Trans.History - The Moldovan Jewish Family Album - Exhibition Booklet [EN] - revised version

THE MOLDOVAN 

JEWISH FAMILY ALBUM 

PICTURES AND STORIES FROM THE CENTROPA INTERVIEWS 

IN MOLDOVA

www.centropa.org IN DARK TIMES 1932–1944 

Preserving Jewish memory 

Bringing history to life 

The Moldovan Jewish Family Album 

Pictures and Stories from the Centropa interviews in Moldova 

Published in 2017 

Printed by: AROXAN SERVICE SRL 

A project

IN DARK TIMES 1932–1944 

DEDICATION 

«They stare back across ninety years of war and peace. This is a 

photograph we have seen countless times, each time different, the family 

group who never made it together through the Holocaust.» 

TOM STOPPARD

CENTROPA IN MOLDOVA 

ORAL HISTORIES 

When Centropa was founded 

in Vienna and Budapest in 

2000 we did not plan to create a 

Holocaust-specific interview project. 

We wanted to ask the oldest living 

Jews in fifteen European countries to 

tell us stories about the entire century 

– as each of them lived it – and share 

with us their family pictures. 

Our team in Moldova interviewed 

25 Jews living in Chișinău and 

digitized 407 old family pictures and 

documents. 

Through their pictures and stories, 

we have helped preserve a world. 

Our English language website, 

where visitors can find most of these 

photographs and interviews, is www. 

centropa.org. 

Centropa’s interviews in Moldova 

were carried out in 2001–2007 under 

the auspices of The Institute of 

Jewish Studies, directed by Professor 

Leonid Finberg. Project coordinator: 

Marina Karelshtein. 

Interviewers: Zhanna Litinskaya and 

Natalia Fomina. 

About this exhibition 

This exhibition was designed by 

Michael Haderer, Vienna, and printed 

by Mirorlux Prim SRL 

Editors: Amber Phillips, 

Irina Shikhova, Fabian Rühle, 

Edward Serotta 

Translation: Irina Shikhova, Cristina 

Vulpe 

Historical Consultants: Diana Dumitru 

(PhD) and Irina Shikhova (PhD) 

Centropa’s Educational Programs 

in Moldova 

Centropa’s educational programs in 

Moldova began in 2016 as part of the 

“Trans.History” program, which we 

first developed for schools in Ukraine. 

This program is made possible by 

the German Foreign Office, and aims 

to promote civil society by providing 

innovative education materials on 

20th Jewish History and by using new 

technologies and social media. 

The Trans.History project is 

coordinated by Fabian Rühle, 

Esther Cotoarba and Maximilian von 

Schoeler. 

Special thanks to our Moldovan 

partner organizations: 

the NGO International Center 

of Training and Professional 

Development (ICTPD) from Chisinau 

and personally to Galina Cargher and 

Roman Odesschii; 

the National Museum of Ethnography 

and Natural History and personally 

Dorin Lozovanu, Elena Cojocari. 

5

JEWISH HISTORY OF MOLDOVA 

IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 

The people of the Republic 

of Moldova have shared a 

tumultuous history. Bessarabia 

– the historical name of the region 

between the rivers Dniester and Prut 

– had been part of Tsarist Russia from 

1812 to 1918, Romania from 1918 to 

1940, the Soviet Union in 1940, then 

Romania again from 1941 to 1944, 

finally returning to Soviet control after 

being established as the Moldavian 

Soviet Socialist Republic in 1944. For 

the first time in its history (excluding 

several weeks of a failed Moldovan 

Democratic Republic in 1918) the 

Republic of Moldova became an 

independent state in 1991. 

During the years when Bessarabia 

was part of Tsarist Russia, the 

land had been part of the Pale of 

Settlement – a region of the empire 

where Jews had been allowed to 

live. In 1897, Bessarabia’s Jewish 

population represented approximately 

11.8% (228 620) of the total 

population, while the province’s 

capital Kishinev was home to 50 237 

Jews (46% of the city’s residents). 

The 1903 pogrom from Kishinev 

made the region infamous throughout 

the world. Both antisemitism and 

unrelenting poverty convinced 

thousands of Bessarabian Jews to 

emigrate to the West or to Palestine in 

the beginning of the 20th century. 

During the Paris Conference in 1919, 

Romania signed treaties to protect 

the country’s minorities. Bessarabia’s 

Jewish population received full 

citizenship and voting rights through 

these agreements. A portion of 

Bessarabian Jews also reached 

higher social status, having greater 

affluence in commerce, industry, and 

in the arts and sciences. Despite this 

political progression, anti-Jewish 

discrimination remained a reality 

during the interwar years. At the end 

of the 1930s, the situation for Jews in 

Bessarabia and throughout Romania 

deteriorated. The government of 

Octavian Goga and Alexandru 

Cuza (December 1937 – February 

1938) implemented anti-Jewish 

measures and launched violent 

attacks against them, while the royal 

dictatorship (1938 – 1940) put a 

series of administrative decisions and 

instructions into action that created 

greater amounts of ostracization 

and material hardship on the Jewish 

population. 

During the one-year Soviet 

occupation that began in 1940, 

repressions based on class and 

ideological backgrounds affected 

thousands of Bessarabians, including 

the Jews. State policies against 

privatization impacted numerous 

merchants, artisans, and the petitebourgeoisie 

by undercutting their 

prices, while some were deprived of 

their property altogether. 

Together with Germany and other 

Axis powers, Romania attacked 

the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. 

Once entering Bessarabia, the 

Romanian army imprisoned Jews 

living in the cities, while the police 

wantonly murdered Jews that they 

found in rural areas. In September 

1941, Romania’s Marshal Antonescu 

ordered the remaining Jews of 

Bessarabia to be transported to 

Transnistria. Tens of thousands died 

on the way; those who arrived alive 

were imprisoned in ghettos and 

camps. Tens of thousands of Jews 

died due to starvation and disease, or 

they were murdered by the police, the 

Romanian army, or by the German SS 

officers. 

In the postwar era, Jews of Soviet 

Moldova made a significant 

contribution to the economy and 

culture of the republic. However, 

confronted with official antisemitism 

and dwindling educational and 

professional opportunities, many 

Jews chose to emigrate to Israel. 

Today’s Jewish community in the 

Republic of Moldova is small, but 

remains lively, well organized, and 

proud of its heritage. 

6

FAMILY 

Raisa Roitman 

Photo taken in: Rezina, 1913 

Interviewer: Zhanna Litinskaya 

My great-grandfather, Itsik, was born in the 1840s 

in the town of Rezina. He lived there all his life. He 

had a large vineyard and worked on it by himself 

for the most part, occasionally hiring workers 

during the harvest time when it was too much 

for him. He sold his wine to the marketers from 

Chișinău. He died in 1930 when I was a small girl. 

Sarra Shpitalnik 

Photo taken in: Chișinău, 1930 

Interviewer: Natalia Fomina 

My parents, Shlomo and Beila, their 

friends, and I at Sobornyi Park. During 

Rosh Hashanah, my parents had friends 

visit us for a meal. We went to the 

town park after. This was the season of 

nuts and grapes, and we drank freshly 

squeezed grape juice. It foamed and 

always tasted wonderfully delicious. 

7

FAMILY 

Bella Chanina 


Interviewer: Nathalia Fomina 

Here I am with my mother. She 

only had one dress, adjusting 

it with a brooch when she lost 

weight. She was beautiful – she 

had expressive black eyes and 

men really liked her, but she 

was very strict and imperious. 

My mother taught me to recite 

poems and I performed at school 

concerts only on the condition 

that she left the hall or I got 

confused, feeling her strict gaze 

on me. 

Tamara Koblik 



Here I am with my family. My husband, 

Monia, is holding our daughters, Ella and 

Sopha. Beside me is Allochka, our friend’s 

daughter. My husband and I rented a room 

in a meat factory for 20 rubles per month 

when his salary was 90 rubles and I wasn’t 

working. There was a stove to heat it, but the 

temperature never went above 14 degrees. 

Molka Mirskaya 



These are my parents, Tsivia and Yoyl, during their golden 

wedding anniversary. In 1985, my father passed away 

without having the chance to meet his great-grandchild. 

Then in 1994, my mother died. When she fell ill in the 

1990s, I had to quit work to look after her. My husband 

and I didn’t observe religious traditions during the Soviet 

times, but my mother always did, so we did too at that 

time. 

8

AT SCHOOL 

Zinoviy Sapunar 



When I was seven, my father sent me to a teacher so 

that I could learn how to play the violin. I didn’t have 

an ear for music. Once, my father asked me to play 

a piece for him. I did. He closed his ears with his 

hands and said, “God, how awful! As if an elephant 

has stepped on your ears!” 

Bella Chanina 



This photo was a souvenir for my teachers at the 

Romanian school I attended. We all wore black robes at 

the school. They lined us up so that the teacher could 

measure the length with a ruler – they had to be 30 cm 

from the floor. My mother was very strict about my studies 

at school. She even asked the teacher to be strict with 

me. I wasn’t happy about that. 

9

AT SCHOOL 

Maria Koblik-Zeltser 



My friends, Raisa and Frida, and I in our pioneer outfits. I was moved from 

a Romanian State Lyceum in Orhei to a Soviet school in Rezina for eighth 

grade. Surprisingly, it didn’t take me long to become proficient in Russian. 

My mother helped me do that, as she was good at Russian. The first year 

went by quickly and I graduated from that grade top of my class. 

Ida Voliovich 



Me in my uniform from the Princess Dadiani Lyceum. The 

founder, Princess Dadiani, was a teacher of biology. When 

she married a Georgian prince and became wealthy, she 

opened up this Russian lyceum. We had to wear these 

uniforms every day: black robes with collars and the 

letters LPD (Liceul Principesa Dadiani) with our numbers 

embroidered on them. I made a number of Jewish, 

Russian, and Moldovan friends at this school. 

Theodore Magder 



This is my Bachelor’s diploma from 1939. My fondness for literature 

helped me pass my final exam. This was a very important exam: about 

140 incumbents from all gymnasia across Chișinău – as well as some from 

Bucharest – had to come to a big hall. We were to name a writer and be 

ready to answer any question regarding his life or work. I chose Caragiale, a 

complex and contradictory author. 

10

AT WORK 

Moses Chubat 

Photo taken in: Dzhambul 

(now Taraz, Kazakhstan), 1945 


These are workers at the garment factory in 

Dzhambul where my mother, Roza, worked during 

the war. We were mobilized to work at a tobacco 

kolkhoz when the war started. Later, we moved 

in with a woman and her son in the Pervomaysk 

district. One day, my mother exchanged some 

grain and the miller gave her flour which had been 

fertilized for planting. I barely survived that. 

Shlima Goldstein 

Photo taken in: Balashikha (Russia), 1947 


Here I am while I was working at a cotton spinning factory in 

1947. I lived in a dormitory room with nine other girls. At the age 

of 16, I was already working the same amount as the adults – 8 

to 12 hours every day. We ate potatoes, bread, and macaroni for 

our meals. We were only given meat during important holidays, 

but I was just happy that I was no longer starving. 

11

AT WORK 

Zlata Tkach 



Here is my father with his pupils in the music school 

he worked in. My father was gifted in music and he 

graduated from the violin class at the Conservatory. He 

knew how to play the violin, as well as the trombone, 

tuba, and horn. After graduating, he taught private 

lessons at the Conservatory. He even founded a small 

orchestra consisting of his students. His pupils loved him. 

Esfir Dener 

Photo taken in: Chernivtsi (Ukraine), 1947 


I graduated from college in 1944, and this construction 

site in Chernivtsi was my first job after I graduated. Here, I 

was photographed bringing a pot of milk to the Hungarian 

prisoners-of-war who were working there. I was going up the 

stairs when I heard: “Stand, or I will shoot!” Our mechanic 

was standing downstairs with a camera. I put down the pot 

and posed for him. 

Busia Makalets 



I liked my job as a music editor in the Radio 

committee. I especially enjoyed working in the 

record library, listening and selecting recordings of 

pieces. Before a performance, there was always a 

story about the composer and the performer. I had 

to select the actor to read these before the music 

played. I conducted programs of Moldovan music 

on the radio for ten years. 

12

IN THE ARMY 

Moses Chubat 

Photo taken in: Unknown 


This is my father, Shulim, when he was serving in the 

Romanian army. He didn’t serve in the tsarist army, 

but between 1920 and 1922 he was drafted into the 

Romanian army. 

Isaac Rozenfain 

Photo taken in: Lom (Bulgaria), 1944 


Here I am with a group of Bulgarian girls in Lom. I was serving in the Red Army, 

and on September 24th 1944 we arrived there. It was hot and I jumped out 

of the tank without my shirt on. The girls surrounded me. One of them gave 

me flowers. The bravest of them, Katia, asked me for a photo with them. Her 

boyfriend took this picture of us, but only after I put my shirt back on. 

13

IN THE ARMY 


Photo taken in: 

Ulyanovsk (Russia), 1942 


My father, Yoyl, was drafted into 

the army for three years. My 

mother, who was then engaged to 

him, waited for him. Once, when 

Yoyl was on leave, he decided 

that he wouldn’t go back because 

he couldn’t bear to part with my 

mother again. He was arrested 

and punished. Mother had to wait 

for him for an extra year after that. 

She remained faithful and they did 

eventually marry. 




My father, Solomon, was recruited into the 

Romanian army in 1940. He was released 

from the army like all other Jews. With 

no way to contact us and knowing that 

he couldn’t stand to live under a fascist 

regime, he committed suicide. I never told 

my mother the truth about what happened 

to him. 

Busia Makalets 


Baku (Azerbaijan), 1945 


When the commandment 

learned that I knew a few foreign 

languages, they assigned me 

to headquarters. Our unit was 

responsible for communications 

between Pehlevi (today Bandar-e 

Anzali in Iran) and Tehran. In 1945, 

I asked to be demobilized despite 

receiving another promotion. I 

desperately wanted to go home. 

14

JEWISH COMMUNITY 

Raisa Roitman 

Photo taken in: Vadul-Rașcov, 1924 


My parents’ wedding took place in a synagogue in Vadul- 

Rașcov under a chuppah. Mother said it was very merry. 

Klezmer music was played and the guests danced until 

dawn. The tables were filled with delicious dishes cooked 

by my grandmother and great-grandmother. 

Shlima Goldstein 

Photo taken in: Chișinău, 1930s 


The Jewish girls’ orphanage in Chișinău. I am the second 

girl from the right in the first row. We didn’t have enough 

to eat. To drink water, we lined up and took a sip from a 

mug. Some of us used to cling to the cup for more, but 

they always snatched it away. 

15

JEWISH COMMUNITY 

Riva Belfor 



This photograph was taken during my grandfather Ihil’s 

birthday. It was a family reunion. Ihil was born in 1860 

in the town of Medzhybizh in South-Western Ukraine. 

He was married at the age of 18, but I didn’t know 

Grandmother Riva. All I know is that she gave birth to 

ten children – five sons and five daughters. 

David Wainshelboim 


Photo taken in: Dumbrăveni, 1937 


These are my paternal grandparents, 

Meir and Haya, with their son’s family. 

They were photographed in their yard; 

behind them is a Moldovan carpet to 

decorate the background. Grandfather 

Meir was deeply religious. When he 

visited us in Chișinău, I always had to 

fetch him from the prayer house in the 

yard when dinner was ready. 



The employees and clients of the Jewish 

Health Organization where my father 

worked before 1940. The one with the 

mustache wearing the tie in the center, 

far back in the photo, is my father. All 

around him are Jewish mothers with their 

children. My mother, sister, aunt, and I are 

in the photograph too. Besides his medical 

practices, my father collected statistical 

data related to death rates among Jewish 

children in Bessarabia. 

16

PORTRAITS 

Raisa Roitman 

Esfir Dener 

Photo taken in: Vadul-Rașcov, 1920s 


The girl in the middle is my mother. She’s with her 

friends. My mother was the most intelligent of all of 

her siblings; she was the head of our family and my 

father followed her unconditionally. Later in life, she 

was often the ‘judge’ in many disputes among her 

friends, relatives, and neighbors. She died from liver 

cancer in 1956. 

Photo taken in: Fălești, 1923 


My sister, Sarah. She studied in the Jewish grammar 

school in Bălți. When she was home, Sarah never went 

to bed until she read 20-30 pages of a book. When she 

was reading an adventure novel, she left the book on the 

sideboard while she slept. When she put the book under 

her pillow, I knew that it was a love story. Sarah is still 

alive to this day. She looks just like our mother. 

17

PORTRAITS 

Polina Leibovich 



Here I am with my brother, Shimon. We 

had a nanny who was very devoted 

to our family, but she was a drunkard. 

Often, a policeman took me home 

because she would be found lying 

on the pavement while I was quietly 

playing beside her. “This is the last 

time,” my mother would say, but she 

tolerated her because our nanny had 

nowhere else to go. Shimon still calls 

me every week. He is 86 years old. 




My parents and I. When I was twoyears-old, 

I wandered into a nearby 

garden where a dog bit me on the 

cheek. My father wanted me to get rid 

of my fear for dogs after this, so about 

a year later he took me back to the 

garden. The same dog bit my father’s 

lip. My father was recruited to railroad 

construction in Chelyabinsk region, 

Russia during the war, and I evacuated 

to Uzbekistan with my mother. 

Zlata Tkach 


Chișinău, 1931 


This is me at the age of 

three in 1931. My family led 

a traditionally Jewish way of 

life. My father was very fond 

of sports. When I turned six, 

he began to teach me how 

to swim. There was this one 

time when I swallowed a lot 

of water and almost drowned 

before he pulled me back up. 

I’ve been afraid of swimming 

since then. 

18

BETWEEN STALIN AND NAZI TERROR 

Esfir Dener 

Esfir Dener 

Photo taken in: Fălești, 1920s 


This is a photo of my mother, Pesia. In 1941, two 

officers wearing NKVD uniforms came to our home. 

They woke us up, searched our lodging, and told 

us, “you have 20 minutes to get ready and leave this 

place!” We were deported to the Tomsk region in 

Siberia. There, they declared that we were sentenced 

to 25 years in exile. My mother died in Siberia in 1946. 

Photo taken in: Nyrob settlement (Russia), 1956 


Here I am performing while I was in exile in 1955. When 

I was still in the Gulag, I recited poems and narrated 

stories in the evenings. The chief of the camp ordered 

me to come to his office one day: “They told me you 

read in your barrack. I think that you should recite 

poems on Soviet holidays.” So I began to participate in 

amateur performances for everyone. 

19

BETWEEN STALIN AND NAZI TERROR 

Esfir Dener 

Photo taken in: Nyrob settlement 

(Russia), 1951–1954 


This is a page from my camp diary. 

In 1951, I was arrested by Soviet 

authorities “for the unauthorized 

escape” from my exile in Siberia. I 

was sent to a camp as punishment. 

The diary page has two quotations by 

my favourite poet, Mihai Eminescu. 

Finding his book was a sign from God; 

it meant I wasn’t going to stay there in 

the camp and in exile forever! 

Bella Chanina 



This is my mother’s cousin, Zalman. 

This photo was taken after he 

returned from a Soviet labor camp. 

After Stalin died, Uncle Zalman 

was released in 1954. He had 

been kept there for fourteen years 

and returned a broken, ill man. He 

wasn’t entirely released, but had 

been told to reside in Chișinău, 

which meant that he had to make 

an appearance in the KGB office 

every week. He died from a stroke 

in 1959. 

David Wainshelboim 


Alchevsk (Ukraine), 1946 


Here I am by the monument 

installed in Alchevsk where my 

parents and grandmother were 

executed. My family and I were 

placed in a work camp after 

German troops caught us. There 

were rumors that the Fascists 

were preparing to massacre 

inmates there, so mama insisted 

that my sister and I escape. She 

hugged me and I ran out of the 

barrack. This was our “good 

bye.” My entire family there was 

killed. 

20

THE ONES I LOST 

Polina Leibovich 



My parents, Shifra and Yakov. We were deported to 

the Odessa region in 1942. My father was very ill, but I 

managed to get a place for him on a train. That was the 

last time that I saw him. He was killed near Yasynove. 

On the way, they began shooting the exhausted people 

who were forced to walk. This included my mother. 

We had been dragging her by the arms because she 

couldn’t walk. 

Raisa Roitman 



This is my Uncle Leib. A note is written on the back 

of this photograph: “As a keepsake to my dear 

sister Tabl from Leib Lerner, 25th January 1918.” 

He had three children with his wife, Reizl. During 

the war, Leib and his family evacuated to Andijon, 

Uzbekistan. He died from typhus there on March 

23rd 1943. Reizl and her children moved back to 

Soroca after the war. 

21

THE ONES I LOST 

Esfir Dener 

Photo taken in: Fălești, 1920s 


My father was a member of the Jewish 

Arbitrary Court where Jews brought 

forward their problems and disputes. 

Our family was exiled in 1940 by the 

NKVD. They read out a list as we were 

getting off the train in Tiraspol; I never 

saw my father again once they read his 

name out. He died in 1941 in a camp 

in the Sverdlovsk region. 

Tamara Koblik 



This is my grandmother, Sura, with 

her daughters, Keila and Sonia. 

During the Great Patriotic War, 

Grandmother and Keila’s family 

were in the ghetto in Rybnitsa. 

In late 1941, they were moved to 

Transnistria along with a large group 

of other Jewish inmates. On their 

way there, in Hvozdavka (Odessa 

region), they were shot by the 

Fascists. About 500 people were 

killed there. 

Tamara Koblik 


Soroca, 1925 


This is my papa, Elih. In 1940, 

he was in the Red Army. We 

were evacuated in 1941, which 

was when he had been working 

in a job outside of the army - we 

thought his leave was approved. 

One night, militia took him away 

for desertion. He told mama: 

“Take care of the children. I am 

finished.” He handed her his 

watch and the money in his 

pocket. He died of dysentery in 

1942. 

22

VACATION 

Isaac Rozenfain 

Photo taken in: Odessa (Ukraine), 1955 


Here I am in the Odessa Opera Theater. I spent my 

vacation in the recreation center that summer and 

shared a room with the man beside me. 

Once in Leningrad I went to the Bolshoi Drama Theater, 

but when I got there, there were no tickets left to see 

the show. I decided to go see Tovstonogov - the chief 

producer. He gave me a complimentary ticket. 

Raisa Roitman 

Photo taken in: Volga river (Russia) 1956 


This picture was taken during our Volga trip on a 

ship called “Russia.” You can see (left to right) me, 

my husband, my cousin, and my son. Another of our 

vacations was totally devoted to Leningrad. I loved 

its palaces and museums. Of course, we were not 

rich: we didn’t own a house or a car, but at least we 

could afford a well-furnished apartment, good food, 

clothes, and recreation. 

23

VACATION 



Mikhailovskoye (Russia), 1966 


Here I am (second from the left) with 

my husband, Moisey (third from the 

left), during our tour of Pushkin’s 

places. We often went on vacation 

to the Northern Caucasus, Poland, 

the Volga, and to Pushkin’s places. 

We particularly enjoyed the tour in 

this picture since we were both very 

fond of Pushkin. Moisey couldn’t help 

reciting his poems out loud during this 

trip. 

Ivan Barbul 

Photo taken in: Odessa (Ukraine), 1970s 


Our family often spent the summer holidays together and 

our favorite place was Odessa. We also travelled to Sochi, 

Sukhumi, and Yalta. We read a lot; we gathered a large 

collection of books in Russian, and Liana and I had many 

scientific manuals and guides in our collection. Our son, 

Boris, jokingly calls his mother an inquisitor of the 21st 

century. 

Esfir Dener 



A street photographer took this picture of me in the 1980s. I 

loved travelling and Crimea was my favorite place. I usually 

went there in the middle of September – the ‘velvet’ season 

– when it was warm, but not hot. A plane ticket from 

Chișinău to Simferopol cost me 17 rubles. In Yalta, I rented 

a room and swam in the sea. 

24

GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR AND EVACUATION 


Zlata Tkach 

Photo taken in: Bălți, 1928 


This is a photograph of my husband with his parents. 

When the war began, they left Bălți on foot. They were 

caught up and taken to the ghetto in Kryzhopil. They 

were favored by the Romanian guards there. Yefim’s 

mother was a cook for a Romanian officer and his 

father worked for another one in the ghetto, so they had 

people looking out for them. 

Photo taken in: Kokand (Uzbekistan), 1943 


Here I am (third from the right in the top row) with 

my schoolmates in Kokand. On June 22nd 1941, 

the Great Patriotic War broke out. Chișinău was on 

fire and we evacuated. I remember that we stayed in 

Rostov for some time and then in a Cossack village. 

After the Fascists started moving into Rostov, we 

were brought to Tashkent; from there, we went to a 

collective farm near Kokand. 

25

GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR AND EVACUATION 

Raisa Roitman 


Ida Voliovich 


Buguruslan (Russia), 1944 


During the war, I worked as a loader 

at the cotton oil factory. Before I left 

the factory every day, I was allowed 

to soak my clothes in cotton oil. 

There was a considerable lack of fats 

in our diet, so my family had to suck 

cotton oil from my clothes in order 

to get the proper nutrients. I always 

tried to leave some oil for my little 

brother when I could. 



This is my wife, Asia. On June 21st 

1941, I was spending time with 

my co-students. We had passed 

our summer exams and spent the 

night dancing. I returned home at 1 

o’clock in the morning. At 5 AM, we 

woke up from the roar of bombing: 

The Great Patriotic War had broken 

out. I made my mother promise that 

we would take Asia’s family with us 

during evacuation so that we could 

be together. 


Buguruslan (Russia), 1944 


This is a photograph of my friend, 

Tyusha (right), and I during the 

evacuation of Buguruslan. I was 

woken up early in the morning 

on June 22nd 1941 by the roar of 

bombs falling on Chișinău. The 

other students and I received white 

robes and forgot about our summer 

exams. Mama and I were driven by 

Red Army soldiers to Kuibyshev, but 

ultimately ended up at a kolkhoz in 

Bashkiria. 

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