Nina Postica, a former deportee to Siberia, and her family go to visit her brother and mother in her parents’ home village of Nemteni on the border with Romania for Pastele Blajinilor, an orthodox portion of the Easter celebration where families go to the gravesites of loved ones with food wine and offerings, blessing the gravesites with their memories.
Nina’s family was deported to Tyumen, Russia, in Western Siberia, in 1941 during the first wave of deportations in Moldova. The first wave of deportations was aimed at intellectuals and political disidents and ranged from 1939 until 1941. The second wave was directed at economically higher casts of people and took place in the late 1940’s.
Nina’s father was sent to the gulag from which he was later released and joined his family in Tyumen after Stalin’s death. Nina was born in Tyumen shortly after her father’s return.
When remembering what happened to her and her family, Nina says, “May this never repeat… May future generations never go through such unjust events… For this for was an injustice… an injustice… May it never happen again…”
“So few of us remain… From those who were taken away… Who were so wrongfully taken away. They should give them justice!” Says Nina.
Nina lives with her husband, Ion, who was also deported with his family at the age of 3.
