Description
Object description
Romanian Jewish civilian in Romania and Soviet Union, 1939-1947
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Cernăuţi and Bucharest, Romania, 1919-1940: growing up in Cernăuţi; family; ethnic composition population in Cernăuţi; nature of education, including experiences of anti-Semitism; discipline and religion at home; story of audience with the Boyan Rabbi; politics and rise of anti-Semitism in Romania; memories of discussing politics with friends.
REEL 2 Continues: political options for young; own political outlook; gaining entrance to University of Bucharest; employment whilst still at school; activities in year prior to going to University of Bucharest; discipline at school; friends studying abroad; activities during summer of 1939; nature of Iron Guard organisation; employment and accommodation whilst student at University of Bucharest; story of talk with Iron Guard supporter; Soviet Union invasion of Bessarabia and Bukovina; return to Cernăuţi and escape from attack by Iron Guard. Aspects of period as civilian in Cernăuţi, Romania 6/1940-6/1941: arrival of Soviet Army, 28/6/1940; how elements of population either fled or stayed; organisation of Soviet takeover, including own involvement; economic situation of father during 1930s.
REEL 3 Continues: family and how relatives Imre and Klara Lorinc's survived Holocaust in Budapest, Hungary; interest taken in Spanish Civil War; loss of contact with family in Romania; education at Cernăuţi National University; reaction of parents to new Soviet system; Soviet authorities' changes to education system; employment with Department of Sports and experiencing corruption in Soviet Government; arrest of ethnic leaders; groups moving underground; deportation of bourgeoisie; fate of future wife Nelly Pesate's family; arrival of refugees from Poland in Romania; German Air Force bombing of Cernăuţi, 22/6/1941; sitting of examinations; obtaining war news; decision to leave Cernăuţi; preparations for journey; work at railway station; arrival of Cernăuţi National University staff and students. Aspects of journey from Chernivtsi to Oblivskaya, Soviet Union, 6/1941-7/1941: boarding of train; reasons for hold-ups of journey.
REEL 4 Continues: obtaining food and water; spies encountered on journey; morale among passengers; reasons for decision to leave train with girlfriend Musia Portnoi at Dnipropetrovsk Oblast; activities in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and preparations of locals for evacuation; story of joining with family for evacuation; boarding of train; abandonment in siding at Oblivskaya. Aspects of period as civilian in Rostov Oblast, Soviet Union, 7/1941: request from locals to help with harvest on nearby collective farms; journey to farm; accommodation; situation on farm; background of workers; nature of work undertaken and rations; reunion of Musia Portnoi with family; nature of Rostov Oblast; character of landlady; health problems and treatment; story of Tartar friend who had been deported from the Crimean Oblast; retreat eastwards following fall of Odessa; details of official news.
REEL 5 Continues: importance of Joseph Stalin to Soviet morale; changes made to Soviet life and movement of industry eastwards; application for military service. Aspects of journey from Rostov Oblast to Stalingrad, Soviet Union, 10/1941-11/1941: weather and clothing worn; assistance given in evacuation of agriculture and industry; description of houses stayed in; crossing of River Don; cases of frostbite; rations and stealing from Soviet civilians; physical state; weapons training; health problems amongst troops and clothing worn. Aspects of period as civilian in Soviet Union, 11/1941-4/1945: description of Stalingrad; accommodation; reason for not being allowed into Soviet Army; posting to labour battalion; background of comrades; story of problem with posting in Zaza, including accommodation and rations; obtaining work and return to Stalingrad; nature of war work undertaken; background to enlistment in Soviet Army; activities during wait for call-up to Soviet Army; accommodation.
REEL 6 Continues: call-up for military service, 3/1942; gifts from female comrades; activities during wait for first posting, including visits to Stalingrad State University and meeting with Isak 'Sasha' Lipnik; news of posting and send-off feast; reason for missing train to front at Millerovo and return to Soviet Army office; subsequent Soviet defeat at Millerovo; demobilisation papers and enrolment at university; gaining of work with Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic leadership in Buguruslan; journey to Buguruslan; air activity while in Stalingrad; details of Buguruslan; accommodation and relationship with landlady; working for Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic; continuation of studies and employment at Kuybyshev; affair with landlady; making contact with future wife, Nelly Pesate; period at university in Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic; organisation of bakery near Buguruslan.
REEL 7 Continues: nature of Buguruslan and Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic leadership in exile; studies and employment in Buguruslan and Kuybyshev; effects of war on area; further details of landlady; anti-Soviet feelings in area; food grown by population; latrines and water supply; extra rations obtained by landlady; black market; story of rat-trap business scheme; contact with father; details of father's family; wars news and awareness of Holocaust; plans for return to Moldavia, early 1944; break-up of relationship with landlady; nature of train journey to Kishinev.
REEL 8 Continues: scenes during journey to Kishinev; state of Kishinev; accommodation; rebuilding programme; journey from Kishinev to Chernivtsi, Soviet Union. Recollections of period as civilian in Chernivtsi, Soviet Union, 4/1945-9/1947 state of family home; reunion with family; resumption of university education; fate of Cernăuţi's Jewish population and family during Holocaust; leaving parents in Cernăuţi, 6/1941; how father religion aided in coping with suffering during Second World War; discussion of decision to leave Cernăuţi, 6/1941; receiving offer of permit to leave for Romania and reasons for being suspicious.
REEL 9 Continues: return of future wife, Nelly Pesate to Chernivtsi; decision to move from Soviet Union to Romania; faking of documents for entry into Romania; journey to Craiova, Romania. Aspects of period as civilian in Romania, 4/1945-9/1947: accommodation and rations; journey to Bucharest; rejoining of University of Bucharest; employment, accommodation and political situation; period as student at University of Bucharest; rise of Romanian Communist Party and emigration of King Michael I; disillusionment with Soviet Union and Communism; anti-Semitism experienced in Soviet Union; opinion of reason for being allowed out of Soviet Union; marriage to Nelly Pesate, 11/1946; decision to emigrate from Romanian People's Republic; organisation of emigration to Venezuela, including help gained from Hebrew Immigration Aid Society.
REEL 10 Continues: story of bribing official. Aspects of journey from Bucharest, Romanian People's Republic to Caracas, Venezuela, 9/1947-10/1947: fears during journey to Marseille, France; arrival in Marseille, France; problems passing through customs and with visa; activities in Paris, France, including obtaining documentation for emigration; organisation of flight to Caracas, Venezuela; journey to Antwerp, Belgium; story of time spent in Antwerp, Belgium trying to sort out visa problems; story of flight to Caracas, Venezuela, including stopovers in Madeira, Portugal and Bermuda. Aspects of period as civilian in Venezuela, 1947-1962: arrival in Venezuela and journey to Caracas; accommodation; settling into life in South America, including issue of Spanish language.
REEL 11 Continues: life in Maracaibo, including employment, climate and birth of first child; improvements to life and work with Shell Oil; obtaining Venezuelan citizenship; background to move to Caracas, 1952; changes to life; political situation during time in Venezuela; anti-Semitism suffered at work; background to obtaining work with Shell Oil in London, GB. Aspects of period as civilian in GB and Spain from 1962: period in London, GB; work and life in Spain; discussion of Spanish regime, including story of meeting Spanish dictator Francisco Franco; help given by Francisco Franco to Jewish people in Europe and Egypt; prior recollection of Venezuelan society, including friends made in Maracaibo and Caracas; problems settling in London, GB, including learning of English language.
REEL 12 Continues: Reflections on experiences during Second World War: learning about and reaction to the Holocaust; opinion of value of war experiences in later work; relations with German colleagues; details of lifestyle since war; empathy felt for modern refugees; decision to not apply for compensation; opinion of help received as student during Second World War; period as postgraduate at Central University of Venezuela in Caracas, Venezuela; nature of contact with People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs (NKVD); nature of Soviet Government control, including possibilities for rebellion during Second World War, plight of Volga Germans; Soviet authorities control on Eastern Front; changes in propaganda during war; nature of Battle of Stalingrad.
REEL 13 Continues: signs of Allied aid to Soviet Union during Second World War; reaction to opening of second front; news of Siege in Leningrad; wartime films shown in Soviet Union; recreational activities; opinion of Soviet people; return visit to Romanian People's Republic, 1976, including examples of continued anti-Semitism; hopes for future of Romania.
