Yosl Kogan was born in 1927 in Bershad. His father, a soap-maker, died during the 1933 famine. He was brought up by his mother, a candy-maker. He spent much of the war in the Bershad ghetto, where he wrote songs about his experiences. He served in the Red Army and participated in the liberation of Berlin. After his military service, he worked at a liquor factory in Bershad, draining molasses. He moved to Tulchyn in 1960 and worked in a procurement office.
Other Interviews:
"I love Yiddish"Valik, Zhuzhia and Ivanov
Tsezeyt un tseshpreyt (Scattered and dispersed)
Inside the Ghetto
Aheym, briderlekh, aheym (Homeward, brother, homeward)
From the Chimney to Berlin
“And every day we waited to die”
Tulchyn, Ukraine
Bershad fell to the Germans on July 29, 1941. It had been just over a month since the start of the war, and the German Wehrmacht was moving through Ukraine at a rapid pace. Many residents simply did not realize how quickly the Germans would be in their town, and could not imagine the sufferings they would endure under German rule. In this clip, Yosl Kogan explains that his family was not able to get out in time and found themselves living under German occupation.