Rakhil Shlemovna Shames, nee Goldes, was born in Ivanopil' (Yanoshpol). Her father's family lived in Lube before they moved to Ivanopil', where they lived until the war. Rakhil's father Shleyme worked in a mill, and her mother was a homemaker. She had a sister, Niusye, who was killed by the Nazis near Khmil'nyk. When Rakhil was ten years old, a religious instructor came to her house to teach her how to read Yiddish and prayers. As soon as the Soviets came to power, the teacher stopped coming, and Shames went to a Ukrainian school. After graduation, she helped her mother at home and learned how to become an accountant.
During the war, Shames was evacuated to the Urals, where she worked in a textile factory. Her mother spent the war hiding in Khmil'nyk, being the only family member who survived the war there. After the war, Shames returned to Khmil'nyk and worked as an accountant in a textile factory for 23 years.
Photographer: Artur Frątczak |
