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In 1933 Hitler came to power in Germany. My parents often talked about fascism and extermination of Jews in Germany, in the end of 1930s, but it seemed to be so distant from our country and our life. When I turned 10 or 11 years old I borrowed a book from the library – it was entitled “Trial”, but I don’t remember the author, I only remember that he was a Czech. The book was about tortures of Jews in Germany when Hitler came to power.
I got along well with my schoolmates, but had one close friend – Sarrah Kaluzhnaya she was Jewish girl. Later her family moved to Odessa.
I didn’t have to spend much time doing my homework. I remembered all I heard in class. I always had the highest grades at school. I had a lot of free time and decided to study music. I had classes with a private teacher, our neighbor. We didn’t have a piano. My father was reluctant to buy one. Those were fearful years and he wanted to be no different from other people. It was better to attract no attention of other people anything that might cause interest or envy. I had classes at my teacher’s home. Later my class tutor Sophia Efimovna became my teacher. We had a piano in our class.
We celebrated Jewish and Soviet holidays at home: 7 November, 1 May and New Year, and birthdays. We had big celebrations at school. We made concerts, sang songs and danced.
1936 was a horrible period of arrests (7). My father was the only man left in our street – the others were arrested. We didn’t discuss this subject at home. I think my parents understood what was going on. Our neighbors – a very poor Jewish family with 3 children – had a horse and a cart. The father of the family collected waste paper and rags in the neighboring villages for his living. Every morning at 6 o’clock Yankel left his yard on a cart while urging his horse with a “yer-yer!” call. One morning I didn’t hear his familiar voice. My mother told me that he was arrested the previous night. I was 9 years old and every night before going to sleep I said a prayer “Dear Lord, help my father, don’t let him be arrested”. I prayed in my own words in Russian – I didn’t remember any prayers in Yiddish. God kept my father safe.
I got along well with my schoolmates, but had one close friend – Sarrah Kaluzhnaya she was Jewish girl. Later her family moved to Odessa.
I didn’t have to spend much time doing my homework. I remembered all I heard in class. I always had the highest grades at school. I had a lot of free time and decided to study music. I had classes with a private teacher, our neighbor. We didn’t have a piano. My father was reluctant to buy one. Those were fearful years and he wanted to be no different from other people. It was better to attract no attention of other people anything that might cause interest or envy. I had classes at my teacher’s home. Later my class tutor Sophia Efimovna became my teacher. We had a piano in our class.
We celebrated Jewish and Soviet holidays at home: 7 November, 1 May and New Year, and birthdays. We had big celebrations at school. We made concerts, sang songs and danced.
1936 was a horrible period of arrests (7). My father was the only man left in our street – the others were arrested. We didn’t discuss this subject at home. I think my parents understood what was going on. Our neighbors – a very poor Jewish family with 3 children – had a horse and a cart. The father of the family collected waste paper and rags in the neighboring villages for his living. Every morning at 6 o’clock Yankel left his yard on a cart while urging his horse with a “yer-yer!” call. One morning I didn’t hear his familiar voice. My mother told me that he was arrested the previous night. I was 9 years old and every night before going to sleep I said a prayer “Dear Lord, help my father, don’t let him be arrested”. I prayed in my own words in Russian – I didn’t remember any prayers in Yiddish. God kept my father safe.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Faina Volper Biography