This recording is a formal interview with Moyshe Smelanskii, born in Smila. (Part 1 of 5. See MDV 491, MDV 492, MDV 493, and MDV 494) The interview is conducted at the Brodsky Synagogue. At the very beginning, Smelanskii discusses Yiddish schools. He graduated after seven grades. Afterward, students moved on to either Russian or Ukrainian schools. Until 1941, there were seven synagogues in Smile.

Then the conversation turns to his large family and early childhood memories of Jewish Smila. He then talks about Smila before and after the war. He worked as a mechanic. Smelanskii then discusses his service in the Red Army. He fought on the front for four years and was wounded twice. He stayed in the Red Army until 1948. He started to fight in the infantry as a regular soldier in 1941. He was then promoted to the artillery division. He went through Donbas (Donetskiy Basseyn) and the Caucasus. On the way back his division passed through the Caucasus, where he was wounded for the second time. He moved to Kyiv in the 1980s. The conversation moves to prewar cultural and religious life in Smila. In particular, they discuss Klezmer musicians, weddings, and synagogues.

They then talk about relations between Jews and non-Jews. Particularly, he remembers a Ukrainian priest who knew all Jewish children in the neighborhood. He asked them to pick apples in his orchard. Moreover, Smelanskii remembers whenever the priest met a Jew on the street he took a bow. The conversation turns to Smelanskii’s earliest childhood memories, before he talks about how his father participated in rebuilding Jewish life in Smila after the war. Smelanskii’s father returned from evacuation and collected money in order to to build a small synagogue. After the synagogue was shut down by the Soviets, the community had to obtain permission to gather a minyan. They had to submit a list with the adult participants. The tape concludes with Smelanskii discussing holidays and religious customs.