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We often had guests at home. We celebrated soviet holidays: 1st May [Labor Day], 7th November [October Revolution Day] [20] and Victory Day [9th May, a major Soviet holiday, celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany]. We also celebrated our birthdays and New Year. We had many friends. We never made friends based on national origins, however it happened so that most of them were Jews. We didn’t celebrate any Jewish holidays.
In 1956 our daughter, Victoria was born. Our children brought us happiness. They studied well, liked reading, going to the theater and doing sports. Our daughter had a beautiful voice. She studied singing at the music school.
My husband and I liked spending time with our children. In summer we traveled to the Crimea and the Caucasus Mountains. Our children liked swimming in the sea and we enjoyed our time together. Sometimes we spent vacations with our friends. My husband and I went on tours to different places in the USSR. When our children grew up and had other things to do my husband and I went to recreation centers in Subcarpathia. Our son finished school with all excellent but two good marks. He always liked studying. After finishing school he decided to follow his father’s steps and entered the Forestry Engineering College in Lvov. Arkadi passed his entrance exams successfully and enrolled to the Mechanical Faculty. We rented a room for him. He studied well and got a job assignment to Uzhhorod even before graduation.
My daughter Victoria entered the Faculty of Vocal at the Conservatory. Her teachers said she was going to become a wonderful singer, but it was not to be. My daughter died of anaphylactic shock during a trivial larynx flushing with penicillin in 1979. I won’t even mention what a hard blow Victoria’s death was on us. We buried her in the town cemetery in Uzhhorod. It wasn’t a Jewish funeral. After my daughter died I lost interest in life. I became of retirement age and submitted my letter of resignation at work. My colleagues told me that I would feel better being among people, but I left.
In 1956 our daughter, Victoria was born. Our children brought us happiness. They studied well, liked reading, going to the theater and doing sports. Our daughter had a beautiful voice. She studied singing at the music school.
My husband and I liked spending time with our children. In summer we traveled to the Crimea and the Caucasus Mountains. Our children liked swimming in the sea and we enjoyed our time together. Sometimes we spent vacations with our friends. My husband and I went on tours to different places in the USSR. When our children grew up and had other things to do my husband and I went to recreation centers in Subcarpathia. Our son finished school with all excellent but two good marks. He always liked studying. After finishing school he decided to follow his father’s steps and entered the Forestry Engineering College in Lvov. Arkadi passed his entrance exams successfully and enrolled to the Mechanical Faculty. We rented a room for him. He studied well and got a job assignment to Uzhhorod even before graduation.
My daughter Victoria entered the Faculty of Vocal at the Conservatory. Her teachers said she was going to become a wonderful singer, but it was not to be. My daughter died of anaphylactic shock during a trivial larynx flushing with penicillin in 1979. I won’t even mention what a hard blow Victoria’s death was on us. We buried her in the town cemetery in Uzhhorod. It wasn’t a Jewish funeral. After my daughter died I lost interest in life. I became of retirement age and submitted my letter of resignation at work. My colleagues told me that I would feel better being among people, but I left.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Evgenia Gendler