Tatiana Tilipman and her family

This is me and my family. Sittihg from left to right: my sister Ida Mostovaya, my mother Hana Krupnik, Ida's son Marcus, my father Srul Krupnik and me, Tatiana Tilipman. Standing from left to right: Ida's husband Petia Mostovoy, Ida's daughter Raya, my husband Semyon Tilipman. A photo of my brother Iosif Krupnik was inserted between Ida's husband and daughter. This photo was taken in Turkestan in 1945, in September when my husband came on a short leave to Turkestan.

During Great Patriotic War I, my parents, my brother Iosif, his wife Polina, my sister Ida and her family evacuated to Turkestan station in Northern Kazakhstan. We worked in the kolkhoz in 5-7 km from the town. In 1943 I was sent to work in an outpatient clinic in Turkestan. I received an apartment near the clinic. I was involved in liquidation of epidemics such as typhus and dysentery. Our main task was their sanitary treatment since there was lack of medications. As soon as I managed to handle typhoid my patients fell ill with dysentery. My patients were sleeping on straw and once when I bent to examine a patient I saw a louse on my robe. I told the nurse to put down the beginning of the incubation period. I fell ill with typhus and had to stay in clinic. Once my father came to visit me, but they didn't let him in. He heard in the receptionist office that a doctor died. He was terrified thinking it was me, but it was my colleague who died. I survived.

In Turkestan my father prayed every day. Buchara Jews and one Polish Jews were his friends. We made a shower cabin made from branches with a barrel on top of it in Turkestan. During Sukkoth we removed the barrel and we had dinners there through 8 days of the holiday. During Chanukkah my father made us makeshift lamps from potatoes, cotton oil and a wick.

My husband Semyon Tilipman was mobilized on the first day of the war. He served in a communication regiment, at first in the 29th army and then in first Tank army. He took part in combat action near Moscow and then in Kursk battle, with this Tank army he took part in the liberation of Kiev and Warsaw. At the end of the war he was in Berlin. Semyon was awarded a Red Star Order and four medals. After the war he stayed to serve in Radebeul, Germany.

I worked in Turkestan until 1945. When Minsk was liberated I wrote a letter to my college. I wrote that I was a 4-year student and requested a permit to continue my studies. They sent me such permit. In September my husband came on a short leave to Turkestan. In late September we took a train from Turkestan to Minsk. I stayed in Minsk and my husband went back to Radebeul near Dresden.