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"Without Hesed-Rachamim I Would Not Survive"

Nina was born 81 years ago in the town of Kalinkovichi, a small Belarusian town located in the heart of Polesye known for its vast lowlands, thick forests, beautiful lakes and numerous rivers.

Nina's grandparents on father's side lived in the town of Ozarichi. Grandfather was a teacher at the local Jewish school, and he died before WWII. Grandmother was killed in the Ozarichi concentration camp during Holocaust.

Her maternal uncle was an active member of the Zionist movement, and after a series of pogroms in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus in the beginning of the 20^th century he had to leave for Palestine in 1905. Nina's grandparents on mother's side joined him in 1923. Her mother had to sell many things to assist them in making enough money for their journey to Palestine. Nina exchanged letters with her uncle until his death in 1950.

Nina's parents always observed Jewish traditions. Celebrations of all Jewish holydays are still vivid in her memory: delicious Jewish food, lit candles, festive atmosphere. Yiddish was always spoken in the family, and up to now Nina remembers her native language and she gladly speaks it when she receives Yiddish–speaking guests.

When the WWII broke out, Nina's father was recruited to the army. Nina and her mother decided to evacuate. “Sometimes passing trucks gave us a lift, but most of the time we went on foot. The only things we carried were our documents and a small bag with our belongings, among which was mother's big handkerchief. I remember it because sometimes — hungry, cold and completely exhausted — we had to take a short rest by the roadside. To make me feel warmer my mother took the handkerchief out and wrapped it round me. At once I felt warm and sleepy, but we could not afford a lengthy rest and had to get up and proceed with our long journey” — says Nina.

Only in the fall of 1941 they got to Kursk and decided to stay there. But soon German troops approached the city, and the situation rapidly aggravated: frequent bombings, permanent shortage of food, and danger of being imprisoned by the Nazi. And they decided to move further eastward.

They were sitting by the roadside when a passing military truck stopped. Soldiers asked them who they were and where they were going. Then they gave Nina and her mother some bread and the truck left. Unexpectedly, a few minutes later the truck came back and picked them up. The soldiers were responsible for delivery of damaged aircrafts by rail to the rear, where the planes were repaired or recycled. So the soldiers offered to hide Nina and her mother on a flatcar with a damaged plane covered with tarpaulin. For several days they traveled on a flatcar under the tarpaulin without making even a slight movement lest be discovered and dropped from the train. Thus, they got as far as Tambov.

Both Nina and her mother got a job at a local forestry. “We lived in a shabby barrack. Our daily ration consisted of 400 grams of bread per person. With the onset of winter our living conditions deteriorated. It was always humid and cold inside the barrack, and we did not have warm clothes. Local authorities provided us with cotton wool and gauze. We wrapped the received stuff around our legs and feet, and this was our winter footwear. Being completely exhausted and underfed, my mother grew weaker and weaker. She often fainted. Once it happened in the street. She needed milk. So I decided to exchange my miserable ration for milk. Mama's health slightly improved, but I fell ill with scurvy. Still we managed to survive a very severe winter of 1941. In spring the forestry management allocated a small plot of land to us, and we planted the potato peelings on it. And — what a surprise! — they began to germinate. By the fall we had our own potatoes in stock.” — continues Nina.

In 1945 Nina's father returned from the battle fields of the WWII, and her parents decided to go back to Belarus. Shortly after, Nina entered the Leningrad Medical University. After graduating from the University she was nominated for a job in Minsk, where Nina and her parents shared a small flat with another four families. In 1954 both parents fell ill, and soon they died.

In 1960 Nina got married. For 40 years love and tender care of each other reigned in the family. Up to now her eyes grow dim with tears when she recalls her husband.

Nina's elder sister, who survived the hell of the Leningrad blockade during WWII, died in Russia a year ago. Now Nina has no relatives at all. She lives alone in a modest but cozy apartment in the centre of Minsk. She has very serious problems with her musculoskeletal system, and it is difficult for her to move around the apartment by herself. She has hypertension,

diabetes and serious heart problems. Glaucoma deprived her of the opportunity to read or watch TV, and a radio–set is the only source of information for her.

But she does not feel lonely, as from 1996 she is a client of the Minsk Hesed–Rachamim. Every morning, except Saturday, Nina's door–bell rings at 11.00 hrs and her most welcome guest, representative of Hesed–Rachamim, comes to visit her. Nina's pension is not high even by local standards (only $73), but Hesed–Rachamim provides Nina with all essential things, including food and medicine, and renders her an all–round assistance, which allows her to live with dignity.

“Hesed–Rachamim personnel are the dearest people to me now. Without Hesed I would not survive” — says Nina with a bright smile on her face.

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