Soviet Survivors

The story of librarian Maria Egorova about life in Smolensk during the Nazi occupation. She described her work in the library at Rosenberg's headquarters, the shooting of prisoners of war, the…

Concertmaster Teofilia Gandverker's account of the persecution and extermination of Jews in Lviv during the Nazi occupation. She describes the horrible treatment of Jews, the sophisticated abuse of…

The story of Kremenchuk resident Petr Gritsenko about the shooting of Jews and prisoners of war during 1941 and 1942, which he personally witnessed. Gritsenko also recalls the forced transportation…

The story of Jakov Karpuk-Shadrich, a resident of Rivne, about the extermination of the Jews. He recalls the order of the occupation authorities to gather all Jews in the ghetto, and describes their…

The story of mechanic Nikolai Lager is about life during the occupation in Kharkiv. He recalls robberies, repression against Soviet functionaries, and the extermination of Jews. Lager tells of…

The story of Sergei Lepin, an artist of the Riga Theater, about his life during the occupation. He recalls that he was forced to go into hiding because of the threat of arrest and had difficulty…

The story of student Valentina Pyzh about her stay in the concentration camps Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. Valentina recalls the shooting of her father for his underground activities, the death of her…

The story of Melitopol teacher Vera Rukosueva about her work during the occupation at the labor exchange, the forced removal of the population to work in Germany. Rukosueva describes the process of…

The story of teacher Elena Spiridonova about the work of the school during the Nazi occupation of Brest. She describes the conditions of education and the difficult financial situation. Spiridonova…

The story of the museum employee Iosif Stabrovskii is about the events of his life before the war and about life in occupied Slonim. He told about the looting of the museum and the rescue of some of…

The story of Max Sankshtein, a hairdresser from Brest, is about his life during the city occupation. He describes life in the ghetto, the first pogroms, and the help of his wife and friends to save…

Interview with doctor Sofia Neriiavskaia about repressions during the occupation of Stalino. She describes cases of beatings of civilians and conditions in the prisoner of war camp. Neriiavskaia…

Maria Gaivoronskaia's story about the Soviet evacuation, the entry of German troops, and her life during the occupation in Stalino. During the first days of occupation, she worked at school and went…

The story of Odesa library workers about the occupation of the city. They recall the arrival of Romanian troops, the explosion of the NKVD building, and the subsequent repression, tell about the…

Interview with military man Nikifor Pankratov about the activities of partisans in Belarus. He tells about military actions at the beginning of the war, getting surrounded and joining a partisan…

The story of Komsomol girl Tamara Durakova about her underground work during the occupation in Dneprodzerzhinsk, arrest and stay in prison and concentration camps. Tamara recalls in detail the…

The story of doctor Klavdia Egupova is about the arrival of German troops in Smolensk, the establishment of occupation orders, and the attitude of Germans toward women, forcing them to cohabit. The…

An account by Oskar Kempel and Mikhail Shapiro of the persecution and extermination of Jews in Lviv and Warsaw. They recall the prohibition of the free movement of Jews, the creation of ghettos, the…

Solomon Pekker's account of underground work in Kyiv during the occupation. After an unsuccessful evacuation with Soviet units, he returned to the city. Pekker recalls the persecution of Jews, the…