I, Zinoviy Rukinglaz, with my mother's brother Duvid. This photo was taken in Kherson in 1930 before going to school.
I was born on 28 December 1923 and named Zelik after my grandfather, but when it was time for me to obtain my passport, I chose the name of Zinoviy. In 1930 I went to a Russian school. There was one Jewish school left in the town, but it was far from where we lived. There were children of different nationalities in my class: Russian, Ukrainian, Jewish and Greek. We got along well.
I studied well. I became a pioneer and participated in minor pioneer activities. I had missed two years of school due to malaria that I had and I was older than my classmates. I as fond of geography and attended a geography club in the house of pioneers. Sometimes I accompanied my father to the club of craftsmen where my father attended a choir studio. I didn't have many friends. I was a homey boy and liked long family evenings, when my father was sewing and my mother was reading newspapers or magazines aloud. I went to parades with my school mates on 1 May and 7 November, and there were meetings at school on these days. We didn't celebrate these holidays at home. We couldn't afford such celebrations and besides, my father spent all his time working.
My mother's brother Duvid was a craftsman. He died in the evacuation in Cheliabinks in the 1940s. His wife and their son stayed there after the war and I had no contacts with them. My mother's younger brother Ilia, born in the 1890s, got married late and had no children. His wife's name was Rosa. After the war Ilia and Rosa returned to Kherson. My father and I kept in touch with them. Ilia died in the middle 1960s.
