asked what award he wanted for his performance. My father said that he wanted a special writ of protection for his apartment. The Town Council issued a special decision that this apartment was given into my father’s ownership for a lifetime without any variations. When my father returned to Kiev he met with Mr. Gorbikov, Document Control Manager at the Town Council. He had saved the archives of the Town Council during the war. He had a house somewhere in the outskirts of Kiev. Before Germans came into town he buried the archive in a shed in his yard. After Kiev was liberated he returned the archive to the Town Council. This was a unique case since almost all towns had lost their archives during the war. Gorbik issued a copy of the writ of protection to my father. My father went to a militia department with this copy. He had two militiamen to accompany him to our apartment and Bublik was obliged to move out within a week’s time. He had a house in the outskirts of Kiev and left there. My parents, Lev, Boris and I moved back into our apartment.
My father returned to Kiev in February 1944, [Kiev was liberated in November 1943]. My father was a member of the commission responsible for evaluation of damage. Our house was not ruined, but our apartment was occupied by engineer Bublik. He worked at the water supply unit and received a permit to move into our apartment from German authorities. In late April 1944 my mother, Alfred, my brothers and I arrived in Kiev. When we entered our apartment we saw as many pieces of furniture as one might find at a furniture store. Engineer Bublik took furniture from other people’s apartment. After the war our neighbors came to our apartment looking for their furniture. There was a special decision of court issued according to which Bublik had to either return furniture to its owners or compensate its value. We lived in the apartment of our neighbors that were still in evacuation for several more weeks. Back in 1937, at the 20th anniversary of the Soviet power, when my father worked at the Town Council and the Regional Executive Committee he was asked what award he wanted for his performance. My father said that he wanted a special writ of protection for his apartment. The Town Council issued a special decision that this apartment was given into my father’s ownership for a lifetime without any variations. When my father returned to Kiev he met with Mr. Gorbikov, Document Control Manager at the Town Council. He had saved the archives of the Town Council during the war. He had a house somewhere in the outskirts of Kiev. Before Germans came into town he buried the archive in a shed in his yard. After Kiev was liberated he returned the archive to the Town Council. This was a unique case since almost all towns had lost their archives during the war. Gorbik issued a copy of the writ of protection to my father. My father went to a militia department with this copy. He had two militiamen to accompany him to our apartment and Bublik was obliged to move out within a week’s time. He had a house in the outskirts of Kiev and left there. My parents, Lev, Boris and I moved back into our apartment.
Period
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Frida Khatset