spotlight Escaping The Iron Curtain America beckoned to survivor of the Siege of Leningrad. I Karen Schultz-Tarnopol Contributing Writer trade their chocolate for bread. "My mother always tried to survive," Berta said. "She thought the chocolate might have more nutrition than the bread and agreed to trade:' But, in 1943, when Berta was 8 years old, her mother was court martialed for trading her food and spent 10 years in jail. Her father died a year later from poisoning, and her brother went to the junior marines. As a result, her sister Dora was left with the responsibility of taking care of Berta. W e hear stories about our ancestors and what they endured to come to the United States. Farmington Hills resident Berta Meites' story is one of strength and determination. A member of Congregation Shaarey Zedek, Berta (Kogan) Meites, born in 1935 in Leningrad (the modern-day Saint Petersburg), Russia, lived in a two-story building above a barbershop and across the street from the pharmacy and the bath house. She lived with her brother, Boris, her sister, Dora, her parents, Mina and Gilia Kogan, and their nanny/housekeeper. Her parents, originally from Minsk, Belarus, were hard-working, business-minded people. Her family did well and life was good. That was until 1941, when World War II broke out. Life changed dramatically for the people of Leningrad, including Berta and her family. A young Berta with siblings Dora and Boris The Siege The Siege of Leningrad started on Sept. 8, 1941, and lasted 872 days, causing an eventual million plus deaths mainly due to starvation. German troops sur- rounded the city in an attempt to squash morale and prevent the citizens from get- ting their basic needs met, such as food, water, medical supplies, oil and coal. "We were given 125 grams (about one- fourth of a pound) of bread and hot water every day; that's it," Berta explained. "There was a huge warehouse filled with food that was completely destroyed by German troops." Out of desperation, "people eventually started eating dogs, cats, horses, rats and soap:' Some people couldn't survive on the 125 grams of food and would die of star- vation; those that survived were weak and exhausted. "You would see dead bodies all over the city, but nobody had the time, the strength or the energy to bury them," Berta said. To make matters worse, it was one of the most brutal winters in the history of Russia, with extreme temperatures result- ing in both a blessing and a curse. Without coal and oil to provide heat, people got sick and pipes burst, denying the residents their water supply. Conversely, the troops surrounded the 42 May 23 • 2013 Berta Meites entire city with one exception; an area called Lake Ladoga, the "Road of Life:' Because it was so cold, the lake stayed frozen, enabling trucks to drive on it to bring food and supplies to the city. It also served as an evacuation route for some. The second blessing came in the way of a reprieve from the incessant bombing. "The German military mission was stalled because, in Russia, you had to go through the countryside in order to get to the city. It was difficult for troops to travel the bumpy roads in the extreme weather conditions," said Meites' son, Gary Raykhinshteyn of Farmington Hills. Most people chose to evacuate, but not Berta's mother. She chose to stay because of the threat of danger from all the bomb- ing taking place at the lake, the only place to escape. Despite the 24-hour-a-day, nonstop bombing that occurred some days; Berta spent much of her time sitting by her bedroom window drawing. Her nanny was scared and wanted Berta to go underground with her for safety, but Berta wanted to keep drawing. Officers from the navy would come and Coming To America In 1944, the blockade finally broke and the German troops were out of the city. "It was the first time I had a briquette of ice cream since the war," Berta said. Berta met her husband, Isaac Raykhinshteyn, in Russia in 1957 and got married in 1959. They had three sons Michael, born in 1960, Gary, who came soon after in 1961, and Edward, who was born in 1966. Unlike her mother, Berta and her fam- ily always wanted to leave, but they didn't have the money. "My husband and I were never quiet. We wanted to get out," she said. To apply and be approved for a visa, families had to give up everything to show their commitment to leaving. Her husband left his career as an engineer, and her sons left college. The family sold everything they had to pay for the costs involved with obtaining their visas. Once they were approved to leave, they approached the Dutch Embassy for a loan to cover their travel expenses. The embassy would loan only $100 per person at that time. In 1979, Berta and her fam- ily left Russia with $500 for their entire family of five. They had the choice to go to Israel or Italy. They chose Italy and left for the United States from there. They came to Oak Park, where her husband cleaned offices for a living. "We chose to go to America to provide a safe place for our family to live," Berta said. Gary added, "We left for political free- dom, not for the blue jeans, the gold and the diamonds. People like my parents had to risk it all, leaving with nothing, to pave the way. I think it's important for future generations to understand what the people before them had to go through to get here:' ❑