Testimony of Avraham Balag Bodenstein, born in Narol, Poland, 1928, regarding his experiences in Narol, in hiding in villages in Poland and in the Orel area and Tashkent

Testimony of Avraham Balag Bodenstein, born in Narol, Poland, 1928, regarding his experiences in Narol, in hiding in villages in Poland and in the Orel area and Tashkent Life before the war; witness learns in a "heder" and attends school; his sister makes aliya to Eretz Israel, 1935. German occupation; confiscation of food by Gestapo people with help from a rabbi; murder of Jews; escape and finds a hiding place in Polish villages; burning of Narol and desecration of synagogues; burning of a family member; Soviet occupation; escape on foot in the direction of the Bug River; escape on trains with other Jews under the supervision of the NKVD; escape in the direction of Siberia; outbreak of the war between Germany and the Soviet Union, June 1941; escape to the Orel area; life in Orel including work; his father is put on trial and punished; studies; escape to Tashkent; life in Tashkent; death of his father and mother from hunger; mass burial of corpses; establishment of branches of the JDC organization; witness is a candidate to join the "Teheran Children" along with his sister; placed in an orphanage; life in the orphanage including malaria disease; end of the war. Move to Warsaw; life in Warsaw including the relations with the Polish population; joins the Hanoar Hatzioni movement; move to Germany; move to Marseille; aliya to Israel on the "Providence" ship, 1948; reunion with his sister and brother; combat in the War of Independence.