Misha's story

Narrator: Misha Bachko in Russian
Writer: Ilya Magid
Editor: Attorney Steven Siegel

I, Misha Bachko, was born in 1922 in the town of Molovo in Poland, West Prussia, on the border with Germany. My family consisted of a grandfather, grandmother, father, mother and 8 children (3 brothers and 5 sisters) in 1939. I was 16 and was the middle brother. My older brother served in the Army, two older sisters were married.

Our town was not so big, but there were some synagogues. My relatives were religious people. The children studied in the heder, Jewish schools, and also in the Polish schools. My father had a small factory that made shoes, which he sold on at the hay-market.

In September 1939 Germany surprised Poland. Germany bombed our town. There was much distraction. Our house was on fire. On the third day after the beginning of the war Germany occupied our town. My father told us, "You should not be nervous, all will be well. I served in the German Army in 1914; they are good people."

Across from us there lived a wealthy Jew. He had a big mill. When it happened he ran away. He said, "That was bad for the Jews." My father suggested going to live in the null. The mill operated (the employee were Polish). There were old German soldiers on horses as guards. My father spoke the German language well. He was very educated. My father arranged with the German soldier his safe living plan. There were many basements on the premises with many exits. He promised to give us food and put a carpet on top of the entrance so nobody could guess that we lived there. The German said, "I don't agree with Hitler's politics, but the state is the state and there are laws. It is necessary to execute them."

The Germans ordered, "All Jews have to gather together on the street". Then they ordered them to be given money and jewels. If the Jews told anybody, they were killed on the spot. All Jews had to register. There was a Jewish holiday (New Year). All Jews were in the Synagogue. The Germans raided the synagogue, destroyed some things, but did not touch the Torah and then closed the synagogue.

Germany called the rabbi, "You will answer for each Jew." Each Jew was registered. The Rabbi had to designate workers each day for cleaning garbage and other jobs in the town: 500, 1000, then 2000 Jews each day. To recognize who was a Jew or not a Jew Germany ordered Jews to sew a Star of David on their clothing (on the breast and on the back).

I, Misha, did not tell that to anybody immediately, even the children. I didn't want to destroy their lives.

The German soldiers left the town to continue the war on the towns of Lomja, Belostok, etc. The Polish soldiers strongly resisted the Germans. In our town Germany created a camp for prisoners. My older brother was wounded and moved to that camp. We tried to give him some food. Later all prisoners moved to another place. Nobody knew about my brother.

We worked for the Germans for free; they did not provide us with food. That lasted four months. Then people began to disperse. The Germans ordered 2,000 Jews to report for work but there were only 1,500. The Germans called the Rabbi, grabbing him by the beard, "Why don't you have people, you are responsible, you will be killed". The Jews tried to move to polish territories controlled by the Red Army (There was the secret agreement between the Germans and the Soviet Union about Poland. They divided Poland between themselves). Father said, "It is necessary to put up with the Germans, as the Germans are everywhere". Two sisters with their husbands decided to run. I said that I wanted to run with them. Our group was 5 people. At home, there remained relatives, two younger sisters and a younger brother.

We ran away taking off the Star of David from our clothing. With help of people we reached the town of Ostolenko. We came together with 50 people from different places. Suddenly German soldiers with automatic weapons surrounded us, "Where are you going? Are you communist? You will hear you about this". They ordered all to undress (together men and women), and beat us. (They broke my finger, you can see. It is still bad.) They stole everything. It was 5-6 PM. The German said, "You are hungry? We will feed you." They drove us to the village (houses with garden). They went to the polish people. They divided the group into small groups of 5-7 people. They ordered the polish people, "Feed that group. If they are not happy, you will be killed." The Germans did not like the polish people, but did not dislike them as much as the Jews.

Then the Germans led us to the river Visla (1.5 kilometers from the village). There were ferries with Poles on the boats. That was December. The river was covered with thin ice. The Germans said to the poles, "Put 4-5 people in each boat, drown them and return for the next group after 30-40 minutes." But the poles did not execute the order; they transported all the Jews across the river. (Then they would capsize the boats to loch the Jews drowned.) They did not harm anyone but said that if somebody had a watch he should give it to them. After some time all fifty people were surrounded by soldiers of the red army on the horses (may be Cossacks or Tadziks). Our new life began.

They took us to a dwelling nearby. They told us to rest and brought us tea. They began to call us one at a time to the office. They said, "You could answer us in Yiddish or Polish". (There were Jewish officers.) After questioning, a Jewish officer told us a story, "In the Soviet Union there is some towns, where there are many drunkards, beggars, etc. We could arrest them for 15 days. They are not afraid of us. We had to feed them. But we put them on the train, moved them to another area and militiamen reported to their leader, 'We did not already have a problem with them.' We will treat you the same. The next leader will tell you have to do." They directed us to move. We went. Next stop, the soldier commanded, "Stay! Who goes?" Some one said to him, "We are 'refuseniks'." Then there was an answer, "I don't see you, you did not see me. Go ahead!" We went as far as the last post.

Going further would be dangerous. Soldiers stopped a polish horse with a wagon, put maybe 5 Jews into the wagon and then covered them with straw. The soldiers told them, "The leaders will tell you what you have to do". That was a neutral zone. The soldiers said, "We did not have orders to leave the 'refuseniks', but we will give you direction for moving". We had to go to a designated place (Lomja). There was a small railway station, where the train would arrive once a day. We did not have to pay for the ticket. Whoever could not fit onto the train had to wait for the next day's train.

As a result, our sister and her husband were lost. The husband of the second sister died on the road.

My sister and I sat in the train and arrived in the town of Belostok. When we arrived, there were not fifty people but thousands of people. What will we do? Better to have died. There were Jews and Poles (maybe 5 Poles to 100 Jews). Many military kitchens stayed on the street. Hundreds of people stayed in the line to have dinner. The owners of Belostok's apartments were not bosses over their own apartments. They had to take orders from the military. At first we had one apartment for one night. On the next night the military gave us another apartment. In America I live in a studio (for only one person). At night in Belostok there was a similar apartment with 30-40 people (all the time we were sitting up during the night.) All synagogues and schools were filled by 'refuseniks'.

The military organized lists numbered 10, 15, etc. We had to check in on the list. People from each list were sent to different places. Nobody knew what the real place was. My sister and I checked the list which had a destination of the city of Perm (Molotov), near Urals. Other lists were directed to Siberia (mines 50-60 C*), Middle East, etc.

We rode on the train that normally carried animals. The trip lasted 15 days. The government fed us for free and gave us boiling water on station. When we approached the city of Perm they disclosed our place of destination. That was Zakamsk, the district center. They told us, "You would be met with orchestra". The train stopped at the railway station. The orchestra really met us. There was a table at the station. A short fat an officer stayed at the table and made a speech in Polish, "Dear friend, you arrived in the Soviet Union. Nowhere does such country really exist. Here, you are not Jews, but Byelorussian. We gave you apartments and jobs. You and your children will receive a free education. We knew that before parade of May 1 (big holiday in the Soviet Union) the polish Government sent the communists to prison, so they did not take part in the parade." Some Jews did not understand anything about communists. Then an officer asked, "Who are communists?" 20-30 % of the people raised our hands. Officer celebrated them. There were many speakers. It continued for about 2 hours.

Then they sent some open auto truck to take us to the bathhouse. It was January and it was very cold. After the bathhouse the relatives were united. They gave us new clothing from storage and threw out our old clothing. Then they drove us to the big new brick house which was in the forest. There was no path to that house, because all was covered with snow. They settled all the people: some lived alone in one room; some lived two in a room. There was a store where people obtained clothing and food free. Near the shop there also were some local residents who wanted to receive illegally the same products. The shops of residents were empty. They could not buy any clothes; they had not seen any sugar for many years, etc. The residents tried to give money to the Jews to buy goods for them but the Jews were afraid to do that and to keep the excess money for themselves. After a week they bought out every thing in the shop.

After 15 days we had to go to work. They gave us cotton, quilted jerseys and pants; they did not have felt boots and warm mufflers. We had to go to the river Kama. It was necessary to remove lumber from the river to use to make fabric. Many people had frozen minds. After some days they told us, "We had to use you for your specialty". There were tailors, shoemakers, barbers, carpenters, etc. I was in a panic. In Poland I went to my father's factory where he produced shoes. They used wooden nails. I used sand paper to polish the soles. I was not a shoemaker. After me in line there was a Jew. He said, "Do not be afraid, I know everything and I will help you". That Jew really helped me. The Russian chief of the workshop Gamasov, pitied me and helped me also. We could buy all in our special shop.

Some Jews did not like to live in the Soviet Union. They wanted to return back to the city of Belostok. There Poles organized a list. But the Government sent them on a prisoner train with a guard to Siberia. The same situation occurred in Belostok before. Other Jews had no experience with Germans; they wanted to return home. But the military also sent them on prisoner trains with a guard to Siberia.

My sister received information that the husband of our sister lived in the town of Bobruisk (Byelorussia). His wife was lost on the road. We decided that I had to meet with her husband. A year had passed. I could go on a vacation usually lasted 14 days, but in special conditions (north) they allowed 28 days. My-brother in- law worked as a show master in Bobruisk. I lived with him only two weeks. Then the beginning of the war was announcement. Germany attacked the Soviet Union. All persons were mobilized in the army. They ordered, 'Dig trenches for protection against the German tanks." Germany went to other places. They were already passed the town of Babruisk. The military said, "You are free, run to the station." At that time I lost my brother-in-law. The last train departed from Bobruisk. They took only children. I hung onto the running-board of the train. Finally we arrived at the town of Orenburg (Chkalow). They drove us to a 'kolhoz' (collective farm) and unloaded all echelon there. There was no place for the people to sleep. They said, "Those who had relatives could go to them", I explained my situation; they gave me ticket to the town of Perm. After two days when I arrived in Perm I received the order to enter the army. I was mobilized in the labor's army. The government did not believe a person as I from the west. There organized a big trust. The leader of the trust said us, "Perm was announced as the regime's town".

As Perm was the regime's town, my sister had no permission to live there. The Government did no give her registration in that town. We decided that my sister would drive to the city of Tashkent. When she arrived there it also did not give her registration (regime's city). Somebody gave the advice, "Drive to the district center Sirdarja." There she enrolled as a storekeeper. They gave her rotten potatoes. At the time of the war I continued to work as a shoemaker. We repaired felt boots. Sometimes officers begged me to make officer's boots for baksheesh. I was attached to the dining room where the leaders ate. At the time of the war I did not have a problem with eating.

After the war in the town of Molotov (Perm) there formed a train for repatriation of polish citizens in the homeland. The Committee 'Polish Union of Patriots' provided us appropriate documents. My sister did not have the possibility to move from their region from the town of Sirdarja. She did not have money. I decided to move. In the town of Dnepropetrovsk the train had a regular stop. The leader announced, "The stop would be for 10 hours". We went into the town. A normal stop would be for only 2 hours. Some other persons and I returned to the train but found that the train had left earlier. The stragglers received temporary passports. I stayed to work in Dnepropetrovsk, on a show master. I married. In 1947, Ukraine had a serious famine. They provided only 100 grams of bread for each person. I wonted to go to my sister in the town of Sirdarja (Middle Asia). I prepared a purse of money for my sister so she could visit the Polish embassy in Moscow to receive permission to drive to Poland. In Poland my sister married. To go to Israel there was no problem; Israel's embassy brought them to Israel free.

Before my sister arrived in Israel she visited the town of Mokovo, Poland. She had to receive her metrics (birth certificate). She learned about our grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, two younger sisters and a brother. They all were killed among others. They dug their own grave.

Many Soviet citizens tried to leave the Soviet Union. Officially it was impossible. Such Soviet citizens tried to produce documents, so as to show that they are Polish citizens. (Very often they were Hasidim.) When Government discovered them, they went to the prison and exiled in Siberia. A Polish citizen, who was in the prison, did not promise to return to Poland
Now my sister and her family live in Israel.
I continue to live in the Soviet Union. I had a son and two daughters. Then my son married and immigrated to America to the city of Atlanta. He invited us to immigrate to Atlanta in 1995. My wife died in Atlanta in 1996. I drove with my daughter to Boston and we live in subsidized buildings. I have 5 grandchildren.

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