Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Esfir Lupyan - December 17, 2007

So, even, even I remember it was they make a... they make a one--very interesting person--he had ??? by return. You know, by return?

Mm-hm.

He sing songs and if you know this uh, very famous, very famous song, uh ??? that means why my country, my native country is the best. This is very famous. It's like, like an America... God Bless America song, like that. So, he performed this uh, song--very famous--first time and he said, "For me, it's no different where to sing songs. In this country or this country, I have good voice." So, that was reason to send him up north and they... For years, in the north. That time was terrible time. So many, many people were on, in ??? That was terrible with the uh, the most uh, business it was coal. Coal.

Coal?

Coal, yeah.

So, your father was a coalminer?

Yes. They don't know what to do else, you know, they should provide, so they go underground and work this coal. That coal they sent to uh, St. Petersburg, somewhere in Leningrad. Like uh, like uh, fuel. Fuel.

Fuel, mm-hm.

Fuel, yes.

So, so, the whole family was brought to this... to the north?

Uh, my... Who, my family?

Did you and your mother also follow your father to...

Uh, mother and me come to him only afterward, but whole ghetto, mom with family were in ghetto with me.