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When the Imperialistic war [World War I] began in 1914, the front got closer every day to Rovno and Rafalovka, and we had to flee. My father and mother, five children and my mother’s mother all moved to Kiev. My grandfather joined us later, and once again began to sew and repair footwear for everyone. But my grandparents didn’t live long in Kiev. My grandmother died in 1916, and my grandfather followed her in 1920.
At first we lived in Bessarabka, 6, Basseynaya street. It was a noisy neighborhood near the market. Somebody had advised us to contact someone known as the “countess” to find a place to live. The “countess” was the owner of building #6. She allowed us to move into an old janitor’s quarters in the basement. But there was a problem - before the revolution ordinary Jews didn’t have the right to live in Kiev. They needed a special permit for it. Kiev was open for rich Jews, merchants of guild 1 & 2, and educated Jews. Soon somebody knocked on our door -- an inspector. He asked us to present our documents or get out of there and never show up again. At that time, however, the left bank of the Dnipro belonged to Chernigov province (now it is a part of Kiev – modern and beautiful). That district was called Slobodka, and Jewish people were allowed to live there. We rented a place there, but we only went there to sleep at night. In the morning we crossed the bridge back into Kiev. We could have taken a tram, but the ticket cost 10 kopecks and we couldn’t afford to spend this amount, so we traveled 7-10 km on foot each day to get to the town to earn something to live on. I didn’t go to school in Kiev. I was my father’s assistant and sold little pies at the market to earn a little. We were very happy when I could bring my mother 5 kopecks or so.
After the Tsar was forced to abdicate in March 1917, residence permits were cancelled, and we returned to Basseinaya street in the center of the city. We were all for the revolution and freedom. Then we heard about Lenin and Trotsky. Everybody around was talking about the “power of workers and peasants.” They were forming into the workers’ units. They were called “Workers’ Guards” at the beginning. The authorities in power changed rapidly. They changed 11 times -- the town was occupied by different units. I remember that the Denikin Army (led by General Denikin – Commander of the White Guard Army) occupied Kiev; then it was the Petlura army, then the Germans with guns and cannons and then Poles. This was in 1920. I was 16 years old, and I wanted to join the Red Army, so I went to their recruitment office. They asked me how old I was and who my parents were. I told them that my father was a craftsman. They also asked whether I knew Kiev well. They told me to go the railroad freight yard where I would see a train marked with red crosses. I found that yard, and the train. A woman in a leather jacket came out to meet me. She was the Commissar of the train. She had a Mauser gun. She took me as a corpsman. In 1921, after the Peace Agreement with Poland, she told me that she was going to send me to study in Moscow. But I said I wanted to stay home. She gave me hug. I remember many Jewish people came to Kiev then. They were all shouting “Freedom! Freedom!” Many of them had to buy, sell and barter to survive. My brother Yasha and another woman from our town were buying clothes in Kiev and selling them in the country, or exchanged for cereals and other food.
At first we lived in Bessarabka, 6, Basseynaya street. It was a noisy neighborhood near the market. Somebody had advised us to contact someone known as the “countess” to find a place to live. The “countess” was the owner of building #6. She allowed us to move into an old janitor’s quarters in the basement. But there was a problem - before the revolution ordinary Jews didn’t have the right to live in Kiev. They needed a special permit for it. Kiev was open for rich Jews, merchants of guild 1 & 2, and educated Jews. Soon somebody knocked on our door -- an inspector. He asked us to present our documents or get out of there and never show up again. At that time, however, the left bank of the Dnipro belonged to Chernigov province (now it is a part of Kiev – modern and beautiful). That district was called Slobodka, and Jewish people were allowed to live there. We rented a place there, but we only went there to sleep at night. In the morning we crossed the bridge back into Kiev. We could have taken a tram, but the ticket cost 10 kopecks and we couldn’t afford to spend this amount, so we traveled 7-10 km on foot each day to get to the town to earn something to live on. I didn’t go to school in Kiev. I was my father’s assistant and sold little pies at the market to earn a little. We were very happy when I could bring my mother 5 kopecks or so.
After the Tsar was forced to abdicate in March 1917, residence permits were cancelled, and we returned to Basseinaya street in the center of the city. We were all for the revolution and freedom. Then we heard about Lenin and Trotsky. Everybody around was talking about the “power of workers and peasants.” They were forming into the workers’ units. They were called “Workers’ Guards” at the beginning. The authorities in power changed rapidly. They changed 11 times -- the town was occupied by different units. I remember that the Denikin Army (led by General Denikin – Commander of the White Guard Army) occupied Kiev; then it was the Petlura army, then the Germans with guns and cannons and then Poles. This was in 1920. I was 16 years old, and I wanted to join the Red Army, so I went to their recruitment office. They asked me how old I was and who my parents were. I told them that my father was a craftsman. They also asked whether I knew Kiev well. They told me to go the railroad freight yard where I would see a train marked with red crosses. I found that yard, and the train. A woman in a leather jacket came out to meet me. She was the Commissar of the train. She had a Mauser gun. She took me as a corpsman. In 1921, after the Peace Agreement with Poland, she told me that she was going to send me to study in Moscow. But I said I wanted to stay home. She gave me hug. I remember many Jewish people came to Kiev then. They were all shouting “Freedom! Freedom!” Many of them had to buy, sell and barter to survive. My brother Yasha and another woman from our town were buying clothes in Kiev and selling them in the country, or exchanged for cereals and other food.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Yevsey Kotkov