barn about every month or two, they could not open their eyes. The sun was too bright. They could not walk on their feet. They had to crawl. There were many small mice in the haystack. They learned to live with them. They had to hold their food tightly so the mice would not steal it. Many many times, days would pass without food or water, even in the hottest weather. Remarkable incidents while hiding in the barn: 1. The Stepan Bandera and The Ukrainian Partisans, used the barn Issac and family were sleeping in, periodically for ammuni- tion storage. They hated both the Nazis and hte Russians. If the arms were discovered Pavlo would have been killed with his family. 2. Nazi SS soldiers came with a big truck to pick up hay for their horses. No one was home. They opened the barn and started taking hay from the haystack Issac and family were buried under. At the last minute, Pavlo arrived and said, “Why are you taking that dirty old hay? I have much better hay for your horses.” He then took them to another barn. 3.As the Germans started retreating from the front. They dug bunkers around the barn for their ammunition and made Pavlo’s house headquarters. For twelve days, 15-20 SS Nazis slept in the barn on the hay above Issac and family. They could hear every word. When one of them smoked a cigar, they could hear him inhale. The whole time, they were starv- ing and thirsty because Pavlo could not bring them food. After they left the whole area became a battleground. All the residents left the area to hide in the forest, including Pavlo and his family. The area was deserted. Day and night, bombs exploded and bullets whis- tled. All around them, things were burning. It was a miracle that the barn did not burn. February 15, 1944, liberated by the Russian army. They continued to hide. The Ukraini- ans were still killing Jews after the Russian liberation. Issac and family had to learn how
to walk again. They crawled out of the hole. Pavlo and his loving family did not expect one cent from them. He gave them food and clothes. He gave Rose her gold watch back. Issac and family went back to Tuchin (4km). 12 Jews survived. They were housed next to the Russian police station. Ukrainian bandits came to kill them. The Russians caught them and took their ammunition. 8 days in Tuchin, Rose and Luba becme sick with Typhus. They were in critical condition with a high fever. The Russians start mobilizing troops. They took Issac. March 20, 1944, Issac was mobilized into the Russian army and sent to Rivne. Issac was sent far away to Branskt. The name of the troop was “Polkovnik Polk.” He was trained to shoot a gun and throw a hand grenade. Training was eight weeks. Snow was up to their knees. They were planning on being at the battlefront in Poland with Germany. Russian Orders - Everyone born in the year he wrote on his papers would not go to the front. His prior documents were destroyed. When he made new docs he said he was 5 years older than he was. Issac was sent to Stalingrad. He became a “magaziner,” the clerk manager who distrib- utes goods to different factories. He got a leave of absence to go home. It was for 10 days. This was the most one could get. The ride back and forth took more than ten days because transpor- tation was poor. He was home for 3 days with his wife and child walking on the street when he was asked for his identification and arrest- ed. The punishment would be 8 years in jail. He was brought to the NKVD for punishment. Rose was friends with the head of the NKVD. She invited him to a party with baked duck, liqueur, and vodka. During the party, she asked if her husband could sleep at home and then return the next morning. It was granted. That night the three of them escaped to Rovnah and got on a train to Chelem. At one point they got off the train to rest and a squadron of German troops bombed it. The main battlefront was in Warsaw. Issac and family stayed in Chelem for six months and then moved to Łódź.
186
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease