"We invested a million dollars in Belarus." 94-year-old Nadzeya Zaprudnik — about her love for the country, life during World War II, and the trials of Belarusians

Currently, Mrs. Nadzeya lives in a nursing home in New Jersey. At 94 years old, she remains a person who, despite trials, repeats her life's motto: "Forward!" In an interview with Belsat, she shared how to live to such an age, recalled her memories of the war, and offered advice to young people.

Nadzeya was born in 1932 in the Polesian village of Lutouye (Zhitkovichi district). There were 8 children in the family; four passed away at an early age. The Rahalevich family met the war in their native village, and in 1943, they moved to Zhitkovichi. In 1944, Nadzeya, her brother Mikhal, his wife, and seven children went to Germany, where until 1950 they lived in displaced persons camps in the American zone of influence. After that, they all moved together to the USA, settling in Pennsylvania.

"Not 'Bela-Russia,' as they say, but we taught them to say 'Belarus' — that is the pride of our emigration"

— Your husband, historian and publicist Yanka Zaprudnik, and you invested a lot of money in the Belarusian cause — you helped publish books, paid for students' education, and supported people in Belarus. Why was this so important to you?

— When you look at all this, it was simply a pity. We had the opportunity; we worked. We were people who, as they say, were giving away. When my husband once calculated a bit between us (we don't boast about what we've done), it turned out we had given about a million dollars to Belarus. Whenever we went to any country, especially to Belarus, it was always with help.

Once Yanka said: "Well, you take ten thousand and I'll take ten thousand, and we'll distribute it." We returned home. I said: "Well, how much do you have left?" He said: "Empty pockets." I said: "Oh, then I'm better off! At least we can have coffee on the way; I saved two hundred dollars."

— Your brother Mikhal had seven children; they were with you during the occupation, and in Germany when you were in the American zone of influence, and later — in the USA. You practically raised them.

— Yes, the Germans took us to work in Germany. I joined my brother. It was necessary to help. Many of them have already passed away. But I have grandchildren and great-grandchildren here. And I'm very happy that they know who they are.

I've lived to ninety-four years, and it would seem it's time to depart, but I still want to do something. Although my strength is no longer what it used to be. It's hard for me to walk, but every Sunday I go to church, and I'm happy about that. I used to sing in the choir, so now I quietly join them... They sing in the choir loft, and I quietly pray below. And that's such a push forward for me. As Yanka always used to say: "Forward! Forward!" And I tell myself: "Forward!"

Where I live, all the people are very mixed — such an international community. And it got to the point where we made them understand who we are. Not "Bela-Russia," as they say, but we taught them to say "Belarus," "Belarusian." And that is the pride of our emigration.

Павялічыць

"I'm planning a trip by car"

— How to live to 94 years old? What is the secret to your longevity?

— Don't be lazy. I have character; I'm quick. I don't like sitting still. Time is, as an acquaintance once said, money. But it's not about money; it's that I have an innate character to help people. Even now, I walk, I go outside, although it's very cold. I have so much energy that I can't sit still. I read — I read a lot. It pleases me. I don't complain. When they ask me: "How are you?", I say: "Fine!" Even though my back aches. But why should I complain?

— What are your living conditions like in the nursing home in South River? Are you well cared for?

— Oh, yes! There's a doctor — comes once a week, checks on us. Our own kitchen, a large restaurant. The menu is very diverse. And it's clean everywhere, endlessly clean. If someone coughs, they immediately put on a mask so it doesn't spread. Of course, people have complaints, because nobody wants to be here. But no one forced anyone to come here — they chose it themselves. And there's always the possibility to change.

I used to drive a car; now I've paused a bit — the battery died. But an acquaintance came and fixed it. I think, maybe in a couple of weeks, when the weather changes, I'll go somewhere. Although these are just dreams for now. But I don't complain.

— You drive a car at 94 years old?

— Yes. I don't drive on big roads where trucks travel; I drive on quiet roads.

Павялічыць

"The Carters worked for the people, built houses for the poor, helped however they could"

— Why did you decide to move to the USA specifically in 1950? Many, for example, went to Australia.

— All of Europe, one could say, was open to us, but, I don't know, my brother chose America. My brother said: "If no help is found anywhere, we'll stay in Germany." But then this step happened — Christian people in Pennsylvania helped us. They didn't know us at all, but they took us in, gave us a small house in the village. And we were very happy to have come to America. Because we knew that here we could gather ourselves and get back on our feet.

And to other countries… We understood that we wouldn't manage. With such a large family, ten people — who would take us?

We sailed to the USA from Germany on a military ship. We arrived at the station — and there, a man in a car was supposed to pick us up and take us to Pennsylvania. He clutched his head: so many people couldn't fit at once; he had to make two trips.

— You lived through nine US presidents. Which of them did you like?

— They were all good. Only one fool is sitting there now! I can't stand him.

I liked Kennedy. He was energetic; he said: "What you do, that you will be able to do as a citizen." That was his slogan. And I saw him very close, even greeted him here somehow. I liked Obama. Young! Carter was very calm. I know how they took care of his wife in her old age. She — excuse me — would go to the restroom, and they'd say: "Mrs. Carter, are you okay? Are you okay?" They'd run after her like crazy. Once she put on a wig, took the keys, drove off in the car — and that was it! Panic: Mrs. Carter is gone! Someone stole her! But she just escaped from that life herself.

The Carters worked for the people, built houses for the poor, helped however they could. I like people like that.

"The Germans, at times, would come to the house and say: 'Mother, egg?', 'Mother, bread?' — they would ask, but if a Russian came — he wouldn't ask."

— You write in your book 'My Odyssey from Belarus to America' that in Germany, immediately after the war, in the spring of 1946, when an American truck came to transfer you from one camp to another, you rode in it, raising the white-red-white flag. Did you always have it with you?

— Oh, yes, yes! I never went anywhere without the flag. There was a very diverse crowd in that camp — many Poles. You should have seen those Poles: "Look, look who's coming!" — they said. They brought us to Ettlingen. There were barracks there where Ukrainians lived, and they didn't want to accept us. My brother went to look for Belarusians in the camp and met Vasil Rahulya. They finally accepted us; it turned out that Poles also lived there. We stayed there for a couple of months, then we were moved to Herrenberg, where Belarusians and Russians mostly lived. That's when religious life became very important to us. But we also lived there until the autumn of 1946. After that — Mainleus, Giebelstadt…

— What memories do you have of the Nazi occupation?

— Partisans appeared very quickly. And if someone praises partisans today, for me, that's a very, very bad tribute. They completely stripped my house bare. Then the Germans decided that the partisans had to be driven out of the forest. I myself was among the partisans; they put me in reconnaissance. Well, and then it began… they took people away, burned things. And at that moment, you don't think about anything: where to run, what to do. You just go. It's as if your mind is no longer your own. There's something else in your head. The Germans, at times, would come to the house and say: "Mother, egg?", "Mother, bread?" — they would ask. If a Russian came — he wouldn't ask. He could simply shoot you. Like they wanted to shoot my father. One day, two young men came, asking to be shown the way to a village that had already been burned down. I understood they wanted to take my father away like that, and I started begging them not to touch him.

I begged them off. "Pity the child," they said. After that, he no longer slept in the house; he was in the forest, so they wouldn't come for him again.

We were very helpless, in constant fear. But fear changes over time. You think: well, if they kill me, they kill me. And that's that.

Павялічыць

"Before the war, there were no big tears — and that was good"

— Did you experience hunger during the war?

— No, only when we got to Germany, then we starved. They brought us and settled four families in one room. And all the children were with me. My brother's wife went to work, and my brother too. What can you give children if there's nothing? They'd bring soup, and that was it.

Sometimes I would escape to the city; the wire fence was cut. And you know what — the city itself was starving. I knocked, wanting them to give me something there, and they called me "schweine" ('pig' or 'bastard'). The city was just rubble. Everything was broken, everything destroyed. But somehow, we managed. They'd bring twelve pieces of bread for ten people — and then what? You had to divide it.

— What did the Germans say about the war after it ended? Did you talk to them?

— It felt like they knew about the guilt for this war. But not all of them were like that; many just kept silent. Some felt regret — they also suffered. War, bombs, shootings, fires, the destruction of all this — that is not God's grace. Unfortunate people fell victim to it.

— What were your thoughts when you learned about the war in Ukraine?

— Terrible, because, firstly, Lukashenka launched a rocket there. We were very worried and are worried now. In church, they somehow collected for Ukrainian children. They send packages there for children. I participate as much as I can, what more can you do?..

— What do you remember from your childhood and youth with particular warmth? What is most precious to you?

— Picking mushrooms! Polesia is rich, marshy. And the most beautiful thing is cranberries. I loved picking them very much because they were in the water, so my hands stayed clean.

Before the war, there were no big tears — and that was good. My mother was a very good homemaker, and I was very close to her. Wherever mom went, I went too. And now, when you look back, so many years have passed, everything seems mixed up… And sometimes you think: where did it all go? Our life is like a boat in the middle of the sea.

Павялічыць

"It will be a great tragedy if we do not fight"

— Can you list the figures who shaped your Belarusian identity?

— The intelligentsia. My first husband and I got married in church. And my mother prayed, but she told me: "Just not aloud, because the walls hear." It was forbidden, you see. But when a person is told they can't do something, they'll do the opposite. When I was at school, there was a monument to Lenin. And the teacher would say in front of it: "Repeat after me, that there is no God." And I clenched my fists and — "There is, there is, there is!" It's impossible to throw out when you're given that foundation from childhood.

— Do you believe that Belarus, which is currently enduring so many trials, will still prevail?

— Yes. It will be a great tragedy if we do not fight. I don't know how this will end, but, as they say, you must do — as much as you can. It's terrible that people are being pressured, stifled. Those who are coming here now, the newcomers, are often indifferent because they've lost hope that anything can be achieved. But I believe it will happen. God grant it.

— Why are Belarusians sent such trials?

— So they know they need to pray to God. To be grateful for what you have, and for what you can still have. Giving up won't help. You need to believe in God, in His might and strength. I believe in this, because if not for prayer, I don't know if I could have survived all of this in my life. You pray — and it becomes easier. And hope appears that things will get better.

Павялічыць

— And what advice would you give to young people, young Belarusians? What life lesson would you impart?

— Take my neighbors, for example — they have two daughters, grandchildren. And you know what? Their grandchildren speak Belarusian! In their house, they celebrate Kalyady (Christmas), Kutsia (Christmas Eve supper) — everything as it should be. When they call me, I hear: "Nadzeya, how are you there?" — and the conversation begins in Belarusian. They live not far, but far from our church to come often. But they talk about how fascinated they are, how beautiful it is to them, how important it is to them. But there aren't many like that, of course. There are also those who say: "Well, I'm Belarusian — and that's the end of it." But there's youth, especially at the church in New York — very good, conscious. They maintain these churches. We just had Kalyady — the choir sang, the church was full of people. So what more could you wish for?

— Did you ever think you would return to live in Belarus?

— Yes. After all, it's my homeland… But it's too difficult now; my strength isn't the same. And secondly — I've already lived longer in America than in Belarus. And starting anew there, at this age — no longer. They've tormented us all enough. I will be buried in America.

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