Abram (Arkadiy) Smushkevich

Avraham (Arkadiy) Smushkevich (04.24.1913 – 12.13.1997), son of Moisei (Moisha) Aronovich Smushkevich.

Avraham was born in a town called Lubny, in the Poltava region (the Ukraine) on March 24,1913. He was the seventh child born to Moisha and Khaya. Like all sons in their family, Avraham studied in a yeshiva. After he finished middle school, he attended a commercial college. After graduation from a commercial college he started to work. He was responsible for the sale of ice-cream in all the kiosks and street-stalls in the Gorkiy Park in Kharkov.

He lived with his parents along with the other unmarried children. Like the other working siblings, he helped his parents. It was a big and friendly family and Moisha and Khaya taught their children value of family. They brought them up with the “one for all and all for one” mentality. They taught their children to help each other and their parents. They told their children that helping their family means showing respect for their parents.

In 1938, Avraham married Freida (Fanya) Shuhman. After getting married they moved in with Freida’s parents. In 1939, they became parents. They named their first-born son Gregory. It was the happiest time of their lives. They were young, healthy, they loved each other, and they had a son. Avraham continued to work; Freida (Fanya) took care of their child.

When World War II started Avraham was drafted for active military service. Freida with their son, Gregory, were evacuated to Nizhniy Tagil. During the evacuation, Gregory got sick and died.

After the loss of her son, Freida could live away from her husband. In 1942, Freida went to the front to work as a nurse and managed to find her husband. They were together in the Soviet Army during the Second World War. Avraham stayed in the Soviet Army after the war was over and got military rank as a captain of service corps (quartermaster’s).

After the war was finished Avraham, was assigned to service corps in Kharkov. Here, their son Mikhail was born in 1946. Unfortunately their happiness did not last long. It was a terrible tragedy when their loving child Mikhail got sick and died.

In 1950, after all the hardship, they were happy again: their daughter Alla (Golda) was born. In 1953 they had another child, a baby-boy whom they named Alexander.

After fourteen years of military service, Avraham retired from the Soviet Army because of health problems, which was an outcome of an old contusion that he got during the Second World War. After he was discharged from the Soviet Army in 1955 Avraham worked in the trade (commercial) service until he retired due to age (he got a pension.) He worked hard and he received official messages of thanks and honorary diplomas.

Despite all the misfortunes and hardships (the war, combat wounds, loss of two sons) Avraham and Freida managed to maintain love and good relations.

All his life Avraham was a model to his children. His life was an example of a wonderful love for his wife and his children that he maintained throughout all his life. He taught his children to respect the elderly, relatives and other people. He taught his children kindness, devotion, understanding others.

In 1990 Avraham with his family immigrated to Israel. Now his daughter Alla (Golda) and his son Alexander with their families are living here.