My sister Riva Presizen and her daughter Lilia. On the way to Alma-Ata Lilia got in hospital in Kuibyshev. After she recovered Lilia and Riva were photographed to send this photo to us in Alma-Ata. Signed on the backside: "To my dear grandfather, aunts and sisters from their sister, granddaughter and niece. 3.12.1941. Lilia is 11 months old". The photo was taken in Kuibyshev.
My sister Riva Krishtalwas born in 1916.
In 1930 our family decided to move to Kiev. Shortly after we moved to Kiev Riva entered Chemical technological Institute - she studied and worked as a pioneer leader at school in Artyom Street. Riva married Motia Precizen, Samuel's friend - he finished military college. He had a room in the building for military on the corner of Proreznaya and Kreschatik. Before the war Motia was sent to Peremyshl and Riva had to give up her studies at the Institute and go to Peremyshl.
The war began on 22 June 1941. Soon evacuation was announced at the plant where my brother worked. My father, Fira, Faina and I evacuated with Samuel's family to Alma-Ata in Kazakhstan [about 4 thousand km from Kiev]. Our trip lasted for about two months. We went on freight train that was continuously bombed on the way. We went through Kuibyshev where Riva and her 6-months old daughter had to stop. Lilia got ill from exhaustion and had to stay in hospital for 6 months. Faina stayed in Kuibyshev with Riva to look after Lilia and Samuel, my father ad Fira went to Alma-Ata.
In half a year Faina, Riva and Lilia came from Kuibyshev. Fira found a job at the Ministry of Finance. She got a room at a hostel not far from the hostel where I lived. Riva went to work at a kindergarten. She received letters from her husband - she knew that he was in a tank division at the front. His tank was burning once, but he survived.
Reevacuation was announced in 1945. How happy we were to come back home. There were fireworks on Victory Day of 9 May 1945 - people came out into the streets congratulating each other on victory, crying and laughing. We - my father and I, Fira, Faina, Riva, Lilia and Samuel with his family - returned to Kiev.
Riva's house was ruined during the war and Riva, her husband and Lilia moved to Germany and later - to the border with China in the Far East. Their second daughter Natasha was born there.
Lilia moved to Israel from Petrovo-Dalnee in Podmoscoviye where she worked as children's doctor. Her husband Yulik worked at the construction of a big power plant and when it was completed they moved to Israel. Lilia has fluent Hebrew and works as a doctor at a trade school. Lilia observes Jewish traditions: she lights candles on Friday and attends a synagogue.
