Ruvin Gitman

When this photo was taken in Chernovtsy on my birthday in 1962, I was a mechanical engineer at Chernovsty's Tremblita Garment Factory. In March 1950 I demobilized from the army. I returned to Koryshkov and got a job at the district industrial association in Kopaygorod. At that time I faced anti-Semitism in my daily life and on the state level as well. I couldn't obtain employment in Koryshkov for a long time, for doubtful reasons. They told me that their management was away and they were not authorized to hire personnel, or they didn't know whether this or that vacancy was still open. I was insistent. Besides, I was a party member and a war veteran, so I was employed. As for anti-Semitism in my daily life, I often heard the word 'zhyd' [kike] applied to me. After I returned home I got married. My wife was the same age as I and came from Kopaygorod. Her name was Raissa Perelman. Her Jewish name was Rachel. My wife didn't have a professional education. She finished Ukrainian secondary school in Kopaygorod. After we married she became a housewife. After we moved to Chernovtsy, Raissa worked as assistant accountant at the Trembita Factory, but she quit and returned to housekeeping. We just had a civil wedding ceremony. It was no time for parties. I wanted to continue my studies, but I couldn't leave my family. I had to earn a living. In 1952 my brother Iosif moved to Chernovtsy. He wanted to study and find a good job and he understood that there were more opportunities in a bigger town. My mother and sister soon joined him. In 1957 my wife and I also decided to move to Chernovtsy. We rented an apartment for some time. I went to work as a mechanic at the Trembita Garment Factory. In a short while, I received an apartment. I understood that I had to get some professional education. In 1957 I entered the Faculty of Sewing Industry at the Kiev University of Light Industry. I studied there by correspondence. In 1963 I obtained the diploma of production engineer of the sewing industry. I worked at the Trembita Factory for 32 years until I retired. My mother continued to observe all Jewish traditions after we moved to Chernovtsy. She celebrated the Sabbath and Jewish holidays and went to synagogue. There was one synagogue in Chernovtsy at that time. It is still there and is the only one in town. My brother and I visited our mother with our families on holidays, but we didn't celebrate Jewish holidays in our families. If the authorities had found out, our careers would have been over. But anyway, we continued to fast on Yom Kippur. We were communists and couldn't follow the Jewish traditions. We celebrated Soviet holidays and got together with our friends and colleagues. All Soviet holidays were days off and we were glad to relax and meet friends.