Naum Poliak’s younger brother Lev Poliak

My younger brother Lev Poliak wearing the pioneer red scarf. This picture was made in Fastov around 1936.

My mother wanted a daughter. In 1925 she had another child - my younger brother Lyova.

I went to Novosibirsk and entered this Institute without any problems. I also called my younger brother to come there and he also entered this Institute. Lyova was born on 1 January 1926, but my father registered his birthday on 31 December 1925. This one day cost a life for my brother. In 1942 they recruited soldiers from our Institute and they took Lyova to the army, because he was officially born in 1925.

My younger brother Lyova was recruited to the army from Novosibirsk Railroad Transportation Institute. He was summoned to Moscow reserve regiment. He was under 17 and all commanders treated him nicely. But there were soldiers that ridiculed him. They said that he was not sent to the front because of his Jewish nationality and that he managed to have things turn out his way like all other Jews. Lyova couldn't stand this. He submitted his application to be sent to the front three times. At last they sent him to the front in the vicinity of Kaliningrad. This was in the summer of 1944. On 15 November 1944 my mother had a terrible dream as if something had happened to Lyova. It turned our that a few days before Lyova had been severely wounded, his right leg was smashed. They performed a surgery there and transported him to a hospital in the vicinity of Moscow. On the way gangrene started and he died in Moscow on 15 November. My mother sensed it on this day being a thousand kilometers away.