Trapped in Russia

On a December evening in 1931, a twelve-year-old boy leaves his familiar life behind as he and his family sail out of New York Harbor on the first leg of their journey to the Soviet Union. His immigrant parents joined thousands of Americans who had been lured by Stalin's promises of plentiful jobs in a country not affected by the Great Depression. It proved to be a tragic decision. Years later that boy would tell his children a few stories about his youth, but no one asked him about the details of those years living in Russia. After his death, his daughter began to piece together the puzzle of her father’s life. She made it her mission to learn what horrors his family suffered in Russia and the role her dad played in bringing them home. Genealogy research was the key to unlocking the story of her unusual family history.“Trapped in Russia” is the story of that boy, Marty, written by his daughter, Karen. It was originally published as “Do Svidanya Dad.”