Selected text
In 1957 while studying at the Academy in Leningrad, I became a Party
member. Party membership was necessary for any young man aspiring to a
career in the army. My brother Victor, who was studying at the Military
School of Frontier Units in Leningrad, introduced me to Elina Ferdman, a
student at the medical school. We fell in love and married in 1954. We have
been together ever since. Elina was from Leningrad. Her father was Jewish
and her mother, Russian. Her father was a teacher at the school for factory
workers. Her mother was a homemaker. During the war Elina's father fought
at the front, and Elina and her mother were evacuated to the Urals. Elina
was raised as a Jew and wanted to marry a Jew. Life was not easy for a
young cadet and a medical student. My stipend was 200 rubles and Elina
received only 30 rubles. We couldn't afford to buy a coat, but we often
went to the theaters because tickets were very cheap.
In 1955 our daughter Lenochka was born. My uncle Aron, a consultant at
the maternity hospital, helped my wife during the childbirth. By that time,
our family was living in Leningrad. - my father had been fired from his job
in 1953 after Stalin died, since the authorities didn't have a need for so
many punitive guard units. My mother and father came to Leningrad where
they received an apartment. They helped us to raise our daughter. My mother
died in 1967 and my father in 1976. My brother Victor died of a myocardial
infarction in 1975. He didn't do very well in life. He retired from the
army due to his heart trouble, and for a long time he couldn't find a job.
Back then it was difficult for a Jew to get a job. Victor took to drinking,
which led to his heart attack at the age of 40. Victir's two daughters,
Marina and Natasha, both lived in Leningrad.
After I graduated from the Academy, I got a job assignment in the
vicinity of Osha, where I began my military service as a first lieutenant.
Then I moved to Kaunas, Chita and after that, to many other towns. I
finally settled down in Cheliabinsk, where I was a lecturer at the military
school. I retired from the army in 1981 with the rank of Colonel. After my
retirement, I moved to Kiev with my family. My father's sister Margola
helped me with the move by giving me a permit to register for residence at
her apartment. We have lived in Kiev ever since.
My daughter Lena graduated from an accounting school in Cheliabinsk.
She lives in Alexandrovka near Lugansk. She was married to a Ukrainian by
the name of Voloshenko, who began saying and doing things which hurt her
feelings because of her nationality. She divorced him when my grandson was
10 years old. Lena is now married to a Jewish man.
member. Party membership was necessary for any young man aspiring to a
career in the army. My brother Victor, who was studying at the Military
School of Frontier Units in Leningrad, introduced me to Elina Ferdman, a
student at the medical school. We fell in love and married in 1954. We have
been together ever since. Elina was from Leningrad. Her father was Jewish
and her mother, Russian. Her father was a teacher at the school for factory
workers. Her mother was a homemaker. During the war Elina's father fought
at the front, and Elina and her mother were evacuated to the Urals. Elina
was raised as a Jew and wanted to marry a Jew. Life was not easy for a
young cadet and a medical student. My stipend was 200 rubles and Elina
received only 30 rubles. We couldn't afford to buy a coat, but we often
went to the theaters because tickets were very cheap.
In 1955 our daughter Lenochka was born. My uncle Aron, a consultant at
the maternity hospital, helped my wife during the childbirth. By that time,
our family was living in Leningrad. - my father had been fired from his job
in 1953 after Stalin died, since the authorities didn't have a need for so
many punitive guard units. My mother and father came to Leningrad where
they received an apartment. They helped us to raise our daughter. My mother
died in 1967 and my father in 1976. My brother Victor died of a myocardial
infarction in 1975. He didn't do very well in life. He retired from the
army due to his heart trouble, and for a long time he couldn't find a job.
Back then it was difficult for a Jew to get a job. Victor took to drinking,
which led to his heart attack at the age of 40. Victir's two daughters,
Marina and Natasha, both lived in Leningrad.
After I graduated from the Academy, I got a job assignment in the
vicinity of Osha, where I began my military service as a first lieutenant.
Then I moved to Kaunas, Chita and after that, to many other towns. I
finally settled down in Cheliabinsk, where I was a lecturer at the military
school. I retired from the army in 1981 with the rank of Colonel. After my
retirement, I moved to Kiev with my family. My father's sister Margola
helped me with the move by giving me a permit to register for residence at
her apartment. We have lived in Kiev ever since.
My daughter Lena graduated from an accounting school in Cheliabinsk.
She lives in Alexandrovka near Lugansk. She was married to a Ukrainian by
the name of Voloshenko, who began saying and doing things which hurt her
feelings because of her nationality. She divorced him when my grandson was
10 years old. Lena is now married to a Jewish man.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Leonid Karlinsky