2007 - Yanina is 89 [born about 1918] and the 2nd oldest women in Kupel. Yanina spoke Polish but tried to communicate in Ukraine. Yanina told us that Kupel is a village of about 300 residences and before 1939 the villagers were mostly Jewish and Polish surrounded by villages of Ukrainians. Yanina said Kupel was a village of artist. "In 1936 Stalin gathered the Polish villagers who were not willing to work the land or considered the 'intelligent' and deported them to Siberia. Very few of the villagers returned to Kupel because Stalin gave them land and did not tax the land in Kazahstan. The reason Stalin gave the land away was because nothing was on the land and Stalin wanted it cultivated. In 1939 Stalin made Kupel a Collective Farm".The village church was originally Catholic, changed to Orthodox and than both shared the premises for awhile. Yanina's son tried to change it back to be used by the Catholic's only but passed away before completing this task. Therefore, the church is currently orthodox. Yanina said she is the last Polish Catholic and a priest has to come from another village. The church was closed for renovation.Yanina's father's name was Kasmir and her brother Tsezas was a war hero. Yanina has lived through two famines."Do you know, that Y. Malinovsky's brother, Cezar Malinovsky, was a Soviet Union Hero, decorated warrior, and I've been told a story, that he came to Kupel after the liberation and killed some German collaborators by hand? "Source: Nina Bolshakova, bnina15@hotmail.com, Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2009
