I was born in the city of Łódź, Poland in 1924. My name is Anatoliy, but my birth certificate says something else. I had two brothers and a sister, both older than me. My father had a garden, and we would all help. 

   The War began when I was 14 years old. I was in the ghetto and I was part of the labor army. I remember there was a special part of my city for Jewish people that the germans pushed us into, there was many rules and we could not leave until 7am. All the Jewish people had a yellow star of David on their back and chest.  I remember thinking, how could the all mighty (god) let this happen.

   I was in the ghetto for around 8 or 9 months in 1939, after the Germans came to Poland. They took my entire family to work at the German headquarters, I cleaned toilets. I was beaten and kicked and screamed at. It was very difficult to leave Poland because it was very dangerous. I escaped by giving some cloth to a Polish person in return for a boat, to escape down a river. I was with my brother, and we first went to Ukraine and then took a train to Siberia. I wanted to be safe from the Nazis, otherwise they send me to die.    

   When I was in Siberia I was safe. No one even knew who the Jews were. My three sisters and my parents did not want to escape, they did not know the Germans were bad. They thought the Germans were good people. The Germans killed them all in the camps, it was only my brother and I. In Siberia I lived and worked in the city of Omsk. I worked at a factory with leather. I met my wife at a dance club, Polish people love to dance. Her name is Lyubov or for short Luba. 

    My brother stayed in Siberia till the late 1940s, but he then came to America. But, I moved to America in 1992 with my son and wife. America is much better. First of all I feel more safe, from the medicine side I have a home attendant and better doctors. I have everything. In America my son opened an Immigration Office, he helps people with their documents. I love to walk around, sleep, eat and read my newspaper. I used to box, but I still like it.