Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive

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Nathan Weiselman - January 1, 1985

??? is coal.

Yes.

??? mine, mine. So we actually volunteer but it's not since we have going down the ??? for us, it's not nice for the party, the Communistic party, to say no. They said they needed people so we volunteer. And then it's why we are here. Then we talk to the farther, we got comradeship with them, and they say for the reason this is not the first time we volunteer, it was before the war that we volunteer, to, to other coalmines and other construction companies. We been to more places. For the reason one time was explained and it came one from the ??? for the Communistic party. And they say the reason for getting volunteers to work over there in remote places in very rough conditions ???. You are working in very high positions, some are working, you know, for, 'cause some for the peasants, and some working for transportation, and some working for, you know, farm, probably, and some for groceries, and some for shoe factories. And they have a very, very, very proud reputation ???. What is the custom over there in the Soviet Union, the people, even though even they working in such high positions but the many thing they cannot get on the open market, even for money. And sometime if even they have the money but it's so expensive that they cannot afford. So they exchanging one friend to the 'nother, one is in a factory from produce, the other is in a factory from vodka. So one gives the other a few bottles of vodka, the other give him produce.

Mm-hm.

And they exchange. So for, this is a custom of the, of exchanging that's been for one uh, big shot with the other, that they can live in highest ???. So this is the political view the Communistic party. Let me explain. You going to go over there and you going to work in the coalmines for, for us ??? and you going to see the condition. I bet you that you're going to go come back, you not going to deal with this dirty tricks because no matter how we going to explain you, comrade, how it is in the coalmines to work, you wouldn't have ever belief, 'til you're going, it's going to prove that you going to ???.

This was for Russians, you said?

Yeah, Russians.

Russians. So, it was forced.

Yeah.

Obligated.

So that's why they have so that called, that system called volunteers.

Yes.

That the people would come back to their regular city, you think they would know before they going to commit some kind of little things, crime against the government, crimes against the people...

Yes.

They think twice not to do it.