Esther Feldman Icikson - October 23 & 29, November 5 & 12, 2001
Asino
Asino.
Yeah, Asino.
In Siberia.
In Siberia. Asino.
That's not going to be on this map. I should have brought others.
Yeah, and it's, it's on the river Chulym. And there is a river like this because I know my son found it on the map.
Chulym.
Chulym, yeah.
Can you spell Asino?
I don't know, Asino, I don't how to spell it.
Asino?
Asino.
We'll find it.
Yeah, that's where we wound up. And from there, they put us on a boat.
What kind of boat?
I don't know.
A ferry boat.
Something like it. I don't remember the ride at all, interesting enough. I do not remember. And we had to be there a few days, because it took us two weeks to go back. So we had to be a few days on that boat. I do not remember it at all. It's like it never happened.
Back where?
When we came out of Siberia.
Oh, I see.
Yeah.
So your father couldn't get you back to Poland.
No, no. That was it. I mean once... You see, how the Russians found out that we are planning to go back. We weren't the only one. More Jews wanted to go back. I do not know, I don't think my father knew. That, they just came one night, they knocked on the doors and they said, "Let's go."
At what point--I'm jumping ahead now--was there a point at which you realized that the Soviets not letting you go back to Chelm probably saved your life?
Uh, I don't think we knew that until we didn't come back to Poland after the war. I don't think we knew that.
Okay, so you're now en route to...
We're en route to, we don't know where.
But it's cold.
It's very cold and it's getting colder and colder. And after we traveled, maybe after a week, everything is covered with snow like you've never seen anything like it. Uh.
I'm wondering if this uh, you took a wagon, right?
No, no. A train.
But before that you took a wagon across the Bug.
The Bug, yes, from Chelm.
And them from Chelm you wound up in this--in, in Asino.
Asino. That's in Siberia.
Oh, so you wound up in Asino in Siberia.
Yes.
But you don't know the name of the town you were at with your uncle.
No, I don't.
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