This is me with my relatives and Anastasia Mikhailovna - or Stura as we called her - who gave shelter to us in evacuation in Kustanai. She came to visit us in Odessa in 1985. From right to left: I, my aunt Dora Mezhyshko, nee Gonopolskaya, Anastasia Mikhailovna and Aunt Hanna Spirt, nee Gonopolskaya. Standing is my wife Ella Gonopolskaya, nee Gellerman. The photo was taken in Odessa in 1985.
In the fall of 1941 we arrived at Kustanai town in Kazakhstan. The town was located in the steppe. There were one-storied houses in it. There were two schools in the town. At first an inhabitant of Kustanai Anastasia Mikhailovna took us and we lived with her. She gave us food and we stayed in her house for some time. In about half a year Stura found a bigger apartment in a wooden house for us. We returned to Odessa after it was liberated.
My family invited Stura to come to Odessa in 1985. When she came to Odessa we were so happy to meet each other after 40 years. We showed her our wonderful city and she was very fond of it.
