We Remember Lest the World Forget 1 We Remember Lest the World Forget Produced by Memories of the Minsk Ghetto Minsk Charitable Public Organisation - GILF Translated By Michael Hornsby Ph.D., D.Litt. Rostyslav Kanibolotskyi M.Sc. Iuliia Kuznetsova B.A. Edited by Hilda Bronstein Ph.D. Bett Demby The original book in Russian was published by MINSK I.P. LOGVINOV PUBLISHERS 2012 Editors of the Russian version were: Maya Krapina, Tamara Kurdadze, Yakov Murakhovskiy, Frieda Reizman and Vladimir Trachtenberg. This translation from the original Russian to English is a proJect that was initiated, facilitated and managed by UK Charity The Together Plan (1154167). Published by JewishGen An Affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust New York 2 We Remember Lest the World Forget We Remember Lest the World Forget 3 We Remember Lest the World Forget Memories of the Minsk Ghetto Copyright © 2018 by The Together Plan All rights reserved First Printing: July 2018, Tammuz 5778 Translation Project Coordinator UK: Debra Brunner, Director of the Together Plan Translation Project Coordinator Belarus: Artur Livshyts, Director of the Together Plan Editors: Hilda Bronstein Ph.D. and Bett Demby Translators: Michael Hornsby Ph.D., D.Litt., Rostyslav Kanibolotskyi M.Sc. and Iuliia Kuznetsova B.A. Layout: Joel Alpert Cover Design: Olga Volcheck This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including illustrations in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for public press), without written permission from the publisher. Published by JewishGen, Inc. An Affiliate of the Museum of Jewish Heritage A Living Memorial to the Holocaust 36 Battery Place, New York, NY 10280 "JewishGen, Inc. is not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in the original work and makes no representations regarding the accuracy of this translation. Digital images of the original book's contents can be seen online at the New York Public Library Web site." The mission of the JewishGen organisation is to produce a translation of the original work and we cannot verify the accuracy of statements or alter facts cited. Printed in the United States of America by Lightning Source, Inc. Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN): 2018948407 ISBN: 978-1-939561-67-1 (hard cover: 268 pages, alk. paper) Front cover photograph of the Minsk Ghetto, attribution: archival signature and source archive copyright of "Yad Vashem Photo Archive, Jerusalem 10470/5" Back cover photograph: The Yama (Pit) Memorial, Minsk. Bronze sculpture 'The Last Way,’ by architect Leonid Levin and sculptors Elsa Pollak and Alexander Finski, courtesy of the Republic of Belarus. Photo by Olga Volcheck, courtesy of the photographer. 4 We Remember Lest the World Forget Credits from the Original Book Compilers: M.I. Krapina, T.S. Kurdadze, Y.M. Murakhovsky, F.V. Reizman, V.L. Trachtenberg. Editorial Council: Reizman Frida Vulfovna is the Chairman of the Executive Board of GILF; Trachtenberg Vladimir Lazarevich is the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of GILF. Members of the Executive Board of GILF: Aslezov Elfrida Davydovna, Banah Eleonora Suleymanovna, Golubeva Irina Davydovna, Krapina Maya Isaakovna, Galperina Rimma Abramovna (the chairman of the revision committee of GILF), member of the Project Coordination Council. The testimony of former ghetto prisoners, many of whom were afraid not only to write, but also to recall the experience of more than seventy years, became the basis for this collection. Every life story is a reflection of the tragedy not only of the Jewish population of Belarus, but of all Europe. The book is designed for a wide audience, and in the first place is intended for the young reader, as well as for everyone who cares about the history of their Motherland. In fact, this collection is a testament from the outgoing generation, which was a living witness to military events. We Remember Lest the World Forget 5 Table of Contents Page Title 4 Credits from the Original Book 5 Table of Contents 7 Acknowledgements for the Publication of the Translation 9 Preface 13 Editors’ Introductions 18 The Yellow Patch 19 Prologue in the Original Book 22 Dedication 23 Quote from the Bible 24 Geopolitical Information 25 Map of Belarus showing Minsk 26 Saved Thanks to the Courage of Good People - Elena Antonova 29 My Wartime Childhood - Elfrida Aslesova (Frida Kissel) 37 My Childhood, A War of Fire Birger - Giorgiy Birger 48 There Were Thirty-Six of Us - Only One Remained - Polina Dobkina 56 Leafing Through the Pages of Memory - Maya Guryevich 61 Everyone Looked After the Orphan - Roman Guryevich 63 I Was left On My Own – Felix Gerbovitskiy 70 How I Took People Out of the Ghetto - Lev Kravetz 76 How We Joined the Partisans - Yakov Kravchinskiy 82 The Whole Village Deserves the Award of ‘Righteous Among the Nations’ - Maya Krapina 94 I Saw for Myself but I Still Don’t Believe – Ura Kaplan 100 I Live and I Remember – Saveliy Kaplinskiy 104 A Story of Salvation – Eugeniy Machiz 106 I Typeset Partisan Newspapers – Elizaveta Morozova 116 I Was an Orphan from the Age of Three – Lidiya Petrova (Kompanets) 118 It Will Never Be Forgotten – Maya Radashkovskaya 121 The ‘Zvezda’ Newspaper Was Printed in Our House – Alla Rakovshchik and Irina Golubeva 128 Memories Must Be Preserved - Frieda Reizman 142 A Boy Aged Thirteen - Vladimir Rubezhin 149 From the Ghetto to the Nalibokskiy Forest - Rubinchik, Pavel 159 Letters from the Minsk Ghetto – Nadegda Solovyova and Leonid, Leah and Gregory Ruderman 165 My Memories – Boris Srebnik 6 We Remember Lest the World Forget 180 Sixty Years Later – David Taubkin 195 What I Remember – Vladimir Trachtenberg 206 Transportation to the Other World – Mikhail Treister 221 Sheets Wet with Tears – Nelly Shenker 226 Across the Years – Riva Sherman 234 Glossary 240 Selection of Documents and Decrees issued by the German Authorities and a Partisan Report 259 Final thought 263 Acknowledgements from the Original Book We Remember Lest the World Forget 7 Acknowledgements Michael Hornsby Ph.D., D.Litt., Rostyslav Kanibolotskyi M.Sc. and Iuliia Kuznetsova B.A. for translating the original Russian text to the first draft English version. Hilda Bronstein Ph.D. and Bett Demby for their tireless and diligent commitment to the editing of the stories and Hilda Bronstein for the creation of the glossary and assistance with the Yiddish. Arkadiy Dobkin for his invaluable support of the project and for providing access to his family archives. Jonathan Clingman for being available at all times for cross checks to the original Russian text and for setting up and managing the IT platform. Paul Ginsburg for his invaluable support and assistance in helping to creating the IT platform for The Together Plan and providing ongoing training which assisted this project and enabled the Minsk and London team to work in close virtual proximity. Anna Parijskaia for her consultancy on the book, assisting with translation and for giving contextual reference to the language and cultural idioms. Sonia Richardson for translating the Leonid Ruderman story which was an addition to the original book, and for her commitment to the project. Arkadiy Shulman, Vitebsk, for work on the original texts and for providing additional photographic material. Jake Goldman for support with PR throughout the development of the project. Jeanette Josse for the introduction, and to Anna Josse for leading us to Ilana Salem. Ilana Salem for her diligent reading of the text and for her valued feedback. Tamara Kurdadze in Minsk for facilitating access to material from the original book and providing information from the ghetto survivors and their families. Vladislav Zaiko in Minsk for his language skills, and help with setting of the photographs into the texts. Arina Levina in Minsk for assistance with communication with the ghetto survivors. Michael Bronstein and Paul Demby for reading the edited texts, for the helpful comments and their support. Frida Reizman, Chair of the Ghetto Survivors Association GILF. Tamara Vershitskaya, Novogroduk, for helping to verify historical data. 8 We Remember Lest the World Forget Lisa Bittles for help with regards to the Belarusian language. David Meltser, New York, author of The Black Book with Red Pages – Tragedy and Heroism of Belorussian Jews, for permission to reprint the story of Polina Dobkina. Valery Price of VIA Press, Vestnik Publications for permission to reprint the story of Polina Dobkina from ‘The Black Book with Red Pages – Tragedy and Heroism of Belorussian Jews’. Polina Dobkina for speaking to us on conference call from the USA and telling us her story. Sofia Dobkina for her help with the Skype interview with Polina Dobkina. Daniel Shekhtman for insight to his family story and for his help with the interview with Polina Dobkina. Michael Brunner for assistance at the outset of the project. Her Britannic Majesty’s Ambassador to Belarus HE Fionna Gibb OBE, for her support of The Together Plan’s work with the Minsk Ghetto survivors. Joel Alpert and Lance Ackerfield of the Jewish Gen Yizkor Book Project for their guidance and partnership in the publication of the book. Nina Schwartz / Impulse Graphics: Design Consultant. The USC Shoah Foundation, Los Angeles for giving the survivors the courage to speak out in 2000, giving them the confidence to write their stories for this book. Staff and volunteers of The Together Plan in the UK and Belarus for their general assistance throughout. To all donors to The Together Plan, specifically those who have given material and financial aid to support the work that we do with, and for, the Minsk Ghetto survivors and their families, and to those who donated towards this project and enabled it to become a reality. Special thanks to Samantha, Jacob and Abigail Brunner for their belief, encouragement, love and unwavering continuous support.