I would like to tell about the great people living in Kostanay - hardworking developers of the virgin lands. They did not conceal the fact of being Jewish. These are families of Leonid Matveevich and Lyubov Mikhailovna Meerovs and Gedaliy Abramovich and Raisa Lazarevna Firenshtein. These two families have amazingly similar history.

In 1949, in Zaporozhye, Leonid Meerov decided to enter The Communist Party of the USSR as a Secretary of Komsomol Organization, but his application was rejected by a Secretary of District Communist Committee. The second attempt was made by Leonid when he was a fourth-grade student at the Zaporozhskiy Agricultural Institute and it was successful. He was long questioned about his grandfathers, grandmothers, and great grandparents. Only the resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party about development of virgin lands opened the way to the young communist who had just graduated from the institute. He was asked, "Will you go there?" "I will" - he answered immediately. Leonid Matveevich met his future wife Lyubov Mikhailovna in 1957. The young attractive woman came to work as an obstetrician-gynecologist after graduation from the Ural Medical Institute. At the beginning, healthcare conditions were very limited and baby deliveries sometimes happened right in the field. The skilful hands of the young doctor helped many babies to be born. Leonid Mikhailovich and Lyubov Mikhailovna brought up two sons.

The Meerovs family made a great contribution to the development of virgin lands. Leonid Matveevich was awarded with many medals for his achievements. He was proposed to take charge of the lagging behind Naurzumskiy District. He was asked, "Will you be able to do it? If we put here another person we will only loose time." There were many ill talks, "A Jew will head the district?" But he took the charge of the district and worked well. Many new people came to live in the district attracted by improving living conditions. The district became an advanced one. The colleagues would say, "You have won over Naurzum!" Leonid Meerov was decorated with Lenin and October Revolution orders.

Gedaliy Abramovich Firenshtein always wanted to be a farmer, to grow bread. In the 30s, this dream led the Jewish boy to the Agricultural Institute. After graduation he worked in Vinitsa as an engineer at a sugar production plant. Then the Great Patriotic War began. In July 1941, he went to the army to fight in the war front and came back in 1945. He was decorated with orders of Red Star, Badge of Honor, with Labor Merit Medal and other awards. After the war Gedaliy Firenshtein worked in the Agricultural Ministry of Ukraine. He met his future wife Raisa Lazarevna who had graduated from the Department of Western European Languages of the State Kiev University and dreamed to work as an interpreter. The young people got married and lived a happy peaceful life. Kiev was being restored after the war, it was getting better every year. The Firenshteins lived in the center, near the Opera and Ballet Theater in a comfortable apartment. In 1954 Communist Firenshtein was among the first to accept the government call on developing the virgin lands. People would say, "Do Jews ever go to virgin lands?" He would say, "I will go!." In November of 1954, Gedaliy Firenshtein went to Kazakhstan with a group of young Ukrainian specialists. At the beginning he worked as a Chief Agronomist, then as a Director of Sovkhoz which was started from scratch. His wife, Larisa Lazarevna, came to virgin lands at the end of June of 1955 with a nine year old son Boris. The living conditions were very bad at the beginning. The family lived in a one room temporary shabby cottage with strong draughts. Water was brought on a camel from far away. Winters were very harsh. The small cottage was covered with snow up to the roof. Many people could not bear these conditions and left but the Firenshteins stayed. Newly arable virgin lands gave very big yields and people tried to harvest them as soon as possible because the climate is very challenging here. Rain and snow could destroy the yield any time. Even teenagers were involved in harvesting. Raisa Lazarevna worked at school. She motivated youth for work in the fields. She explained that their help was needed to save the country’s wealth - bread. Once she saw her 12-year-old son driving a heavy truck. She was shocked. The son said, "Nikolay Nikolaevich fell asleep while driving as he had not slept for three days. Somebody should carry the grain and I started doing it. I have brought grain from the field to the elevator four times already." What great personalities the children of virgin lands were!

These two families living in different parts of the Kostanay Oblast worked hard regardless of any difficulties. Organizational skills of Leonid Meerov and Gedaliy Firenshtein resulted in many achievements. Kiyevskiy Sovkhoz became a multi sector production site with 60,000 hectares of land. New crops were introduced such as barley, oat, millet, buckwheat, corn, and vegetables that nobody had ever grown here before. There were new roads and straight well lit up streets. A recreation center, children daycare center, school, hostel for children from remote villages were built. Residential buildings were equipped with all utilities including water and gas supply, radio, television, and telephone. The Sovkhoz was growing and people were growing along. Bread and industrious kind people are our major wealth.

Leonid Matveevich and Lyubov Mikhailovna have recently turned 80 years old. We congratulate our veterans on the jubilee. Live as long as possible!

Every year Boris Gedalyevich Firenshtein and his son Leonid come to Kiyevskiy Sovkhoz. They bring flowers to the memorial with an agricultural tractor in memory of people who worked at this challenging but beautiful land.

Zoya Firenshtein