Selected text
My name is Leonid Meyerovich Karlinsky. I was born into the family of
an officer of the NKVD (People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs) in
Kharkov on 5 August 1930.
My father, Meyer Karlinsky, and my mother, Bertha Karlinskaya, were
typical representatives of a generation of Soviet youth who were so fond of
the revolutionary and communist ideas that they rejected their past. They
didn't recall or tell their children about their roots or about the history
of their families. They were obsessed with the idea of communism and
rejected everything that had existed before - the Jewish way of life,
religion, traditions and their mother tongue. I only realized this when I
was a grown man. That's why I know so little about my grandparents and
their life. I had to put together the history of my family later on,
because my parents never told me anything about it when I was a child.
My paternal grandfather, Pinhus Berkov Karlinsky, was born into the
family of a tailor in Poltava around 1872. I have no information about his
brothers or sisters. Pinhus followed in his father's footsteps and became a
tailor. He was the only tailor in Poltava to receive a license to make
uniforms for soldiers, officers and policemen in Poltava province. My
grandfather had a lot of work and he hired several assistants. His workshop
was on the first floor of his house, and his family lived on the second
floor. My grandparents had four children. The family was wealthy. My
grandmother, Riva Leya Nohim Aronovna Karlinskaya (I don't know her maiden
name), was a housewife, a traditional role for a wife in Jewish families.
There were housemaids in the house, and my grandmother was responsible for
managing the housework. She didn't do any cooking or cleaning herself, but
took on the job of raising her children.
I don't know what my grandmother and grandfather thought about the
Revolution of 1917. My father never mentioned it to me. My father's sister,
Margola, mentioned once that a police officer saved their family from
pogroms and bandits that were terrorizing the population of Ukraine during
the Civil War, but I know no details. Perhaps the tailor who made uniforms
for the police enjoyed special respect in Poltava.
During the NEP (New Economic Policy) my grandfather worked in his
shop. In 1926 he and my grandmother moved to Kharkov. He worked at a shop
there, but also took work home with him. During the Second World War my
grandfather and grandmother were evacuated to Ashgabad, Turkmenistan with
our family. My grandfather was a very kind and nice person. He often
visited us and liked to talk with me while having a cup of tea. My
grandmother Riva was different. She was tough and selfish. She couldn't
forgive my father for marrying a poor communist girl. My grandmother didn't
visit us. She didn't like my mother or me or my brother.
an officer of the NKVD (People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs) in
Kharkov on 5 August 1930.
My father, Meyer Karlinsky, and my mother, Bertha Karlinskaya, were
typical representatives of a generation of Soviet youth who were so fond of
the revolutionary and communist ideas that they rejected their past. They
didn't recall or tell their children about their roots or about the history
of their families. They were obsessed with the idea of communism and
rejected everything that had existed before - the Jewish way of life,
religion, traditions and their mother tongue. I only realized this when I
was a grown man. That's why I know so little about my grandparents and
their life. I had to put together the history of my family later on,
because my parents never told me anything about it when I was a child.
My paternal grandfather, Pinhus Berkov Karlinsky, was born into the
family of a tailor in Poltava around 1872. I have no information about his
brothers or sisters. Pinhus followed in his father's footsteps and became a
tailor. He was the only tailor in Poltava to receive a license to make
uniforms for soldiers, officers and policemen in Poltava province. My
grandfather had a lot of work and he hired several assistants. His workshop
was on the first floor of his house, and his family lived on the second
floor. My grandparents had four children. The family was wealthy. My
grandmother, Riva Leya Nohim Aronovna Karlinskaya (I don't know her maiden
name), was a housewife, a traditional role for a wife in Jewish families.
There were housemaids in the house, and my grandmother was responsible for
managing the housework. She didn't do any cooking or cleaning herself, but
took on the job of raising her children.
I don't know what my grandmother and grandfather thought about the
Revolution of 1917. My father never mentioned it to me. My father's sister,
Margola, mentioned once that a police officer saved their family from
pogroms and bandits that were terrorizing the population of Ukraine during
the Civil War, but I know no details. Perhaps the tailor who made uniforms
for the police enjoyed special respect in Poltava.
During the NEP (New Economic Policy) my grandfather worked in his
shop. In 1926 he and my grandmother moved to Kharkov. He worked at a shop
there, but also took work home with him. During the Second World War my
grandfather and grandmother were evacuated to Ashgabad, Turkmenistan with
our family. My grandfather was a very kind and nice person. He often
visited us and liked to talk with me while having a cup of tea. My
grandmother Riva was different. She was tough and selfish. She couldn't
forgive my father for marrying a poor communist girl. My grandmother didn't
visit us. She didn't like my mother or me or my brother.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Leonid Karlinsky