Selected text
I didn’t notice any changes in the year 1940 when Estonia became a Soviet republic [15]. Maybe my parents felt them, but I did not. I was not hostile towards the Soviet regime. Though, Bakst’s store, where Father was working, was nationalized. Father kept working there in the same position.
The Soviet authorities nationalized both houses that belonged to my grandmother. The houses and the plots of land were returned only after 1991 when restitution commenced in independent Estonia [16]. I had those buildings demolished. A new building was constructed on that site. The construction company involved in that project was named after my grandmother Meyertal.
It happened later that my kin and friends suffered from nationalization. Of course, people that were affected by nationalization weren’t happy about the new regime. If someone puts his hand in your pocket and takes money away from you, it means that he is your enemy. These were the times when the Soviet regime plundered many people. The straw that broke the camel’s back was what happened on 14th June 1941, a turnaround for many Estonian families – deportation [17].
The Soviet authorities nationalized both houses that belonged to my grandmother. The houses and the plots of land were returned only after 1991 when restitution commenced in independent Estonia [16]. I had those buildings demolished. A new building was constructed on that site. The construction company involved in that project was named after my grandmother Meyertal.
It happened later that my kin and friends suffered from nationalization. Of course, people that were affected by nationalization weren’t happy about the new regime. If someone puts his hand in your pocket and takes money away from you, it means that he is your enemy. These were the times when the Soviet regime plundered many people. The straw that broke the camel’s back was what happened on 14th June 1941, a turnaround for many Estonian families – deportation [17].
Period
Year
1940
Location
Estonia
Interview
Avi Dobrysh