Group,

Is there any numbers or good sites that show how many families that
went to Siberia and could not leave? I have not seen much reported on
this. For differant reasons, I remember hearing of Polish families that
could not leave Siberia and are trapped there. Some because they cannot
afford to. Any one more up to date of their fate.
Thank you, Carol Celinski Dove

This may not exactly answer your question, but it
might give some insight.

My mother wrote in her memoirs that when the war was
over (she had been separated from her group and was
living alone in Ust Kamenogorsk), many of her friends
suspected that because she had not been in touch with
them, she had taken up with a Russian man. In fact,
she had been in gulag and then escaped to the city
where she basically went underground, living hand to
mouth. She was furious when she heard this rumour.

Apparently this was the worst kind of insult -- to
suggest that a woman had taken a Russian husband, thus
abandoning her fellow nationals.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Lynda Kraar
Teaneck NJ


--- Carol Dove <stashaok@...> wrote:

Group,

Is there any numbers or good sites that show how
many families that
went to Siberia and could not leave? I have not
seen much reported on
this. For differant reasons, I remember hearing of
Polish families that
could not leave Siberia and are trapped there. Some
because they cannot
afford to. Any one more up to date of their fate.
Thank you, Carol Celinski Dove

Lynda Kraar
GuitarGirl on ISC and Jumbletime


>>>Visit GuitarGirl's Scrabble Museum at<<<









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Dear Carol,

I spoke with Mr. Frank Kosowicz in regards to your question.? He is a national director of the Polish American Congress and here in So. CA is in charge of aid to Poles in the Former Soviet Union.? He indicated that in Kazakstan alone there are aproximately fifty thousand Poles who were deported to that region before or during WWII.? Apparently?only abut?eighteen hundred have been repatriated to Poland despite their interest in returning to the land of their forefathers.??He has personally pushed the Polish government to speed up the process.?

Take care.

Rich Widerynski

Hi Rich -

I don't know why your post is not linked here.

You wrote that your contact stated there are "50,000" Poles who were
deported still in Kazakhstan. Did you mean deportees who are still
living and their descendants, who by now could be in the third or
fourth generations?

Regards,
Eve Jankowicz

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Dear Ewa,

Yes,? thank you for the correction.? There are aproximately fifty thousand people of Polish descent,?of those deported before or during WWII, who continue to reside in Kazakstan.?? Many have expressed a willingness to return to Poland.? Unfortunately the Polish government has been slow to reach out to this group with serious assistance.? I am certainly aware that Poland is beset with a wide array of financial challenges but this issue needs attention as well.?? Germany as well as other countries have repatriated almost all of their people.?? Poland should do the same.

Thanks.

Rich Widerynski

Thank you for responding. I was looking at other sites and was shocked
to see the numbers being reported. I would think with Poland being free
this would be of the utmost importance. I don't know how I could help.
All the links are just that they are still there. Nothing with a
solution.

Poland has put so much into helping other countries while their own
really need them. I see the same thing with the USA. Maybe I can find a
link to write and give some food for thought. Any ideas are greatly
appreciated.

I had read about some Kresy families that went back to Poland and were
given homes in the newly granted land. Maybe one of our members in
Poland could provide an English speaking site with some pull. One other
thought, maybe some of the other countrys Poland has helped could kick
in. Just a thought. Carol Celinski Dove

Dear Ewa,

Yes,? thank you for the correction.? There are aproximately fifty thousand people of Polish descent,?of those deported before or during WWII, who continue to reside in Kazakstan.?? Many have expressed a willingness to return to Poland.? Unfortunately the Polish government has been slow to reach out to this group with serious assistance.? I am certainly aware that Poland is beset with a wide array of financial challenges but this issue needs attention as well.?? Germany as well as other countries have repatriated almost all of their people.?? Poland should do the same.

Thanks.

Rich Widerynski

-----Original Message-----
From: Eve
Sent: Jun 26, 2007 9:15 AM
To: Kresy-Siberia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Re: Still in Siberia???

Hi Rich -

I don't know why your post is not linked here.

You wrote that your contact stated there are "50,000" Poles who were
deported still in Kazakhstan. Did you mean deportees who are still
living and their descendants, who by now could be in the third or
fourth generations?

Regards,
Eve Jankowicz

---

Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the mail, news, photos & more.

I don't know about Russification, but I do know that many, or the
majority, of these people no longer speak Polish. That's a major
stumbling block to going back.

Eve

--- In Kresy-Siberia@..., Anne Kaczanowski
<annekaczanowski@...> wrote:

I remember this discussion a few years ago on site and one answer

of why many of these Polish people were not able to return to free
Poland was that Poland felt they were too "rusified" after so many
years under Russian influence. Yes, I think Poland also should have
done more to repatriate these people. How many can be left of
original deportees resettled against their will? They should all
have been allowed to return as soon as possible. This is a shame
after so many years...so many lives wasted and dreams vanished, but
with the economy being what it is...and Polish politics being what
they are...it is also understandable to a point.

hania

rich widerynski <richpna@...> wrote:
Dear Ewa,
Yes, thank you for the correction. There are aproximately fifty

thousand people of Polish descent, of those deported before or during
WWII, who continue to reside in Kazakstan. Many have expressed a
willingness to return to Poland. Unfortunately the Polish government
has been slow to reach out to this group with serious assistance. I
am certainly aware that Poland is beset with a wide array of
financial challenges but this issue needs attention as well.
Germany as well as other countries have repatriated almost all of
their people. Poland should do the same.

Thanks.
Rich Widerynski



-----Original Message-----
From: Eve
Sent: Jun 26, 2007 9:15 AM
To: Kresy-Siberia@...
Subject: [Kresy-Siberia] Re: Still in Siberia???

Hi Rich -

I don't know why your post is not linked here.

You wrote that your contact stated there are "50,000" Poles who

were

deported still in Kazakhstan. Did you mean deportees who are still
living and their descendants, who by now could be in the third or
fourth generations?

Regards,
Eve Jankowicz











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Dear Ewa,

I would acknowledge that the language barrier is indeed but one stumbling block facing people returning from a foreign land.? If you think about it there a?myriad of issues to deal with. But, if people sincerely feel their Polishness they will adjust.? Just remember how Poles stitched together a unified country after regaining their independence from the three?partitioning powers.

Members of the Polish American Congress of So. CA will have an opportunity to meet with Polish President Kaczynski?on July 17th, 2007.? He will be in California to visit the Reagan Library to posthumously present Mr. Reagan with Poland's highest honor the Order of the White Eagle.? Hopefully this occasion will enable us to discuss this issue with him.

I can't see the language barrier being much of an issue. My Father
has never forgotten the 5 of the 7 languages he learned.

It sould be a choice each person and each family member(born from
them)makes. Where do they want to live? Where does their family want
to live? Even if the one deported has died I feel their children
still have that right.

This was not a vacation resort they were sent to. Today the USA still
looks for our POW's. We don't care about the condition. Is there a
POW list for the ones left behind? If there is, do we have any one
checking on them?

Yes, I will admit at this point I am ignorant to the fate of them. As
I learn more I am outraged, saddened and confused. From my desk in
the States I see small pieces to a puzzle. I think of how frustrating
it must be for the ones that have been trying and are still here.

Something must change for time will not change leaving them behind.

What can I or other do to have more of a voice?

Carol Celinski Dove

Yes, Carol. Your father and mine were skilled in many languages, but
not everyone is so skilled. Language is a major barrier to
immigration in today's world, or in any time period for that matter.
Would I pick up and immigrate to a foreign country now--one where I
did not speak the language? Whoa! Think about it for a minute.
That's a major decision. It's a major decision to move to a foreign
country even when you DO speak the language! Probably many don't
want to leave, and the Poles who have gone back have had major
difficulties.

Think about it. Many of us in this group feel that we belong, or are
stuck at times, between two worlds--that of Poland and our countries
of residence. This is an entirely different scenario where there are
bound to be HUGE problems. Coming back to a country that you were
forced from 67 years ago?

I remember Michael Kulik stating his relatives moved to Poland from
the UK, and they even had major problems with language due to their
Polish "Eastern" accent.

There are many things to be considered and concerned about, but I
agree. Certainly those remaining deportees who wish to be
repatriated should have been LONG GONE FROM THERE.

Regards,
Eve

--- In Kresy-Siberia@..., "Carol Dove" <stashaok@...>
wrote:

I can't see the language barrier being much of an issue. My Father
has never forgotten the 5 of the 7 languages he learned.

It sould be a choice each person and each family member(born from
them)makes. Where do they want to live? Where does their family

want

to live? Even if the one deported has died I feel their children
still have that right.

This was not a vacation resort they were sent to. Today the USA

still

looks for our POW's. We don't care about the condition. Is there a
POW list for the ones left behind? If there is, do we have any one
checking on them?

Yes, I will admit at this point I am ignorant to the fate of them.

As

I learn more I am outraged, saddened and confused. From my desk in
the States I see small pieces to a puzzle. I think of how

frustrating

it must be for the ones that have been trying and are still here.

Something must change for time will not change leaving them behind.

What can I or other do to have more of a voice?

Carol Celinski Dove

Lynda and Carol Celinski Dove

See my latest post as to the number that were still in
USSR/Russia/Gulags/Siberia as of 1944.

About 650,000 were still in that God forsaken place if only 1 million
Poles were deported.

I feel there were at least 1.7 million deported. Even 2 million
deported is not out of the question.

Using a higher number might force the Soviets to release documents that
would prove a smaller number just to shut us up and prove us wrong.
Since they say nothing and will not produce any documents our numbers
must be to small.

Julek