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Mother and I did not understand how dangerous it was for us, but Arthur understood it clearly. I remember him saying once: «I would never leave you ». Then I got what he was talking about, when mother showed me two packed bags. Arthur got them ready in advance in case Jews would be exiled in Siberia. There were rumors like that, and there were grounds for them. I remember,
Arthur went to the train station every day to see if the trains were ready for deportation. He understood that it was realistic. I am sure he would never let mother go by herself, and would join her in exile. Luckily in March 1953 Stalin and we signed with relief. It happened on the day of Purim. I still regret not getting drunk on the day when we were exempt from that felon- not a mythical Amman, but real person. Tallinn people took Stalin’s death differently. Aboriginal population of Estonia did not mourn, as they had reasons for it, but new-comers from USSR did, as if they actually lost a close person. I remember once a Russian lady came in the clock shop, where I was working, and brought watch to be repaired. While her watch was being repaired, she was sitting and crying over Stalin as if he was her son. It was very funny for me, but I could not laugh. I turned my back to her and put my hand to the mouth until she left. I took Stalin’s death as a holiday. At first, I did not know anything about things happening in USSR in late 1930s, about mass repressions [29], executions. Late on, during the cosmopolite processes I started reading on the history of USSR. Then I understood that Stalin was a murderer. I cannot understand how people living in USSR, and witnessing all those crimes, could not get that Stalin was a murderer. How did I understand it? It was simple. All military leaders did not spare their life for their country and were killed by Stalin: Tukhachevskiy [30], Yakir [31], Bluher [32] etc. All Lenin’s[33] brothers-in-arms, with who he made revolution− Trotskiy [34], Kamenev[35], Zinoviev [36] and many other people were executed as per Stalin’s order. All people who were outstanding during Lenin’s time, being famous party activists, turned out to be traitors and peoples‘ enemies. How can one believe in that? There is no logic! Then I started to understand that he was a murdered. Then I started reading about collectivization [37], kulaks [kulaks] [38], mass exile of peasants in Siberia, famine of 1932-33s [39]. I was getting more and more information and was appalled with that. That was the power of fraud. Hitler was always called a villain. Yes, he treated other nations much worse than Stalin did. But Stalin treated his people much worse than Hitler did. The thing built by Bolsheviks did not resemble socialism. It was a dictatorship, extermination of everybody who had his own opinion, and even ability to think.
Arthur went to the train station every day to see if the trains were ready for deportation. He understood that it was realistic. I am sure he would never let mother go by herself, and would join her in exile. Luckily in March 1953 Stalin and we signed with relief. It happened on the day of Purim. I still regret not getting drunk on the day when we were exempt from that felon- not a mythical Amman, but real person. Tallinn people took Stalin’s death differently. Aboriginal population of Estonia did not mourn, as they had reasons for it, but new-comers from USSR did, as if they actually lost a close person. I remember once a Russian lady came in the clock shop, where I was working, and brought watch to be repaired. While her watch was being repaired, she was sitting and crying over Stalin as if he was her son. It was very funny for me, but I could not laugh. I turned my back to her and put my hand to the mouth until she left. I took Stalin’s death as a holiday. At first, I did not know anything about things happening in USSR in late 1930s, about mass repressions [29], executions. Late on, during the cosmopolite processes I started reading on the history of USSR. Then I understood that Stalin was a murderer. I cannot understand how people living in USSR, and witnessing all those crimes, could not get that Stalin was a murderer. How did I understand it? It was simple. All military leaders did not spare their life for their country and were killed by Stalin: Tukhachevskiy [30], Yakir [31], Bluher [32] etc. All Lenin’s[33] brothers-in-arms, with who he made revolution− Trotskiy [34], Kamenev[35], Zinoviev [36] and many other people were executed as per Stalin’s order. All people who were outstanding during Lenin’s time, being famous party activists, turned out to be traitors and peoples‘ enemies. How can one believe in that? There is no logic! Then I started to understand that he was a murdered. Then I started reading about collectivization [37], kulaks [kulaks] [38], mass exile of peasants in Siberia, famine of 1932-33s [39]. I was getting more and more information and was appalled with that. That was the power of fraud. Hitler was always called a villain. Yes, he treated other nations much worse than Stalin did. But Stalin treated his people much worse than Hitler did. The thing built by Bolsheviks did not resemble socialism. It was a dictatorship, extermination of everybody who had his own opinion, and even ability to think.
Period
Location
Talinn
Estonia
Interview
Morris Schiff