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Jews of Russia and Eastern Europe and Their Legacy
Series Editor
Maxim D. Shrayer (Boston College)
Editorial Board
Karel Berkhoff (NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies)
Jeremy Hicks (Queen Mary University of London)
Brian Horowitz (Tulane University)
Luba Jurgenson (Universite Paris IV—Sorbonne)
Roman Katsman (Bar-Ilan University)
Dov-Ber Kerler (Indiana University)
Vladimir Khazan (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Alice Nakhimovsky (Colgate University)
Antony Polonsky (Brandeis University)
Jonathan D. Sarna (Brandeis University)
David Shneer (University of Colorado at Boulder)
Anna Shternshis (University of Toronto)
Leona Toker (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Mark Tolts (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
If we had wings
we would fly
to you
A SOVIET JEWISH FAMILY
FACES DESTRUCTION,
1941–42
KIRIL
FEFERMAN
BOSTON
2020
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Feferman, K. (Kirill), author.
Title: “If we had wings we would fly to you”: a Soviet Jewish Family faces destruction, 1941–42 / Kiril Feferman.
Other titles: Soviet Jewish Family faces destruction, 1941–42
Description: Boston: Academic Studies Press, 2020. | Series: Jews of Russia and Eastern Europe and their legacy | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2019051618 | ISBN 9781644692929 (hardback) | ISBN 9781644692929 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Ginsberg family--Correspondence. | Ginsburg, Efim, 1897–1973 | Holocaust, Jewish (1939–1945)--Caucasus, Northern. | World War, 1939-1945--Caucasus, Northern. | Jews--Persecutions--Soviet Union--History--20th century. | Rostov-na-Donu (Russia)--Biography
Classification: LCC DS134.85 .F44 2020 | DDC 940.53/1809224752--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019051618
Copyright © 2020 Academic Studies Press
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-64469-292-9 (hardback)
ISBN 978-1-64469-292-9 (paperback)
Book design by PHi Business Solutions Limited.
Cover design by Ivan Grave.
Published by Academic Studies Press.
1577 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02446, USA
For my mother, Nellya Feferman (1947–2016)
Table of Contents
PART ONE Historical Background
Chapter 1.1. The Ginsburg Family in the North Caucasus
Chapter 1.2. Soviet Population Evacuation into the North Caucasus, 1941–1942
Chapter 1.3. The Holocaust in the North Caucasus
PART TWO The Ginsburg Family Correspondence
List of Letters in the Ginsburg Collection
Preface
This book was long in the making. It was about 2007 when I came across the Ginsburg correspondence in the Yad Vashem Archives. However, it took me some time to realize the unprecedented value of the letters and to figure out what could be done with them. My hope is that this book will serve as a literary monument to the unfortunate members of the Ginsburg family.
The
