Across the Pond is Freedom

The Diary of Valentina Maria

Zolnerowich
Achinsk, Russia - 1913-1916

PART ONE
*************************************
Achinsk, Russia
November 1913 - January 1914

November 26, 1913

Wednesday
I found a journal in the attic a couple of
days ago. I asked Mama about it, and she
said that it had been given to her when she
went away to University in Moscow, in 1882.
She wasnt allowed to go though because of
the May Laws enacted on the Jews. It was a
discriminatory (Luka taught me that word)
law that established quotas on how many
Jews could attend University in Moscow (3%).
Mama applied for University just after the
quota limit was reached, so her application
was immediately declined. She didnt want
the journal anymore, because it reminded
her of a place she had dreamed of going to,
but now she never could. I think that Baba
put it in her Safe Box anyways. Mama said I
could have it. She became a little bit sad
when she saw it, and she admired the cover
(which she said that her own mama -my
babushka- made it for her) before handing it
to me. The journal is beautiful- it is a deep
red colour with a red and green rose on the
front, and white stitch trimming on the
edges. It has never been used, and it carries

around the musty attic smell, which I like

because it calms me down. Lukas calling me
to help with the cows, and I need to collect
the eggs afterwards. Id better go, Mama
scares me when she gets angry.
Valentina
November 27, 1913
Thursday
I was milking the cow when Nikolai, my seven
year old brother, came running up the path,
exhausted from the walk to the bakery. He
should have known not to run, but Nikolai
doesn't really think about things before
doing them.
Nikolai. I scolded, You know you shouldn't
run, you wear yourself out too quickly. I
quickly wetted a rag and wiped his grimy,
sweaty face, in an attempt to lessen the
redness. Hurry up and put the bread on the
table- then come outside- Papa made a list
of chores for us to do.
After milking the cow and collecting eggs
from the henhouse, I helped Nikolai feed the
cattle and sheep, watching that he didnt
give them too much, since the entire bag of

feed had to last the winter. He can be such a

handful- he rarely listens to anyone, except
Luka and Papa.
Valentina
November 28, 1913
Friday
Papa came home from work early today,
since there had been fewer customers than
usual. Papa works as a carpenter, and Mama
used to be a schoolteacher in Achinsk. Now,
she takes care of the house and the animals
when the rest of us are away either working
or at school.
There are four of us children. Miriam is the
oldest, and she is 17. She is one of the four
midwives in our village. Shes away right now
helping a woman in another village deliver
her baby. Luka, who is 15, was just
apprenticed to the blacksmith a few months
ago. He graduated from school two years
ago, and used to be the cobblers apprentice,
but Mr. Nikalyova, the cobbler, died this
spring. We have a new cobbler now, but he
didn't want an apprentice, so he let Luka go.
Then theres me and Nikolai. Since Nikolai is

seven and I am twelve, we both still go to

school at the Primary School in the middle of
the village.
I have to go now; Papa is calling me for
dinner.
Valentina
November 30, 1913
Sunday
Miriam came home last night. The baby was a
boy, but he was small and didn't cry until she
spanked him. Miriam is going to go back to
check on the baby tomorrow afternoon- she
says that shes worried about him. The
babys mama is only a year older than
Miriam. Apparently the father ran away, so
its just the baby and the mama and
grandma. What a foolish thing to do- having
a baby and then just abandoning them like
that. I think the father is a coward. I hope
the baby will make it. I told Miriam so, and
she was surprised that I was interested in
the baby. I said that it was because it was
all alone with no father, but she thought it
was because I wanted to be a Midwife, like
her. I dont. Theres too much blood, and

being a Midwife is gross. Besides- Ive heard

that some women die when having their
babies, and sometimes, the babies die too. I
know that if I were the Midwife in that
situation, I would feel so responsible. I hope
that never happens to Miriam.
I just came back from school and I have
homework to do, so I should probably go do
it.
Valentina
December 2, 1913
Tuesday
The school and all the shops were closed
today because of the heavy snow. Since the
blacksmith shop was closed, Luka built a
snowman with Nikolai. Apparently, they were
trying to make the snowman look like me, but
they didnt do a very good job, since I didn't
know what it was until after they told me.
Valentina
December 4, 1913
Thursday
During class today, Ms. Palova taught us
about the history of Russia and also about

the Romanov family. The Romanovs have

been in power for almost 500 years - since
the 1400s.
We also learned a little bit about Achinsk, as
well as our small village, Ithiel. Our village is
just on the outskirts of Achinsk, and 905
people live here. Everybody in Ithiel is Jewish,
and 85% of the people in Achinsk are either
Catholic or Russian Orthodox.
Mama came in and said I have to go wash
the dishes.
Valentina
December 5, 1913
Friday
Today is Nikolais birthday. Mama baked a
cake for him with the last of our sugar and
butter, so I will have some new chores to do
tomorrow. Papa took Nikolai fishing over at
the lake, and we have fish for dinner tonight
and tomorrow- they caught eleven!! Luka
took Nikolai with him to the blacksmiths to
help him, but Nikolai got burned a tiny bit on
his finger- but from the ruckus he made, it
sounded like Nikolai fell into the furnace!! To
make him feel better, Miriam offered to take

him along when she went to deliver Mrs.

Alkaevas baby, but unsurprisingly, he said
no. Mama laughed.
Valentina
December 6, 1913
Saturday
Hanukkah starts tonight, so we are all going
to church earlier than usual, just to pray
that Hanukkah will bring good omens and
blessings for the upcoming year.
Valentina
December 7, 1913
Sunday
Papa made us a new dreidel! He carved it
from the leftover wood he had after making
a cradle for Mrs. Alkaevas new baby. He
gave it to us after dinner, and it spun better
than all the other ones we had. Since Luka
was the oldest boy, it was his turn to light
the first candle on the Menorah. We have
had the same Menorah since Miriam was
born- Papa gave it to Mama on their first
wedding anniversary.
Valentina

December 8, 1914
Monday
Luka helped me with my math again. Im
learning addition and subtraction with
fractional numbers. I dont know why, but I
just don't understand it. Its so frustrating!
Valentina
December 12, 1913
Friday
Papa says it's getting colder, and we have to
stock the barn with enough feed to last the
winter. Nikolai keeps giving the animals more
feed than necessary, so Papa gave Luka the
job for the winter, since he was afraid we
would run out before the beginning of
January.
Valentina
December 14, 1913
Sunday
Papas messenger boy, Daniel, is coming over
for dinner tonight. Daniels father is over in
another village searching for work, since his
last job didn't have enough customers to

keep it going. Daniels mama, Rebecca, is

going to have a baby in a month or two, and
Miriam talked with Mrs. Shapiro all through
dinner last time Daniels family came over.
Daniel is the same age as Miriam, 17, and he
and Luka have known each other for a really
long time. Daniels little brother, Demyan, is
6 years old, and hes spoiled rotten.
Luka was the one who got the job for Daniel.
Luka came home one night after work and
mentioned over dinner how Aaron Shapiros
cobbler shop had closed down, and he was
now looking for a new one in Achinsk. Since
Papa knew the Shapiro family, he offered
Daniel a job as the carpenters messenger
boy, just so that the family would have a
source of income while Aaron was looking
for a job. Daniels job is to bring finished
products to customers houses, and
sometimes Luka helps him, if the pieces are
too big for one person to handle. That way,
Papa can stay full-time at the carpenters
shop, without leaving so frequently. I have to
go now- Daniel just arrived.
Valentina

December 17, 1913

Wednesday
It was Nikolai's job today to take the cows
to the pasture outside the village. Nikolai
was gone for over two hours, and Mama
sent me to go look for him, because she was
worried something might have happened to
him. I went over to the pasture, and I found
him sleeping under one of the trees! Sleeping
next to him was one of his friends from
school- Asa Berkovitch, who is the Bakers
son.
Mama gave him quite a scolding for his
carelessness when we got home, and Luka
took Asa home, where I expect he got a
scolding as well.
What if a wolf had come and eaten one of
the cows? What if the cows had run off?
What if one of the calves had gotten lost or
trampled? Mama kept bombarding Nikolai
with questions, and by the time Luka came
back, she had reduced Nikolai to tears. Papa
had to belt Nikolai for his carelessness.
That was an hour ago- Nikolai still hasnt
come downstairs.

Valentina
December 21, 1913
Sunday
Ori Iliescu, one of my friends who lives in
Achinsk, came running up the path leading
out of the village and said that a storm was
coming. I dont know how he knew, but Mama
believed him, so Nikolai and I had extra
chores to do today.
Luka took me to the market today, and
taught me how to set up a stall where we
could sell our remaining eggs, butter, and
milk from the animals. He says Im old
enough to do it myself, but I didn't think so,
so he showed me how to do it. Thats one of
the things I love about Luka- he doesn't
treat me like a child, but at the same time, if
he recognizes I can't do it yet, he helps me,
rather than just sitting around waiting for
me to figure it out. Papa and Miriam both do
that, and it drives me crazy. Luka told me to
put this away so we can look inviting and
polite to customers. Bye.

We have two different types of coin currency

(rubles and kopecks) and one paper currency
(also called rubles). 100 kopecks is equivalent
to one Ruble coin. 100 Ruble coins is
equivalent to one Paper Ruble. Almost all of
our transactions on market days are in
coins; you rarely see the exchange of any
paper money.
We sold a dozen eggs for ten kopecks each,
and two cans of milk for thirty eight
kopecks. Mama will be happy, since that is
more than we brought home last time.
Valentina
December 22, 1913
Monday
The storm Ori had foretold hit today. It was
one of the worst winter storms the village
had seen since last year. A few trees got
knocked down, but nothing drastic. Papa and
a couple of other men from the village are
helping clear the trees off of the road. One
of them crashed into market square, but no
houses were damaged.
Valentina

December 24, 1913

Wednesday
We had presentations in school today, and I
forgot to do mine. Yalla Hyrioda and
Sebastian Leonid forgot theirs too, and the
teacher made us stay in at lunchtime, and
write a paper on forgetfulness and how it is
a sin. I dont think it is a Sin, I just think its
a bad habit. I told her that one time, and she
hit my knuckles with a ruler. When I got
home, Papa asked my why my knuckles were
bright red, so I had to tell him what I had
said to the teacher. He belted me for being
disrespectful to the teacher, and he made
me write a letter of apology to her. That
was the first and last time I ever got belted.
Then, the next day, the teacher came to my
desk and showed me how many grammatical
and spelling errors were in my letter. I
wanted to smack her.
Valentina
December 25, 1913
Thursday
The firecrackers that the Achinsk villagers
set off today were really loud, and could be

heard for miles. It's Christmas today, and

most of the Achinsk villagers are Catholic
(including Ori), whereas Ithiel is an entirely
Jewish community. Jewish people dont
celebrate Christmas. Ori came over to invite
me to dinner at his house, and Mama and
Papa said I could, but I had to be home
before dark.
It's almost three, and Ori said he would be
here by now. I should probably come
downstairs to receive him- Mama would be
furious if he arrived and I was still upstairs.
Bye!
Valentina
December 27, 1913
Saturday
The dinner at Ori's house was amazing! They
had lamb, carrots, cheese, ham, bread, and
apple cider. I think Ori might have told his
parents about my religion- Im guessing they
might have asked their neighbor (hes
Jewish) about dietary laws and other stuff-,
since the meats were on one plate and the
cheese was on another. It was very
thoughtful of them, since most Catholic

families don't pay attention to Jewish

dietary laws. It was Oris job to buy the lamb
from the market, and he made sure he
bought one from a Kosher market, so that I
could still eat it. It was really nice of him.
Ori introduced me to his parents and
siblings. His parents, Malkijov and Veronica,
are really nice. He has two brothers, Alexei
and Josef, who are eighteen and sixteen, and
his sister, Marya, is eight. Ori is only a year
older than me, but is going to turn fourteen
in January. After dinner, it was still light
outside, so Ori took me on a walk outside to
show me the garden and he picked a flower
for me. It was so sweet of him, and around 7
o'clock he walked me home. Mama and Papa
were both very pleased to see that I wasnt
coming home by myself, and they told him
that he could come over anytime (as long as
is was still safe to).
Valentina
December 28, 1913
Sunday
Guess what? Today, while Mama was at the
market looking for some vegetables, the

baker offered me a post at the bakery! Since

I am not yet done with school, he said he
would keep the spot open for me until I
graduate in the springtime. Mama was
slightly disappointed, because she was
expecting I would be a midwife like Miriam,
but Papa said there were enough in this
village.
I don't really want to be a midwife anyways.
Valentina
January 1, 1913
Thursday
Today is New Year's Day, and if I'm not
mistaken, there'll be more fireworks in
Achinsk tonight. While he was at the market
today, Papa noted that the prices were
getting higher, but he said it was the Tsar's
fault- since it was costing more money to
harvest wheat. The price of fish, jam and
eggs is staying the same, at least for now,
but Papa doesn't know how long it will.
I was right. There were less fireworks than
last time in Achinsk, but they were still
there, and didn't stop until about 2 o'clock in
the morning.

Valentina
January 3, 1913
Saturday
We didn't do much today since it's the
Sabbath today. We just sat on the floor and
listened to Papa tell bible stories. My
favorite stories are about Noahs Ark and
Queen Esther.
Valentina
January 5, 1913
Monday
People in a nearby town, Stoborsky, were
also protesting the rising prices today, and
the Tsar's soldiers entered the town to stop
the riot.
It was stopped, and nobody got hurt, but not
before word got out about the revolt, and
now that's all people can talk about.
Valentina
January 6, 1913
Tuesday
Ori's got it all in his head that a revolt will
happen here, but we all know he's wrong. In

our 153 years since being founded, neither

Achinsk or Ithiel have ever experienced an
uprising of any kind. Ori's not so sure, and
he's not letting the subject drop until
everybody in the entire village has heard his
opinion on the matter. It's driving me crazy. I
hope hes wrong.
Valentina
January 7, 1913
Wednesday
Ori told me today that "Ori" wasn't his real
name, it was just a nickname. His real
name's 'Orion', after the constellation, and I
think it sound so heroic. Of course, he still
wants me to call him Ori, and that I'm the
only person outside the family to know this.
He doesn't want me telling anybody else.
Valentina
January 8, 1913
Thursday
More of the Tsars soldiers were stationed
at Gyar - there was another uprising there
over the same thing- bread. As long as the

prices keep rising, there will still be riots,

but I hope it will stop soon.
Valentina
January 11, 1913
Sunday
We set up our stall at the marketplace again
today. We sold less things than last time
though. Luka came with me again. He said we
had to raise the price of our bread from 10
kopecks to 14 kopecks per loaf.
Valentina
January 13, 1913
Tuesday
I sort of failed the math quiz today. Well, we
did it on Friday, but got back the results
today. There were at least four questions
that I made careless mistakes on, and Papa
was pretty mad about that. Luka too, since
he helped me study for it. I hate having Luka
mad at me. When he gets mad, he just goes
quiet- he doesn't yell or shout or anything- I
almost wish he would.

I have a science test on Wednesday, but

Miriam is better in that area than Luka, so
I'll ask her for help.
Valentina
January 14, 1913
Wednesday
I only got one question wrong on my science
test!! Miriam is thrilled! She's letting me
come see the puppet show tomorrow in
Achinsk. She was originally going with her
friends, but two of them couldn't go, so she's
taking me, as well as Eliza, her best friend,
and Hugo, one of her other friends. Mama
says that Miriam is strictly forbidden from
courting non-Jewish boys, but I have a
suspicion that Miriam and Hugo are. Hugo is
Catholic. Miriam swears that nothing is going
on between them, they're just friends, but
I'm not so sure. We're leaving now. More
later.
Valentina
January 15, 1913
Thursday

The puppet show was really fun! Neither of

Miriam's friends talked to me that much.
None of them know me at all, so it didnt
exactly surprise me. Eliza talked with me a
little bit, and Hugo chatted with Miriam the
entire time. I think I saw them holding
hands. Miriam made me promise not to tell
anybody about her and Hugo. She will get in
so much trouble if Mama and Papa find out.
Valentina
January 17, 1913
Saturday
It's my birthday today!! Nikolai drew a
picture for me, which was really cute of him.
His drawing skills are actually better than I
expected. Perhaps when he grows up, he
might become an artist. I suggested this
during dinner last night, but I don't think
Papa was very keen on the idea.
When I went to school today, Rebekah gave
me a birthday card she drew herself. Well- it
was a store bought card, but I think the
front was left blank on purpose. I really like
it, and I put it on my wall. It's the first
birthday card I've ever gotten from

someone. I really like it, since she drew it

herself.
Ori's birthday is on the 29th- so for twelve
days, he and I will be the same age. He didn't
find it very funny, but I did.
Valentina
January 18, 1913
Sunday
There was a fight in the marketplace today.
I think both the guys were drunk, since they
were both shouting things at each other
that nobody could understand. Luka told
Miriam and I not to watch, but I did anyways.
When Luka saw me still watching, he slapped
me. I think he was mad at me for disobeying
him. Miriam took me home while Luka cleaned
our stall. My face still stings, and Luka
hadn't even apologized yet.
Miriam just came into our room and told me
mama wants me downstairs. I hope Luka
didnt tell her anything.
Valentina
January 20, 1913
Monday

The riots in Gyar and Kotlas have gotten

even worse. The Tsar sent in more soldiers,
and some even had to use their guns in
order to stop a mob. Two people were killed
in Kotlas and that just made everything
worse. Mr. Penushkinov is the oldest man in
our village- his great-grandson was just
born three days ago. Anyways, he says that
if the Tsar doesn't get things under control,
more people will die, and soldiers will be
everywhere.
Valentina
January 25, 1913
Saturday
On Wednesday, The Tsar sent out a
declaration that ordered soldiers to be
placed in all of the rural towns in Russia. He
thinks that the smaller, outermost towns
will be the first ones to rebel against
Russia (thats what the declaration said).
The Trans-Siberian Railway that runs
through Achinsk unloaded its first shipment
of soldiers. They are now stationed in
Achinsk and in Ithiel. They are not very nice.
The soldiers make mean remarks to us, and

they talk about us as if we were cattle on

their farm. They arent very nice- one of
them slapped Papa when he accidentally
dropped a ladder on their foot. I wish they
would just go away.
Valentina
January 27, 1914
Tuesday
The prices of bread, milk, eggs, cheese,
butter, meat, and rice have skyrocketed
(that means theyve gone up really high).
Luckily for us, almost every single villager
has a cow or goat that will provide dairy for
milk, butter, and cheese, or a hen, which will
give them eggs. A lot of families, like ours,
have both. We could also butcher the animals
for meat, but no one is foolish enough to do
that- they are too important with the rising
prices. The rice is a different story though.
There is no animal in the world that
produces rice, and no one here farms rice.
Ive heard from Ori that you farm rice by
drowning it in a paddy. That doesn't sound
very fun, and besides, no one has enough
water or enough room to properly grow rice.

The only way we get rice is by buying it, but I

think most people are just going without it
for the time being, until the prices go down.
It has also gotten really hard to buy
mushrooms and onions, but thats okay,
because most people include onions in their
vegetable gardens. Onions are really popular
in many soups, including Tyurya, which is my
favorite. Tyurya is where you take bread and
onions and put it in a soup plate, and then
add water, and small amounts of butter and
salt to the mix. Its really good. Miriam just
came in and asked if I can help with dinner.
Valentina
January 29, 1914
Thursday
Today is Oris birthday. His brother came
over and invited me to their house for his
birthday party.
Ive never been to a birthday party before,
so I didn't realize that I needed to bring a
present. Everyone else did though, so I felt
foolish. I didnt know anybody at the party,
so I just sort of stood in the corner and
watched everybody play games until Alexei

came over and asked if I was okay. I told him

I was, and then I told him how I didnt know
anybody here, and how I didnt know that I
was supposed to bring Ori a present. I felt
horrible. Alexei said that it was okay, and
that being here was a present enough to Ori.
he left me alone after that, and I watched
the boys play games, until they started
playing Blind Mans Bluff, which is my
favorite game. I asked if I could join in, and
the boys were a little bit surprised to see me
(they probably didnt even know I was there),
but they let me play. I had a lot of fun, and
we played it until it was time for dinner. We
had lamb, cheese, apple cider, and mashed
potatoes. I couldnt eat any of it, because
the lamb wasnt kosher, and the cheese was
on the same plate as the lamb, but that was
okay. The apple cider was really good.
Malkijov, Oris father, noticed that I wasnt
eating anything and he asked me. I told him
why, and he apologized, and brought me
some different cheese, and a piece of bread
with jam on it. Some of the boys were
staring at me, and so I glared back at them
until they looked elsewhere. All of the boys

that Ori invited are Catholic, except for one

Jewish boy, who was having the same
problem as I was. Ori noticed, and he came
over and apologized for not remembering to
buy Kosher lamb. Hes so funny. He told me I
could eat all the dessert if I wanted. I told
him that I definitely would. His mother
brought out the dessert after she and Marya
cleared the dishes, and it turned out to be
is a baked case of thick dough
that has a filling, either savoury or sweet,
depending on what you wants the filling to
be. This one had
in it- which is a
thick jam with fruit. Ori chose strawberry
to be his filling, which doesnt
surprise me, because strawberries are his
favorite fruit. It was really good, and after
dessert, we played some more games until it
was time to open presents. It was nice
watching what other people brought him, but
I still felt bad that I forgot something.
Alexei came over to me and said that we
needed to leave, because my parents told
him they wanted me home before dark. I said
goodbye to Ori, thanked his mother for the
wonderful party, and left with Alexei. We

arrived at Ithiel just as the sun went down,

and Mama thanked Alexei for bringing me
home.
Valentina

March - April, 1914

March 5, 1914
Thursday
It is now impossible to go from Ithiel to
Achinsk without having a passport or form
of identification. That means that Miriam
cant see Hugo anymore, who lives in Achinsk
(his house is actually three houses away
from Oris). Shes really sad about that, and
shes corresponding with him secretly
through letters, which I think is making her
feel better. Im pretty sure the authorities
are going through the mail, but Im not going
to tell her that. Mama found out about
Miriam and Hugos relationship, and she flew
into a rage. Ive never seen her so angry
before. Hugo and Miriam are now forbidden
to see each other. It didnt take very long
for the news to spread around Ithiel, so
now, everybody knows. Mama views Miriam

as a disgrace to the family and the village- I

feel so bad for her.
Papas come home early from work, which he
never does. Something must be wrong;
Mamas calling us all downstairs.
Valentina
March 6, 1914
Friday
Something horrible has happened. It was on
Thursday- the reason why Papa came home
from the Carpentry so early. While Papa was
working on a table for Mr. Jolijovko, a soldier
came up to him, holding a bunch of yellow
papers. He gave one of them to Papa. It was
a draft notification! For the Russian
Imperial Army! Papa has been notified to
appear in Moscow in six days- so March 11th.
Weve found out who the other papers were
for. One of them was for Mrs. Alkeavas
husband (shes the one who just had a baby
in January), and another was for Mr.
Malkinov, and also one for his brother (both
of them are good friends of Papas). Two
more were given to Mr. Shapiro and Daniel.
Daniel turned 18 two weeks ago, and he just

filed his draft paper last month. As soon as

any male turns 18, he is eligible for the Draft.
Some people are lucky enough to never get
picked, but others, like Daniel, get drafted on
their very first year of eligibility. The only
exception for a family is if there is a father
who has already been drafted, and there is
only one son in the family, that son will be
exempt from the draft because he needs to
take care of the family.
Valentina
March 9, 1914
Monday
Papa left today on the Trans-Siberian
Railway. His railway ticket cost 2 rubles and
53 kopecks. I was angry, because I thought
he would be leaving on the 11th. Luka
explained to me that it would take him 3
days by train to reach Moscow, so thats
why he needed to leave today.
We almost missed the train though, because
the soldiers took a long time to process our
information and let us through the gate to
Achinsk, where the railway platform is. They
kept asking Papa why he was headed to the

railway, and each time, Papa gave the same

(correct) answer; that he had been drafted
and needed to go to Moscow, where the
Army Headquarters are. He even showed
them the draft notice he had received. They
spent a long time looking at it, as if thinking
it was a forged document or something. They
asked Papa if perhaps he was leaving so he
could run away to Ukraine, and they didnt
believe him when he said no.
These soldiers are so annoying, and I could
tell that Mama was losing her patience with
them.
The Shapiros were with us too, to see Daniel
and Aaron off at the train station. Mrs.
Shapiro took Papa aside at the train station,
and they talked for a while, until the trains
whistle blew. Daniel got on, and I could see
how scared he was, so I picked an orange
Dahlia flower from the side of the platform,
and gave it to him. Its petals were orange
with a little bit of yellow, and Daniel said it
looked like sunshine. He put it in his breast
pocket and smiled (still anxious), waiting for
his father and Papa to join him.

We all waved to the train as it moved out of

the station. Luka was holding Nikolai, so he
could see the train car better, and Miriam
held Deyman so he could too. The soldiers
were smirking at us when we left the train
station. I wanted to kick one of them so
badly. Deyman was crying as we walked back
to Ithiel, and Nikolai was sad, but he wasnt
bawling. He will be a strong man someday,
Im sure of it. Im so proud of him.
Valentina
March 10, 1914
Tuesday
It is very strange not having Papa here.
Because hes not here, nobody is working at
the Carpentry, so it is closed down for right
now. There is a carpenter from Achinsk who
is coming to Ithiel in a couple of days, so the
Carpentry is going to be reopened. Im
getting apprenticed at the Bakery soon, so
Luka and I will both be bringing money home
for the family.
Valentina
March 12, 1914

Thursday
Mama told me I had to go back to school
today. I didnt want to, but I went anyways; I
would never ever ditch school (some kids
do, but theyre nothing but troublemakers).
Those with parents or siblings that received
a draft notification (Me, Yalla, Konstantin,
and Remya) were excused from school for
two days. Everybody was looking at me with
pity, and I hated it. I mean, it was nice that
everybody felt bad, but I cant stand it when
people feel sorry for me. Remya lapped it up,
but shes always that annoying, so I wasnt
surprised. Yalla was so sad, that she didnt
talk to anybody, not even me. Konstantin
wouldnt take anybodys pity; he insisted
that his father was proud to be serving in
the army. He said that he wanted to also,
and it was a shame that the draft wasnt
given to twelve year olds. Everybody looked
at him in surprise, and the teacher scolded
him for saying such horrible things.
I overheard him at lunch saying that he
might run away to Moscow, to join the army
that way. I hope a cow steps on him.
Valentina

March 13, 1914

Friday
Miriams turning 19 today! She wrote a really
long letter to Hugo, because in his last
letter, he said that he is going to try to
come down here to Ithiel. They havent seen
each other since January, and Mama gives
Miriam a cold glare every time they make eye
contact.
Valentina
March 14, 1914
Saturday
Miriam has been looking for Hugo ever since
his last letter arrived. Every morning, she
gets up and looks out the window, and she
keeps checking every chance she gets. I told
her not to look too desperate, and she
snapped at me to get away. She must have a
fever or something.
Valentina
March 15, 1914
Sunday

I was at the Market today with Mama and

Miriam when we saw Mrs. Shapiro, carrying
the baby and holding Deymans hand. Miriam
politely asked how she was doing, which I
thought was stupid, because she was
obviously distraught. Miriam offered to hold
the baby while Mrs. Shapiro did her shopping
at the market. So thats what we did for the
next two hours- hold a screaming, 12-day old
baby while following two gossiping women
around, and carrying their groceries. Then, I
had to go help Luka at our stall, where we
were selling potatoes, celery, eggs, and
butter. Nobody bought the eggs, but the
celery and potatoes were bought almost as
soon as I got there.
Valentina
March 16, 1914
Monday
Even though school hasnt ended yet, Mama
sent me over to the bakery, so I could start
working there. With Papa gone, she said, we
need more people to work and make money.
Miriam came with me. When we got there,
Asa Berkovitch, Nikolais friend, opened the

door, and told us his father wasnt home at

the moment. We were walking down the path
towards Market Square when we saw Mr.
Berkovitch, who was delighted to know that I
wanted to start working. When we got back
to his house (which is next to the bakery), he
introduced himself and his family. His name
is Dimitri, his wife is Olga, and his two
children are Asa and Kristina. Kristina was
in my class at school, but I didnt know her
that well. Mr. Berkovitch said that he could
take me on now if I wanted, and Miriam
jumped in to say that would be perfect. I
said so too, and Miriam glared at me. The
baker caught the glance, and said to Miriam:
Let her speak her for herself, shes a feisty
one, she can make her thoughts heard.
Miriam looked slightly embarrassed, and
didn't say anything else after that. The
Baker laughed,and told me to come back on
Sunday, so he can start apprenticing me.
Valentina
March 17, 1914
Monday

The wind has been blowing really hard all day

today. School was ended early today,
because the winds were messing everything
up, and the dust from the road was going
everywhere. Mama suspects a storm is on its
way. I hope it isnt too bad, but from the
winds and the cold now, Im pretty sure it
will be.
Valentina
March 18, 1914
Tuesday
The storm hit today. The winds were really,
really strong, and a bunch of trees were
knocked down, as well as some of the fence
that surrounds Ithiel. The storm knocked
down trees in Achinsk too, and a couple of
trees fell onto houses. Four people were
killed. It was horrible.
Valentina
March 19, 1914
Wednesday
I have less than a month of school left
before I graduate, so Im being given less
homework than usual. Because of this, Mama

and Miriam have begun teaching me how to

bake. Im horrible at it- all the bread I have
made either doesnt rise or they get burned
black. Miriam keeps getting impatient with
me, but Luka thinks it is hysterical, because I
cant cook anything. Nikolai told me that he
likes the bread when its burned anyways. He
said that I cook just fine. Mama keeps
encouraging me to bake more, and is patient
with me whenever the bread gets ruined.
Miriam suggested that I try
tomorrow,
she thinks that pancakes might be easier for
me.
Valentina
March 20, 1914
Thursday
Miriam was wrong. The pancakes turned out
horrible. Luka liked them though, but hes
never met a food he didnt like. I think he
was just trying to be nice.
Valentina
March 21, 1914
Saturday
I finally made a good loaf of bread!!

Mama was so happy, that she said the entire

loaf was for me. Nobody else can eat it
except for me. It was the best bread Ive
ever had. I think Im going to make one for
Ori, because I forgot to bring him a present
for his birthday.
Valentina
March 23, 1914
Monday
After school, Kristina Berkovitch came to my
house today, and walked with me to the
bakery. As it turned out, she remembers me
from school, but that was because of the
time I got knuckled by the teacher for being
disrespectful. I really wish people would stop
reminding me about that.
Valentina
March 24, 1914
Tuesday
It is Purim today. Purim is a holiday
celebrated around the same time that
Catholics celebrate Easter. Purim festivities
revolve around Queen Esther, a biblical
character who saved the lives of all future

Jews. Theres going to be fireworks tonight,

and I think everybody in Achinsk will be
confused as to why there are fireworks in
the middle of March. I dont blame them.
Valentina
April 2, 1914
Thursday
I graduated today!! I wore my favorite
dress, the one with red sleeves and the red
and yellow sash around the middle. Mama
made it for me when I had my Bat Mitzvah
two years ago. There was a graduation
ceremony in Market Square, and all the
graduating students were lined up and had
our picture taken individually. Even though I
was fifth in line, I waited for a long time.
Afterwards, we had a small party, with all
of the graduates parents bringing a dish of
food to the party. Mama brought another
loaf of bread that I had baked myself, and
Kristinas mama brought gingerbread from
Tula (a city in western Russia, just south of
Moscow). Mr. Berkovitch was excited to try
my bread, and he gave it top marks. Now
that school is over, I get to work at the

bakery full time. Mr. Berkovitch decided to

give me the rest of the week off, and I will
start officially on Monday.
Valentina
April 3, 1914
Friday
My baking skills are improving. I finally was
able to make a
without ruining it. Miriam
tried it, and she thought it was good. She
said that strawberry jam would make it
better. Ill try to make strawberry jam next
week. Miriam suggested that I learn from
Mrs. Illiescu, Oris mother. Shes really good
at making jam. Mama thought it was a good
idea.
Nikolai tried one of my pancakes, and he said
it tasted horrible. I wanted to hit him over
the head with my spoon, but I restrained
myself.
Valentina
March 29, 1914
Sunday
Mrs. Illiescu invited me to come to her house,
so that I could learn how to make jam. She

and Mama must have already talked. It was

really nice to see her and Ori. The rest of the
family was at church, so it was just the two
of them, and me. Mrs. Illiescu sent Ori to go
open the door for me when I rang the bell,
and we sat in the living room, and talked for
a while before she came in. I made Ori a
card, because I still had not managed to
bring him his birthday present. In actuality, I
didnt have anything for him. I couldnt find
anything, so I made him a card instead. I
also brought him a loaf of bread that I had
baked myself, and he thought it was really
cool that I made it. Then his mother came in
and told me to come into the kitchen
because she had everything ready.
Valentina
April 1, 1914
Wednesday
I am starting at the bakery tomorrow! I am
really nervous.
Valentina
April 2, 1914
Thursday

I earned 34 kopecks today at the bakery.

Each loaf of bread is 4 kopecks, flatbreads
are 3 kopecks, tarts are 6 kopecks, and pies
are 7 kopecks. I sold three loaves of bread
and two tarts, one flatbread, and one pie. I
mainly sell things to customers, but once I
get better at baking bread, Im going to
start helping Mr. Berkovitch make it. Ive
gotten better at pie-making, so I help Mrs.
Berkovitch with that, while Mr. Berkovitch
and Grigory make the bread. There is
another apprentice here, Aleksander, and he
is two years older than me. He and I both
sell the food to customers, and he makes
the flatbreads, as well as picking the wheat
for the bread and pies. There is a really big
wheat field that is a quarter of a mile away
from the bakery. Mr. Berkovitch owns it, and
his son helps Aleksander with it sometimes.
When Im not helping with the pies, my job is
to grind the wheat into kernels.
I earned 34 kopecks, but I had to give eight
kopecks to Mr. Berkovitch, so I only took
home 26 kopecks. Aleksander sold four tarts
and eight loaves of bread, so he made 52

kopecks. He had to give Mr Berkovitch 20

kopecks, so he only took home 32.
Valentina
April 6, 1914
Monday
I never thought this would happen, but it has
gotten pretty boring now that school is
done. I wish there was more things to do. I
told Mama this, and I probably shouldnt
have, because she seemed pretty mad, and
gave me a huge list of things to do. I went
on an errand run for her this morning; I had
to buy cheese, strawberries, onions, and
bread for next week.
April 8, 1914
Wednesday
I sent a letter to Ori, asking him if he and
his family wanted to join my family on a
picnic Saturday. We haven't gone on a picnic
in a while, not since Papa left, but Im glad
we're going on another one.
Valentina
April 13, 1914

Monday
Yesterday was Easter, which is an important
holiday in the Catholic church. The Jewish
community doesnt celebrate it, so we didnt
do anything special yesterday. The Tsar did
though. According to the newspaper that we
received today,the Tsar gave his wife a huge
easter egg, made by Peter Carl Faberge,
whos a really famous jeweler in Moscow. The
newspaper included a picture of the egg, and
it looks really beautiful. This is a clipping
from the newspaper.

The tsars five

children, Tatiana, Olga, Maria, Anastasia,
and Alexei, are in the cameo next to the egg.
Ive decided that I want one when I grow up.
There is a Jewelry store in Moscow that
makes them, but they are really expensive.

Ill save up money that I earn from the

bakery.
Valentina
April 30, 1914
Thursday
Apparently, there was a Russian steamer
boat that exploded on the coast of Algeria.
The accident happened three days ago, on
the 27th. Algeria is a country in Africa. 15
people were killed. I didn't know anybody on
board, but it still came as a shock when we
heard about the news. One of the people
killed was a distant cousin of Mamas aunt
Tatiana. Ive never met her, but Mamas told
me that she isnt very nice.
Valentina

July - September, 1914

July 27, 1914

Monday
It has gotten hotter, and the days are
longer. There is nothing much to do here
except go fishing in the creek, run errands,
and take care of the animals. Mama had be
churn the butter today, as well as sweep the
house and take the cows to the pasture.
Miriam was out delivering another baby in
Achinsk, and Nikolai was buying bread from
the bakery. I think Luka went fishing. He
always seems to disappear somewhere
whenever theres work to be done.
Valentina
July 28, 1914
Tuesday
Along with being a midwife, Miriam has taken
up interest in medicine and healing people.
During breakfast today, she announced to
Mama that she wanted to attend University,
in order to receive a degree in nursing. Mama
was hesitant about letting Miriam apply, and
warned Miriam that there is a high
possibility that she might be cut from the
program. Mama doesnt really want Miriam

to go, because she doesnt want Miriam to

have her dreams cut short if she isnt
accepted.
Valentina
July 29, 1914
Wednesday
Miriam has decided to apply to the
University, and nothing Mama has said will
make her change her mind. I hope she will
get in.
Valentina
July 31, 1914
Friday
Miriam sent the letter to Moscow this
morning. It will travel (by train) to Moscows
postal office, where a car will then deliver it
to the University. I hope she doesnt get
declined, because with each passing day,
Miriam has gotten more and more excited. It
will take just over three weeks for Miriam to
know whether or not she got in.
Valentina
August 1, 1914

Sunday
THe soldiers are getting quite restless, and a
little bit frightening. All week, they've been
going house to house, looking through it for
any sign of correspondence with an enemy
or plotting to overthrow the tsar. Since
we're in such a small village, they are
convinced that we will be the first to think
up such a thing. I would never dream of
doing any such thing. Six of them came to our
house this morning, and ordered us all to
stand outside. Three of them went inside,
while the other three stood outside with us,
warning us not to cause any mischief.
Two of them came out carrying Nikolais and
my school books. They asked why I was
keeping mine, if I had graduated already. I
asked them how they knew I graduated. The
one holding my schoolbooks cuffed me on the
head with them, and told me to stop asking
foolish questions. Another soldier told me
that he recognized me from the graduation
ceremony, so thats how they knew that Id
already graduated. Mama told them that she
kept them so that Nikolai could use them
next year. She does that with all our school

books. I used Miriams old school books two

years ago, and I used Lukas the year after
he graduated. Another soldier, was holding
my journal and was going through it, as if
trying to find some secret message. I tried
to grab it from him, because it was my
journal, and the soldier with my school books
hit me again. I wanted to hit him back, but
Miriam wouldnt let me. I got mad, because I
dont like people reading my journal. No one
ever has- not even Mama.
Then the soldiers left, with my journal and
both sets of schoolbooks.
(Because I do not currently have my Journal
with me, I will be writing on spare pieces of
notebook paper until I get it back.)
Valentina
August 2, 1914
Monday
Still no journal. I wonder what the soldiers
are possibly looking for, and why it is taking
so long. Miriam told me to be patient, its
only been a day. I just cannot bear the
thought of somebody else reading my

journal, it makes me really mad. I hope the

soldiers give it back soon.
Valentina
August 3, 1914
Monday
One of the soldiers came back today, holding
my journal and the two schoolbooks. He was
the same soldier who said he recognized me
from the graduation. He was very nice, and
introduced himself to Mama when she
answered the door. He also took off his hat
when he went inside, which is a politeness
none of the other soldiers showed us. His
hair was very blond, which is unusual in
Russia, where so many people have either
dark blonde or brown hair. My hair is dark
blonde, and so is Mamas and Miriams. Luka
and Nikolai both have Papas dark brown
hair. The soldiers name is Fyodor Pasternak,
and he is part of the Preobrazhensky Guard
Regiment. He was in his uniform (and he
looked handsome), but thankfully, he was
without his bayonet. He gave me my journal
back, and told me that it took a while for
him to convince the other soldiers that there

was nothing bad in it. I asked him if they had

done anything to it (like writing horrible
things in it, or tearing out the pages), and he
assured me that they had not. He went and
gave the schoolbooks to Nikolai, who was
thrilled just to meet a member of the Elite
Guard. He wants to be one when he grows up.
He brought it up one time at dinner, and I
have never seen Mama and Papa say no so
fast. Mama thanked Fyodor for coming, and
asked if he would stay for dinner, which he
graciously accepted. We learned a lot about
him over dinner. He has four brothers; three
of them have been conscripted into the
army. His youngest brother, who is twelve, is
exempt from the conscription. Fyodor is also
the oldest. He is eighteen, and his brothers
are seventeen, two of them are sixteen (they
are twins), and twelve. His father was a
store clerk before being conscripted, but he
was killed in a train accident a year ago.
Fyodor is also Jewish, which surprised Mama
(I could tell that she thought he was
Catholic). He smiled at Miriam a couple of
times, but she didnt notice. She was

probably too worried about Hugo to care.

Mama was furious.
I wouldnt mind if he smiled at me a couple
of times. I asked if he might come back, and
he said he would try.
Valentina
August 4, 1914
Monday
Papa sent us a letter! It arrived in the post
yesterday evening, just after Fyodor left.
Mama was so happy, she started crying, and
she had all of us join her in the kitchen
before she started to read it to us. It said
that he was doing well, and that he was
currently staying at a training camp, where
he will be for the next six weeks. He said
that he and Aaron are in the same room, but
he has no idea where Daniel is. They all got
off at the same stop, in Moscow, so he
thinks that Daniel is in another building. The
food is okay, but that he misses the meals
that Mama makes. Im not surprised, since
Mama is extraordinarily excellent when it
comes to making food.

Miriam was happy about the letter, but I

could tell that she was still distracted.
Mama noticed too, and she looked ready to
clout her oldest daughter on the head. It
shouldn't be about the University, because it
should be another two weeks before she
gets a reply.
Valentina
August 7, 1914
Thursday
Mama caught Miriam with Hugo in the garden
last night. They were sitting on a bench,
talking, and Mama saw them from her
bedroom window. She went into an absolute
rage, and Ive never seen Hugo run so fast.
Miriam looked ready to faint, she was so
pale. Mama told Miriam that the next time
she sees her with Hugo, she will cut her off
from the family. Miriam was shocked, and
she started screaming at Mama, asking her
why she was so upset over the two of them.
SHe yelled some pretty horrible things at
mama, and I cant repeat any of them; I
was so horrified.

It was terrible ; both of them went up to

their room crying- I could hear Miriam the
entire night.
Valentina
August 8, 1914
Friday
Miriam is giving Mama the silent treatment.
She wont help her with anything, and she
wont talk to anybody. Luka, Nikolai, and I
had to do all the housework.
Miriam and Nikolai both inherited Mamas
stubbornness, so I have a feeling that this
fighting is going to last a while.
Valentina