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Names Not Numbers
Anatoly Tsirulik
Anatoly Tsirulik
Anatoly was born on September 27, 1932, in Moscow, Russia (formerly the USSR). He grew up in Moscow and was the only child in his family, with no siblings.
His father, a dentist before World War I, practiced for a short time but was robbed during the Russian Revolution in 1917. During the New Economic Policy (NEP) period, when private businesses were briefly allowed, Anatoly’s father worked for
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a businessman involved in imports and eventually opened his own business manufacturing cigarette cases. When the Bolsheviks shut down private businesses, he worked for the government as a factory manager until his retirement. Anatoly's mother worked for a textile printer, making embellishments that were sewn onto clothes. Incidentally, her co-worker introduced Anatoly to his future wife, as she was friends with her mother.
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Anatoly completed the first grade in Moscow but had to flee the city with his mother in the summer of 1941 to escape the bombings. They evacuated to Ufa, the capital of the Republic of Bashkortostan, where Anatoly completed second grade and part of fourth grade in extremely challenging conditions. Wartime schools were housed in makeshift buildings, often without electricity or windows. Students sat near furnaces for warmth
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and brought kerosene lamps to light their desks.
Anatoly has no personal memory of Kristallnacht as Moscow had not yet been invaded by the Nazis, although the city was under bombing. Following Kristallnacht, life in Moscow continued to be dominated by wartime struggles, and in 1941, Anatoly and his mother evacuated toward Ufa. His father, initially called to serve in the army, was reassigned to manage a toy factory repurposed for
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making war supplies.
Anatoly’s aunt evacuated with them, but due to a train mix-up, her suitcase with their food was sent to another destination, leaving Anatoly and his mother without food.
Their evacuation to Ufa was marked by hardship. The train passed their intended destination and dropped them 250 kilometers away in a rural area called Dushanbekovo. They were forced to stay with a local family who reluctantly shared a corner of their room.
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Initially, the family fed them out of pity, offering them a spoonful of soup from their communal pot. Anatoly’s mother found work on a collective farm, while Anatoly, despite being only in second grade, was tasked with tending horses in the regional firefighting brigade.
Eventually, they reached Ufa, where they reunited with Anatoly’s aunt and moved in with an elderly woman. Anatoly’s mother found work in a military cafeteria, and Anatoly visited
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her during the day so she could feed him. When their elderly roommate passed away, they lived alone for the remainder of their time in Ufa. Anatoly’s mother later worked in a chemical factory, and Anatoly himself earned money by making carbon paper in the evenings with his mother’s help. He returned to Moscow in the fourth grade.
The war ended in 1945, and Anatoly returned to Moscow. Post-liberation, the city faced extreme economic hardships.
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Food shortages, low government-controlled wages, and hunger were widespread. This difficult post-war period lasted for about five years. In 1980, Anatoly emigrated to America.
Anatoly’s message to future generations is simple: War must be avoided at all costs, as it brings hunger and hardship. He has two children and four grandchildren.
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The End
Anatoly Tsirulik interview at North Shore Hebrew Academy - 2023-2024
North Shore Hebrew Academy