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Memories of Rozov Semion Yudovich

Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of information about my grand- and great grandparents. My grandfather, father’s father, Moisey Rozov, died in 1892. This is all I know about him.

I know nothing about my father’s mother.

My father, Yuda Moiseyevich Rozov, born in 1880, lived in a village called Dolginovo in Minsk region. In 1934 he bought a small house in the village of Volcha.

My father was married twice. He had six children in the first family: three sons and three daughters. All I know about his first wife is that she died while working.

My father worked as a tailor from the age of 12 and was a truly religious person.

Grandmother Riva (mother’s mother) lived in a place called Logoisk in Minsk region. Her husband, my grandfather, moved to the USA in 1930s, while my grandmother was not permitted to emigrate for some reason. My mother had two sisters Haya and Masha.

My mother, Iske Rozova (Raya-Roza), was born in 1900. She got married in 1925. I had a brother, who was born in 1927 and died in 1928, and sister Gita, born in 1937.

Before the war there were three Jewish families and one mixed family in Volcha.

As far as I remember, there was no synagogue in the village. However, there was a prayer house. There was no Jewish cemetery, either.

My father, mother and her sister were killed by fascists on October 2nd, 1941 in Begoml.

All the Jewish families in the village of Volcha lived in their houses during the war. My parents were shot together with the majority of Begoml Jews on October 2nd. They were gathered in the local prison and then convoyed to the execution site.

Apart from me, no other Volcha residents survived.

I, Semion Yudovich Rozov, was born in 1929. I used to live in Volcha before the war and finished 4 grades of the local school.

On the day of the execution I escaped. Even though the local residents caught me, I still managed to break out. In the village of Asavy I was caught by a Nazi policeman, Ivan Hotchenko, who let me go but warned me that I had to be very careful.

From October 3rd 1941 to June 1942 I was hiding myself in Volcha, Kliniki, Goreloye, Asavy, Budachi, Nidal, Ugly and Uskremie.

Later I joined a partisan detachment named after Roman. It was headed by R.A. Diakov and S.S. Mankovich. In Lepel I was caught by the Germans but still got lucky and escaped. Later I was in another detachment headed by Dubov.

The first detachment I joined had 5 or 6 other Jews. Dobov’s brigade had about 20 Jews. Most of the partisans treated us well.

After the war I finished a college and a technical school in Krasnoyarsk, then joined the Army, got married and have five children. I am currently living in Israel.

In 1949 I visited the mass grave, which at that time was in poor state. Later the remains of the executed were reburied at the Christian cemetery in Begoml. There is now a concrete memorial, which before 1997 did not have any inscriptions.

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