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In 1938 my father received an apartment. We were very happy to move there. My father got a job at the Kharkov Institute of Psychology and Pedagogic. He also lectured on psychology at the university. My father was an outstanding psychologist in Ukraine. His thesis was among the 13 best in the former Soviet Union. He worked on the issues of flight with no lighting, psychological pressures in aviation and psychology of driving in difficult situations.
In 1939 the fascists attacked Poland. [Editor's note: The interviewee refers to Germany attacking Poland, which was the beginning of WWII.] People discussed this and got nervous about the situation. People talked a lot about how the Germans viewed Jews. There weren't many Jews in Kharkov, and people weren't concerned about the situation in Europe. We didn't believe that we might be at war with the Germans. We were hypnotized by the official propaganda continuously telling us that our country was the strongest in the world and that all our enemies would be defeated. There were many military trainings, and this also gave us confidence in the military strength of our country.
Once, in the spring of 1941, my father received a big amount of money for the publication of his book. On Sunday, 22nd June 1941, we went to a shop to order several dresses to be made for my mother. My father waited for us in the park where he heard about the beginning of the war. He came into the shop, took us outside and told us that the war had begun.
In 1939 the fascists attacked Poland. [Editor's note: The interviewee refers to Germany attacking Poland, which was the beginning of WWII.] People discussed this and got nervous about the situation. People talked a lot about how the Germans viewed Jews. There weren't many Jews in Kharkov, and people weren't concerned about the situation in Europe. We didn't believe that we might be at war with the Germans. We were hypnotized by the official propaganda continuously telling us that our country was the strongest in the world and that all our enemies would be defeated. There were many military trainings, and this also gave us confidence in the military strength of our country.
Once, in the spring of 1941, my father received a big amount of money for the publication of his book. On Sunday, 22nd June 1941, we went to a shop to order several dresses to be made for my mother. My father waited for us in the park where he heard about the beginning of the war. He came into the shop, took us outside and told us that the war had begun.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
izolda rubinshtein