Поиск по сайту

GRATEFUL FOR LIFE-SAVING

The Great Patriotic War brought changes into the lives and destinies of many people. Not too long ago a letter was sent to Chernoruchsky college and factory in Shklov region from Klara Mariasina (Kagan), now living in Israel. The letter contains a story of how she was saved from Nazis by the residents of Klimovichi village in Shklov region.

In 1941 her family lived in Slutsk. There were four children in the family. Father was sent to the battlefront on the first days of the war. The children and their mother reached Smolensk and then decided to go back to Belarus, to the town of Gorky, where her father lived. Soon after that the town was occupied by Germans and a Jewish ghetto was established. Once the grandfather did not come back home and mother went to search for him. Children never saw her again. Later they left town, as soon as Nazis started executing the local Jews. It was in the autumn of 1941. While walking on the road from that connected Mogilev and Orsha, Klara lost the other children and reached the village of Klimovichi alone. There she was given shelter by the family of Yelizaveta and Zota Chaikov.

Yefim Lapenkov, a village elder, assembled all the residents and told them they had to save the girl. Therefore, a decision was made to give her a Russian name. The residents agreed that she would be staying a week in every family, in turns. Thus, due to the mercy and courage of Klimovichi residents, the Jewish girl was saved and survived the whole period of Nazi occupation. She can still remember their last names: Gavrilenko, Dovydova, Lapenkov, Lafitskaya, Volkova, Dudkina, Krotova, Yeliseyeva, Rodnaya, Chaikov, Gusakov, Vashenkov, Kupreyev and others.

Klara Mariasina recalls: "All the village residents loved and felt sorry for me. Yelizaveta Chaikova took special care of me. Even when I stayed a week outside her house, she came and took good care of me. Every time I fell ill she would take me to her house and treat me. Everyone in the village called her my mother.

In 1999 I contacted the "Yad Vashem" museum in Jerusalem, asking them to acknowledge all the residents of Klimovichi as the Righteous among the nations. However, the committee only acknowledged Yelizaveta and Zot Chaikov as such (posthumously).

In September 1944 Yelizaveta and Zot took me to an orphanage in Shklov. I did not want to leave the village, but Yelizaveta said if I stayed in the village my relatives would never be able to find me. She was right – my father found me in 1946."

Svetlana Karneyeva
Teacher of English at Chernoruchsky college and factory
"Udarny front", No. 51 (10307)

Jewish settlements in Mogilev region

Mogilev• Antonovka• Batsevichi• Belynichi• Belynkovichi• Bobruisk• Byhov• Chausy• Cherikov• Dashkovka• Dribin• Esmony• Glusk• Golovchin• Gorki• Gory• Grozdianka• Hotimsk• Kirovsk• Klichev• Konohovka• Kostukovichi• Krichev• Krucha• Krugloye• Lenino• Lubonichi• Martinovka• Moliatichi• Mstislavl• Naprasnovka• Osipovichi• Rodnia• Rudkovschina• Samotevichi• Sapezhinka• Selets• Shamovo• Shepelevichi• Shklov• Slavgorod• Staroselie• Sukhari• Svisloch• Vereschaki• Zaverezhie• Zhilichi•

Main

New publications

Contacts

Site map

Vitebsk region

Mogilev region

Minsk region