Selected text
It was forbidden to leave the ghetto, but we, children, sneaked out at night. We crawled underneath the barbed wire to collect some wood to heat our barracks. In the summer we went to the field to gather spikelets. We removed the grains with sticks. We also picked potatoes that had been left over from the harvest. Ukrainian farmers came to the barbed fencing with food. One could get a piece of bread for a watch, or 2-3 kilos of potatoes for a golden ring. We boiled potato peels and leaves and ate them. We also picked sugar beets that we had with tea. Of course, we couldn't celebrate any holidays. Religious people were praying quietly on holidays, but we took little notice of them. We were starved and didn't feel like thinking about holidays.
Once in 1942 Romanians from Chernovtsy came to our ghetto to take craftsmen from Chernovtsy with them. It turned out that Marian Popovich, the Romanian mayor of Chernovtsy, submitted his letter of resignation to the king of Romania. He explained that the majority of Jewish craftsmen had been taken to the ghetto, and he had a problem with running business in town without them. The Romanian king issued a ban on sending the Jews of Chernovtsy to the ghetto, and many of the inmates in our ghetto could return to their homes. People and their families got a chance to go home, and we could only but envy them their luck. I believe Popovich saved many lives that way.
In 1943 the partisan movement became stronger in the vicinity of Djurin. Sometimes we bumped into partisans in the woods at night. Partisans gave us money to buy them cigarettes and cigarette paper. Later the partisans began to communicate with inmates of the ghetto. Our neighbor was a tailor. The partisans brought him fabric, cotton and threads at night. This tailor and some other Jews made overcoats, jackets and warm hats for the partisans. At the end of 1943 the partisans often came closer to the ghetto. The Romanians used to patrol the area around the ghetto looking for partisans. The commander of a partisan unit had relatives in the ghetto. Once, when he was on his way to visit them, a Romanian guard noticed him and ordered him to freeze. The partisan opened fire and shot two Romanians. The Romanians were too afraid to pick up the corpses and told a few inmates of the ghetto to go and bring the dead men into the ghetto.
In 1944 we felt that the war came to a turning point. The Romanians were aware that the partisans might come to our rescue and execute those that had killed the inmates of the ghetto. In 1944 the Soviet army liberated us. While the Soviet forces were fighting in the vicinity of Djurin, we got out of the ghetto and found shelter under a bridge in the village of Khomenki, near Djurin. Germans on bicycles were riding over the bridge, followed by the Soviet army. After the war this bridge was removed and a new one was built nearby. Later, when I worked as a driver, I often drove past this bridge recollecting how we found shelter under this bridge. These were heart-wrenching memories.
Once in 1942 Romanians from Chernovtsy came to our ghetto to take craftsmen from Chernovtsy with them. It turned out that Marian Popovich, the Romanian mayor of Chernovtsy, submitted his letter of resignation to the king of Romania. He explained that the majority of Jewish craftsmen had been taken to the ghetto, and he had a problem with running business in town without them. The Romanian king issued a ban on sending the Jews of Chernovtsy to the ghetto, and many of the inmates in our ghetto could return to their homes. People and their families got a chance to go home, and we could only but envy them their luck. I believe Popovich saved many lives that way.
In 1943 the partisan movement became stronger in the vicinity of Djurin. Sometimes we bumped into partisans in the woods at night. Partisans gave us money to buy them cigarettes and cigarette paper. Later the partisans began to communicate with inmates of the ghetto. Our neighbor was a tailor. The partisans brought him fabric, cotton and threads at night. This tailor and some other Jews made overcoats, jackets and warm hats for the partisans. At the end of 1943 the partisans often came closer to the ghetto. The Romanians used to patrol the area around the ghetto looking for partisans. The commander of a partisan unit had relatives in the ghetto. Once, when he was on his way to visit them, a Romanian guard noticed him and ordered him to freeze. The partisan opened fire and shot two Romanians. The Romanians were too afraid to pick up the corpses and told a few inmates of the ghetto to go and bring the dead men into the ghetto.
In 1944 we felt that the war came to a turning point. The Romanians were aware that the partisans might come to our rescue and execute those that had killed the inmates of the ghetto. In 1944 the Soviet army liberated us. While the Soviet forces were fighting in the vicinity of Djurin, we got out of the ghetto and found shelter under a bridge in the village of Khomenki, near Djurin. Germans on bicycles were riding over the bridge, followed by the Soviet army. After the war this bridge was removed and a new one was built nearby. Later, when I worked as a driver, I often drove past this bridge recollecting how we found shelter under this bridge. These were heart-wrenching memories.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Leonid Krais