Testimony of Zvi Edelstein, born in Radauti, Romania, 1923, regarding his experiences on the Dniester River, in forests, Shumilov, Balta, Varvarovka, in the Red Army and other places

Testimony of Zvi Edelstein, born in Radauti, Romania, 1923, regarding his experiences on the Dniester River, in forests, Shumilov, Balta, Varvarovka, in the Red Army and other places Life in Vicovul de Jos before the war; learns in a heder; work in the store owned by his parents. Antisemitism including the murder of his mother and sister by Romanian soldiers, 03 July 1940; activities in the Bnei Akiva movement in Radauti; forced labor; deportation by train until the Dniester River, August 1942; life along the Dniester River including examination of the deportees' belongings; transfer on foot in forests until Shumilov, near the Bug River; life in Shumilov including life in horse stables; typhus disease; transfer to labor in Balta, 1942; camp life in a Romanian camp; escape; transfer to Varvarovka; camp life in a German camp including labor building a bridge on the Bug River that had been destroyed; transfer to Slovakia; camp life including labor building barracks for Jews; release from the camp due to health reasons; liberation by the Red Army in Shumilov, spring 1944; volunteers for the Red Army, summer 1944; life in a Sovkhoz including work as a guard and in digging; receives the "Stachnovitz" citation for excellence at work; transfer to the front in Jassy; release from the military; return to the Sovkhoz; requirement to appear to the draft board office in Vinnitsa, an additional time; move from the Sovkhoz after receiving a permit, in exchange for money; desertion from the military. Move to Briceni; life in Briceni including activities in the context of an underground group of the Zionist parties; move to Bucharest; move via Hungary, Austria and Italy as the head of a group in the context of Aliya Bet; illegal aliya attempt to Eretz Israel on the "Four Liberties" ship; detention in Cyprus; aliya to Israel.