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My father's elder brother, Aron-Shloyme, moved to America. He invited his brother Noah to America - the brothers found jobs there. But I don't remember what their professions were. I think something to do with commerce. And later Noah invited his nephew Mikhail. Aron-Shloyme's children were committed communists. His son, Misha Ratmansky, was born in 1900. He was head of the Podol District Committee of the Komsomol [4] in Kiev. In 1919 he was the commissar of a unit made up of Komsomol members from Kiev who went to fight the ataman Zeleny. People say that a note was pinned on the doors of that district committee, which read, 'Committee closed. All gone to the front.' Misha died in July 1919. A street in Kiev was named in his honor.
Aunt Manya was a nurse, and during World War II she was at the front. In general she worked in different military hospitals. Aunt Vera and aunt Makhlya were tailors.
My father, Isay Ratmansky, was born in the 1870s. He went to cheder for a short time. While he lived with his parents, until he came of age, he studied embroidery - he worked on special embroidering machines. There are no such machines any more; they disappeared during the war. My father's teacher was Russian, and my father often stayed at his house. My father was very talented. He embroidered dresses, fabric. I had a coat made of astrakhan fur, and even though we were so poor that I couldn't get buttons for it, it was very nicely embroidered. Unfortunately, I have nothing left of his works; everything has been destroyed. There were many Russian embroiderers in Kiev. I remember Fedorov very well. I remember him because when Petliura [5] came to Kiev, he brought his banner to my father to embroider. My father refused. My mother begged him on her knees. It was very dangerous for him to refuse. Then I, a preschooler, was sent to Fedorov, who embroidered that banner and we gave it back to Petliura's soldiers.
Aunt Manya was a nurse, and during World War II she was at the front. In general she worked in different military hospitals. Aunt Vera and aunt Makhlya were tailors.
My father, Isay Ratmansky, was born in the 1870s. He went to cheder for a short time. While he lived with his parents, until he came of age, he studied embroidery - he worked on special embroidering machines. There are no such machines any more; they disappeared during the war. My father's teacher was Russian, and my father often stayed at his house. My father was very talented. He embroidered dresses, fabric. I had a coat made of astrakhan fur, and even though we were so poor that I couldn't get buttons for it, it was very nicely embroidered. Unfortunately, I have nothing left of his works; everything has been destroyed. There were many Russian embroiderers in Kiev. I remember Fedorov very well. I remember him because when Petliura [5] came to Kiev, he brought his banner to my father to embroider. My father refused. My mother begged him on her knees. It was very dangerous for him to refuse. Then I, a preschooler, was sent to Fedorov, who embroidered that banner and we gave it back to Petliura's soldiers.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
lubov ratmanskaya