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My sister studied in my school as well. She had more Jewish classmates than I did. Anna’s best friend was her classmate Larisa Lerner, a Jewish girl. She also had other Jewish friends. I often spent time with my sister’s friends. They sometimes danced to the record player or went to the dance pavilion and I joined them to go there. Of course, I just watched them dancing. We were not like modern accelerate girls.
I knew Ukrainian and had no problems with studying at school. My favorite subject was Russian literature. I wanted to become a teacher of the Russian literature, when I grew up. I became a young Octobrist 16, and then a pioneer 17 in the 3rd form. There was a ceremony by the monument to Lenin 18 where we gave the oath of young pioneers: “To love the Motherland dearly, to live, study and fight according to the teaching of the great Lenin and the Communist Party”. And then we had red ties tied round the neck.
Our teacher of physics Krachkovskiy was a very nice person. He loved music. He organized and conducted a choir at school. I liked singing and happened to have a good ear for music. I attended the choir since I was in the 2nd form and sometimes was a soloist. We usually sang Ukrainian songs at school concerts. Later I also went to the dancing group. We had concerts on all Soviet holidays– 1 May, 7 November 19, Soviet army Day 21, and New Year, of course. In the morning all schoolchildren and teachers went to the parade and then returned to school. We invited parents and relatives to our concerts. We didn’t celebrate Soviet holidays at home since mama was always busy doing her work and didn’t have time for celebrations.
I know very little about the period of arrests in 1937 and the following years 21. Nobody was arrested in our family. After WORLD WAR II, mama told me about this period. She said NKVD 22 people arrested people at home at night. People were afraid of falling asleep at night listening for the noises behind their front door. I also recall how my parents mentioned that Guzman, director of the plant where my brother Grigoriy was working, and my father’s acquaintance Givand were arrested.
I knew Ukrainian and had no problems with studying at school. My favorite subject was Russian literature. I wanted to become a teacher of the Russian literature, when I grew up. I became a young Octobrist 16, and then a pioneer 17 in the 3rd form. There was a ceremony by the monument to Lenin 18 where we gave the oath of young pioneers: “To love the Motherland dearly, to live, study and fight according to the teaching of the great Lenin and the Communist Party”. And then we had red ties tied round the neck.
Our teacher of physics Krachkovskiy was a very nice person. He loved music. He organized and conducted a choir at school. I liked singing and happened to have a good ear for music. I attended the choir since I was in the 2nd form and sometimes was a soloist. We usually sang Ukrainian songs at school concerts. Later I also went to the dancing group. We had concerts on all Soviet holidays– 1 May, 7 November 19, Soviet army Day 21, and New Year, of course. In the morning all schoolchildren and teachers went to the parade and then returned to school. We invited parents and relatives to our concerts. We didn’t celebrate Soviet holidays at home since mama was always busy doing her work and didn’t have time for celebrations.
I know very little about the period of arrests in 1937 and the following years 21. Nobody was arrested in our family. After WORLD WAR II, mama told me about this period. She said NKVD 22 people arrested people at home at night. People were afraid of falling asleep at night listening for the noises behind their front door. I also recall how my parents mentioned that Guzman, director of the plant where my brother Grigoriy was working, and my father’s acquaintance Givand were arrested.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Riva Pizman Biography