Recovering The Past Final Paper

Researching the Roots

English 235

Abstract: Chaim Rimsky and his family tried to emigrate from Leningrad, Soviet Union to Israel, but were denied. Chaim and his family fought really hard and for many years to get their exit visas. They eventually were able to leave the Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States in 1973. The Rimsky family had to leave the Soviet Union because they were being persecuted and seen as traitors. They lost their jobs, their social status, arrested for social parasitism, and experienced antiSemitism. The Rimsky family feared for their lives, their safety and their well being. In spite of all that they endured, they educated themselves, found good jobs, married and lived full rich lives both in the Soviet Union and in the U.S.

Chaim Rimsky was born in Kiev, Ukraine. He says that this was a wonderful and very green city, which suffered much destruction during the war and was restored after. Chaim lived on Kreshatik Street (a very prestigious area of Kiev). He talks about his native city with love in his voice, describing the city's streets and buildings. The building his family lived in belonged to some countess before the revolution. The front of the house looked out onto Kreshatik Street. The building had four stories. On the 2nd floor of the building, there was a hair salon on one side, and nice apartments on the other side. There was a livable basement as well, that was the location of a brothel. I remember before the revolution, there was a small orphanage next to it, upon which there hung a sign saying No Jews or Poor People Allowed, he recalls with a smile. The access-way into the building was very pretty and had a hand-made iron-cast gate. Later, after the revolution, the building became the property of the Artists Union, but Chaims family didnt have to move. They were allowed to stay there because Chaims aunt was a member of this Union.

As a child, Chaim was fascinated by the process of inventing. He loved to experiment with objects and made his first invention when he was just 6 years old. It was a boat that could move on both water and land. Chaims work was shown at

the Kiev Exhibition of Childrens Creative Works. Then Chaim took on magnets and energy: "A friend and I wanted to invent a magnet." He smiles and makes a side note: You know, when you dont know much about a subject, then its easy to invent whatever you want.

Chaim recalls that his parents celebrated all Jewish holidays. He says that the inhabitants of his apartment building belonged to different cultural traditions and that everybody would celebrate all of the holidays together. For example, Chaims family would buy decorated Easter eggs and kulichi (Easter bread) from their neighbors. The family would go to Chaims uncle's house for the High holidays because that uncle was a rabbi. At the uncle's house they celebrated in accordance with all traditions and even sang songs. Chaim smiles as he remembers that Passover was his favorite holiday. Later, he married a Jewish woman whose family was also religious, but in their own family life they kept with only the most basic of customs.

Chaim has two degrees: one from the Leningrad Military School (specializing in tanks) and the other from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (a very prestigious university in the USSR). I had a pretty good job, says Chaim humbly, "I even had my own car". He was the head constructor and then the director of the Technical Department in the Ministry of Transport. He was in

charge of developing car diagnostic tools and maintenance requirements.

In addition to this job, Chaim continued working on his inventions and created many interesting things. He explains that in the USSR there were two ways to register an invention: inventors certificates and patents. Unfortunately, patents were not given out liberally. Chaim has only one patented invention, but more than forty inventors certificates. He managed to bring 40 of these certificates (which had been published in the USSR) to Israel and then to America when he emigrated.

Chaim has also been awarded medals for his inventions. At the time of the Soviet Union, there were yearly general-purpose trade shows hosted at the Exhibition of National Economic Achievements in Moscow. Chaim received a gold medal, a silver medal, and five bronze medals at these highly prestigious trade shows.

My wifes name was Betty. She was from a very religious Jewish family, explains Chaim with a twinkle in his eye. "Her parents lived in Kiev in a Jewish neighborhood of Podol. Her father was a handy man: he made all of the harnessing for horses and was a phenomenal glasscutter - he made windows for home and for display. He was a very hard-working man."

Betty had a legal degree and after college came to work to the place where Chaim was already working. You see, our love story is not simple, explains Chaim. Betty's first love was Chaim's brother; she married him right before the war broke out. Her husband, Chaim's brother, was drafted, fought heroically at the front rising to the ranks of a platoon leader. He was a tank commander and died when his tank was hit by the Nazi artillery, having burned to death.

At the start of the war, Chaim was an engineer and was not drafted. Instead, he fought the Nazis at "the labor front", as it was called in the Soviet Union. His job was to work on improving the existing and developing new artillery weapons. He and his family were evacuated by the Soviet government to the East. Betty evacuated with Chaim's family as its member.

When her husband was killed, Betty stayed with Chaims family. Chaim and Betty became great friends, and Chaim supported her for a very long time after his brothers death. "And then we had a daughter together," says Chaim as if still ashamed for their love. The couple registered their marriage only in 1956. There was no large or formal wedding, but Chaim and Betty celebrated their marriage with a close circle of family and friends. Bettys parents were never opposed to her second marriage, as they knew Chaims family well. They named their daughter Elena.

When Elenas husband decided to try to immigrate to America (for religious freedom as well as better life opportunities), Elena followed him and soon arranged for the emigration of the now widowed Chaim and the few remaining members of her family that were still alive.

It is interesting that Chaim started writing poetry well into his older years about immigration and his experiences. He has a collection of poems, which he keeps in his room. Some of them are about the war. Other poems are about love and are dedicated to his late wife, Betty. They are lovely poems and it was a pleasure to read them all.