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KLARA, MEDICAL NURSE

Ust-Kamengorsk 22.04.10

Member of the Jewish Community of Ust-Kamenogorsk, Klara Naumovna Volodarskaya-Klimenko is a veteran of the Great Patriotic War. This fragile woman was a nurse at a front hospital. Now she is a retired senior lieutenant. She has many awards including Great Patriotic War Order of the II grade, medals for Victory over Germany, a medal of Marshal Zhukov, medal in honor of the 70th anniversary of the USSR Armed Forces. Klara Naumovna is the only woman among war veterans in our community.

Klara Volodarskaya was born in October 1918 in the Ukraine, Cherkass Region, in a family with many children. There were four daughters and four sons. Both daughters graduated from a medical college. In 1938, Klara started working as a medical nurse. In 1939, she was called up to the Red Army, sent to Murmansk where she participated in the Finland Campaign. From 1941, Klara Volodarskaya was mobilized to the Leningrad front. The major task of medical personnel was to provide medical treatment but they also had to carry the injured from fighting fields and face bullets and bombs. As Klara Naumovna recollects, it was the greatest joy when saved soldiers were going back to the front and could continue to fight the enemy. Besides changing dressings, making injections, medical treatment procedures, she wrote letters dictated by the wounded, fed them, and just talked to them trying to give them courage and faith in good. Sometimes they did not sleep for 5-6 days. Klara has the first group of blood, it is compatible with all other groups, and thus she was a constant donor. Klara tried to help everybody and soldiers liked her. But one of them, young lieutenant Yasha Klimenko really fell in love with her. And Klara also liked him. War is war but young people fall in love! Their friends made a wedding for them, wished them love and consent and to have many children!

Klara demobilized before May 1945th, Yakov - after the Victory. They settled down in Altay Region, in Aleisk town. They had two daughters - Svetlana and Tamara. In 1954, the family moved to Ust-Kamenogorsk. Klara’s younger brother, Yakov Volodarskiy, lived there. He is a distinguished engineer-builder of Kazakhstan, a war veteran. Currently he lives in Israel with his family. Klara’s late elder brother was a professional military man, a colonel.

In Ust-Kamenogorsk Yakov Klimenko worked at the hydro power station. Klara worked in the hospital in Ablaketka village. Due to the lack of doctors she often was the only one to conduct patients’ examinations. Then Klara was the Head of medical stations at different enterprises, worked in the ambulance, made preliminary examinations of patients. Even when she retired she continued working for ten years, was the Head of a medical station in the First Hospital. People still remember what a good nurse she was, and a very nice person.

Children grew up. The elder daughter Svetlana has also chosen a medical career. She works in an x-ray office in Moscow Region. The younger daughter, Tamara Klimenko, graduated from Art College, signing department. She is an active volunteer in the Ust-Kamenogorsk community. She was the only professional singer in our singing group "Ester". Klara Naumovna has a grand daughter and two great grand children.

Hesed Faina and all members of the Jewish community congratulate Klara Naumovna from all our hearts on the upcoming 65th anniversary of the Great Victory! We are proud of you! We remember what price was paid for our victory and we honor the memory of those who did not survive at the war. We are very grateful to you!


Fanya Suponitskaya

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