Testimony of Sonia (Binstok) Elster, born in Chelm, Poland, 1921, regarding her experiences in Chelm, Luboml, Siberia, Kazakhstan and other places

Testimony of Sonia (Binstok) Elster, born in Chelm, Poland, 1921, regarding her experiences in Chelm, Luboml, Siberia, Kazakhstan and other places Her childhood in a traditional family; attends a Jewish elementary school; studies sewing. Outbreak of the war; air-raids; arrival of refugees; escape to the Soviet Union on the initiative of the Soviets; escape to the Soviet Union with a girl friend, at the request of her parents; move to Luboml; help to refugees; receives knowledge regarding the murder of Chelm Jews; move to Kowel, approximately one year later; refusal to receive Soviet citizenship; exile of refugees to Siberia; transfer to Asino; transfer by ship to a camp in a forest; camp life including receiving clothing and shoes from the authorities; forced labor logging in forests and labor in the distribution of food; uprising in the labor camps; liquidation and suppression of the uprising, and murder of the leaders; sexual exploitation by the camp leader; [receives] permission to leave Siberia, June 1941; move to Kazakhstan; life in Kazakhstan including typhus disease and the shortage of food; draft of her husband into the Red Army, 1943; life in a kolkhoz including the shortage of food. Move back to Poland, 1945; move to Austria; move to Germany; birth of twin daughters; aliya to Israel, 1949; life in Israel.