Video History Archives
Of Jewish Soviet Soldiers
during WW2

Beniamin Frumkin

Born 1922 In Smolensk, Soviet Union.
Interviewed In: Montreal, Quebec
Medals Awarded: Medal For Defense of Moscow, Medal For Capture of Konigsberg, Order of the Red Star, Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class) and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War

“I was so tired of the constant shooting”

Regiment Engineer – Defence Of Moscow, Capture Of Konigsberg, Advisor to North Korean Army.

Beniamin was at military college in Moscow when the war began: “We were sent to the front right away. I was at the front. I had a big position: I was regiment’s engineer, just think of it, I was just a 20 or 19 year old kid. I wasn’t exactly in a trench. I was in an arrears dugout with two trenches in front of me. I remember sitting in a

trench with my white camouflage cloak on, as it was in the winter. It was an active defense on our part. Our goal was to capture a “Yazyk”, a German prisoner who would talk. We spotted a German machine gunner and brought down fire on both sides making sure he couldn’t escape. My sappers made a passage over a mine land surrounded by barbwire.”

After The Defence of Moscow, Beniamin was given more advisory tasks related to his engineering background. He commanded an artillery brigade, supporting a tank unit during The Battle of Konigsberg:

“We accompanied a tank brigade, I was in command of the accompanying company, the platoon commanders were in front. I was with our chief of staff in the tank.”

Beniamin became an advisor to The North Korean Army after the war in Europe:

“As an advisor I was involved in training and instructing them. They had an army, with platoons and companies. They had a personnel arrangement similar to what we had. We trained them how to fight. We had interpreters.”

Beniamin returned to The Soviet Union in 1953. He noticed antisemitism had grown more prevalent but was still able to find work as a department manager at a secret military production facility in Minks. He had to destroy classified documents before immigrating to Israel with his wife and children. They eventually settled in Montreal.

View Other Veterans Interviews

Shelma Mushkat

Born 1919 Sarkovshizno, Poland.
Interviewed In: Toronto, Ontario
Medals Awarded: Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class), Order of Glory, Medal for Defense of Leningrad and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War

Lazar Feldman

May 17, 1924 Minsk, Belarus
Interviewed In: Toronto, Ontario

Grigori Genin

Born March 8th 1924 in Astrakhan, Soviet Union.
Interviewed In: Toronto, Ontario
Medals Awarded: Order of the Patriotic War (1st and 2nd Class), Medal For Defense of Stalingrad, Medal For Victory over Vienna, Medal For Capture of Budapest, Order of the Red Star, Order of Glory, Order of the Red Banner and Victory over Germany In The Great Patriotic War