From Plaszow, you make your way first to Lvov and then to Kiev behind the Russian lines. You and your friends present yourselves to the authorities and tell them what you have done. They put you in a barracks and give you decent food, the first you have had in years. The thick potato soup and heavy black bread are almost too rich for you to digest. However, gradually you return to health.
You tell the Russian commander that you must fight the Nazis, burning to avenge your dead family. It would seem a small sacrifice to you if you were to die in battle, as long as you were able to have the satisfaction of killing Germans first.
As a Russian soldier, you advance westward across the Ukraine and into Poland. You participate in many battles and are awarded the Defense of the Fatherland medal for your bravery. You wear this decoration very proudly on your tunic; it is a symbol of the love you feel for your family. After the war, you settle in the city of Minsk where a Jewish orphanage has opened. You work with children, helping them make new lives without their parents. This important work makes you feel good, and you continue to work with children for the rest of your career.
END