Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Our Family: KULAKS!


Have worked on some more on the family history book. This is what we would call a denunciation document. It declared, after an investigation, that my great uncle, Jakob Gerk, was a "Kulak" from a "Kulak" family, and listed the evidence...my great-grandfather, Jakob's father, was complicit in anti-soviet activities, he had land, they had about 5 people working for them, and Jakob was regularly writing my grandfather in Canada. Under socialism, where all people were to be equal...some were more equal than others. Basically our family were labelled "enemies of the people". Jakob was also involved in some of the insurrections against Soviet power. Shortly after this document was created, my great-uncle was arrested for stealing grain to feed his children. He was sent to prison, and, in 1941, sent to the Chelyabmetallurgstroy camp were he died within just a few short weeks.

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