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My father’s family came from Smela town. This town is located in Cherkassy region. It’s a small picturesque Ukrainian town in 200 km from Kiev. The town is located on the bank of the Tiasmin River. I don’t know the origin of our family name – Zelyonyie, but most Jews in our town had Russian or Ukrainian sounding names. There was Ukrainian, Russian and Jewish population in the town. Poorer people lived in the outskirts and Jews resided in Jewish neighborhoods.
There was a grammar school for boys of all nationalities. The pupils at this school were children from wealthier families and it was a prestigious place to study. There was a municipal hospital and pharmacies in the town. Water was fetched from wells in the streets – one well for few blocks. The central part of the town was nice and cozy. At the time that I remember wealthy and educated people lived in the central part of the town.
Our family lived in a Jewish neighborhood closer to the center of the town.
There was a grammar school for boys of all nationalities. The pupils at this school were children from wealthier families and it was a prestigious place to study. There was a municipal hospital and pharmacies in the town. Water was fetched from wells in the streets – one well for few blocks. The central part of the town was nice and cozy. At the time that I remember wealthy and educated people lived in the central part of the town.
Our family lived in a Jewish neighborhood closer to the center of the town.
Period
Location
Smela
Cherkaska oblast
Ukraine
Interview
Sarra Nikiforenko