Selected text
In 1924 my brother Dodik organized a Jewish kolkhoz 12 in Mayaki. My brother was already a communist and was unanimously elected chairman of this kolkhoz. Two years later the Jewish and Russian kolkhozes 13 merged. Dodik was chairman of this kolkhoz until the Great Patriotic War.
In 1927, during the period of the Trotsky case 14 I was accused of ties with Trotskists without any grounds. I was arrested during a football game; I was a big football fan. A militiaman approached me and asked me to follow him. He pointed at a person and asked me whether I knew him. I knew this man and gave a positive answer. The militiaman said he was a Trotskist.
Therefore, I was taken to a prison in Belyayevka where they opened a case against me. I had to come to interrogations, but I was glad they did not beat me. I had to sleep on the cement floor in my cell. They didn’t even allow my father to send me warm clothes. I fell ill with pneumonia and was convoyed to a hospital where they applied cupping glasses.
I was supposed to stay in hospital, but my guard had an order to take me back to prison. We returned to prison. They were trying to convince me to sign some detractive papers, but I refused. I was ill for three months. I couldn’t move and my arms were paralyzed. They released me after I gave them a written undertaking not to leave the place.
When I recovered I worked with my father in a frontier unit in Mayaki at the border with Romania. We worked there as carpenters. A year and half later, in 1929 I moved to Odessa where I lived with my cousin sister Milia. In Odessa I worked in military units, and in 1931 I went to work at the shipyard.
In 1932 I married Luba Sharghel from Mayaki. She was born into a Jewish family in 1909. Her parents observed all Jewish traditions. Her father was a baker and her mother was a housewife. They owned a bakery, but they weren’t a wealthy family. I don’t remember their names. Luba was my schoolmate. I met her when I was in the third grade and she was in the second grade. In 1931 Luba moved to Odessa. She lived with her aunt. We met again in Odessa and fell in love.
We had our wedding in my father’s home in Mayaki. It was a Soviet wedding party since I was a Komsomol member. We invited friends and relatives. There was live music at the wedding – one of my friends played violin.
In Odessa we rented a small one-room apartment on Pishonovskaya Street. There was a small kitchen in the apartment. Luba was not a Komsomol member. She observed Jewish traditions. She made gefilte fish and chicken broth. In 1933 our son Roma was born. When he was eleven months old Roma fell ill with meningitis and died. We had a hard time then.
In 1927, during the period of the Trotsky case 14 I was accused of ties with Trotskists without any grounds. I was arrested during a football game; I was a big football fan. A militiaman approached me and asked me to follow him. He pointed at a person and asked me whether I knew him. I knew this man and gave a positive answer. The militiaman said he was a Trotskist.
Therefore, I was taken to a prison in Belyayevka where they opened a case against me. I had to come to interrogations, but I was glad they did not beat me. I had to sleep on the cement floor in my cell. They didn’t even allow my father to send me warm clothes. I fell ill with pneumonia and was convoyed to a hospital where they applied cupping glasses.
I was supposed to stay in hospital, but my guard had an order to take me back to prison. We returned to prison. They were trying to convince me to sign some detractive papers, but I refused. I was ill for three months. I couldn’t move and my arms were paralyzed. They released me after I gave them a written undertaking not to leave the place.
When I recovered I worked with my father in a frontier unit in Mayaki at the border with Romania. We worked there as carpenters. A year and half later, in 1929 I moved to Odessa where I lived with my cousin sister Milia. In Odessa I worked in military units, and in 1931 I went to work at the shipyard.
In 1932 I married Luba Sharghel from Mayaki. She was born into a Jewish family in 1909. Her parents observed all Jewish traditions. Her father was a baker and her mother was a housewife. They owned a bakery, but they weren’t a wealthy family. I don’t remember their names. Luba was my schoolmate. I met her when I was in the third grade and she was in the second grade. In 1931 Luba moved to Odessa. She lived with her aunt. We met again in Odessa and fell in love.
We had our wedding in my father’s home in Mayaki. It was a Soviet wedding party since I was a Komsomol member. We invited friends and relatives. There was live music at the wedding – one of my friends played violin.
In Odessa we rented a small one-room apartment on Pishonovskaya Street. There was a small kitchen in the apartment. Luba was not a Komsomol member. She observed Jewish traditions. She made gefilte fish and chicken broth. In 1933 our son Roma was born. When he was eleven months old Roma fell ill with meningitis and died. We had a hard time then.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Isaac Klinger