Speaking to One Another - The International Raoul Wallenberg ...

legedly for relocation... When Turks entered their house, my grandfather ... his name was Stepan Jamjyan,he took cover in the basement. His children and women were at home but, since they weren’t touchingchildren at that time, he went into hiding in the cellar. He went into hiding, but then he heard somenoise, some racket by his women. He said to himself “Why shall I be hiding? I am not a coward. It wouldbe better if I die, rather than being unable to protect my [family]”. He came out and attacked the Turks,but they were too many, they shot and killed him on the spot. This was in 1915, my father was two yearsold and my uncle was one year old. My father had ... uncles. They were sons of three brothers, his uncles.They caught the other two ... took them – they gathered all the men, I don’t know why they didn’tshoot them on the spot. They gathered them all, took them to the gorge, put them on a rock, and thenthey shot them, dropping them into the gorge.Only one of his uncles managed to survive. Then, after they killed my grandfather ... by that time... thedeportation had started. During the deportation – my grandmother, she was very beautiful. I have herphotos, maybe you would need them, I will find them later; I will give them all to you. She was verybeautiful, too beautiful... To avoid her getting into the hands of the Turks, they dressed her in man’sclothes, covered her face with soot, intendedly , in pants, this way... barely saved her until Batum ... Well, theysomehow managed to take her to Batum... Of course, on foot – at that time it was only on foot. Withthose refugees... So my father stayed there, with his brother, my father’s mother, my father’s grandmother,and the wife of my father’s uncle, because his uncle too ... they also shot his uncle there... Andhis uncle’s wife was pregnant... Where should she have gone? So she had to stay with our people, until... until the escape. Then they escaped, they reached Batum. They reached Batum... Hmm, my uncle’s ...the name of my father’s uncle was Mkr, Mkrtich... That was destiny... Before this child was born ... theykilled his father. He was born here; she gave him this name, her husband’s name. This boy ... in the army,in the Soviet army, he got pneumonia, then he came home ... and he died. That woman got marriedfor the second time, with another refugee. She got married; she has born children... from him. So herchild too, one of them, she named him Mkr, and they also gave her husband’s name to her grandson...he also died some five years ago.There were too many refugees in Batum... And they were ... so to say ... well-off to some extent; theymoved to Kharkov. My grandmother went to Kharkov, for some time this uncle’s wife was looking aftermy father. They stayed in Batum for one year perhaps. Then in Kharkov, they ... they were gifted people,my grandmother there ... they did some business ... then they were able ... somehow they were ableto get back [their wealth], by hard work... My grandmother got married for the second time in Kharkov.../shows the photographs/. This is my grandmother’s mother... my father... my uncle... This is Hripsime,the wife of my father’s uncle, and her husband – my grandmother’s brother, who died - they killed himthere. This is the one who was killed. .My grandmother was very young. She ... [was born in] 97 ... that is, she was seventeen ... She got marriedfor the second time, with another refugee... Again, this was a very successful [marriage] ... He was a great146