Introduction
Sonya Klionsky Bogod was an invisible link between many Klionskys scattered throughout the Soviet Union. She kept in touch with Donya Klionsky and his family in Baku, as well as with other Klionsky families in Leningrad and Minsk. This article is composed from the memories of the people who knew her well and who will always remember her as a warm, witty and caring person.
Early Life
Born Sofia Klionsky in Borisov in 1896, she was the second child and the oldest daughter of Mendel "Mark" and Perla Klionsky. In 1904, her family moved to Baku, Azerbaijan. During the "Oil Boom" period (1885 to 1915), Baku was a land of opportunity with almost no prejudicial attitudes or policies towards Jews. At that time, Baku was producing more than 50 percent of the world's supply of oil, even more than America.
Mendel became involved in the oil business and prospered. The family leased an entire floor with many rooms in one of the large, three-story houses in the center of Baku. The oldest daughters, Louba and Sofia, had a housemaid from Scotland. From her, Sofia learned flawless English, a skill that would greatly help her later in her life. Unlike the rest of Imperial Russia, there were no educational admission restrictions for the Jews in Baku, so the daughters of Mendel could go to a regular Russian public school.
In 1912, at the age of 16, Sofia met a very handsome man named Abraham Bogod. It was love at first sight. Even though her parents opposed the match, Sofia married him that same year. Although Mendel was unhappy with his daughter’s choice, he paid for the newlyweds' honeymoon: in 1913, the couple took a luxury cruise to Germany, Belgium and other countries. As it turned out, this would be the only time Sofia ever spent abroad.
Sofia and Abraham had two children: Leonid (1913-1982) and Alexander (1917-1990?).
World War I and the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia completely changed the family’s way of life. In 1920, the Bolsheviks took power in Baku and Mendel entirely lost his businesses. Correctly reading the hopelessness of the situation, Mendel and Perla decided to emigrate out of the Soviet Union. After some debate on destinations --- either New York, where Mendel's older brother Barnet lived, or Tel Aviv, where Perla's brother was ---they decided to settle in Palestine. But not everyone was ready or able to join them.
Sofia's husband Abraham did not want to leave; moreover, he would not have been allowed to leave because he was less than 40 years old and considered draftable into the military by the Soviet authorities. So, while Sofia stayed behind with her husband, sons and youngest sister Esther, the rest of the family left Baku circa 1924 and emigrated to Palestine (Esther was enrolled in a local college and thought to join them later in Palestine).
Life in Soviet Russia
Only two years later, a bitter divorce with Abraham and no marketable profession left Sofia in a difficult situation. She opened a home kitchen, but that business failed. Eventually, she was accepted as an English teacher at the same school she had attended in her youth. The salary, however, was meager. Fortunately, Sofia had some jewelry from better times she was able to exchange for food at the “Torgsin" stores*.
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Meanwhile, life in the 1930s was becoming increasingly difficult for another reason. The 'Iron Curtain' had descended, not to be lifted again until well after Sofia’s death. The country had become obsessed with finding foreign spies. All contacts with people abroad became dangerous. The year 1931 was the last officially mailed letter Sofia received from her family in Tel Aviv.
In the late 1930s, another wave of 'cleansings' started. Anyone who had a background other than peasant or worker was looked upon suspiciously, and the loyalty of the “elites” to the Soviet State was constantly under suspicion. Those who did not “fit” were frequently sent to jail or just shot without trial. Sofia was a popular English teacher at her school and thus became the ideal target. Fortunately, the principal of the school where she taught was the wife of the Chief Officer of the Baku KGB. She saved Sofia by personally intervening in her behalf to stop investigations about her. And she helped her not once, but on several occasions.
1964, an article appeared in a national newspaper about the young artist Marc Klionsky of Leningrad. While in Baku, Sofia read the article and asked another relative named Mark, son of Donya Klionsky of Baku but living at that time in Leningrad, to investigate. The two Marks met and had a very interesting conversation, during which an old family connection was reestablished. In later years, Sofia was able to travel to different parts of the Soviet Union to visit her distant Klionsky relatives. Sofia became close with the artist's father, Wulf "Lev" Klionsky, and his extended family. These included uncles and cousins living in Minsk: Grisha [Gershen] Klionsky, Max [Yankel-Mordukh] Klionsky, and Polina Klionsky.
Sofia secretly went to the Baku synagogue on the principal Jewish holidays and remained friends with the synagogue caretaker. Eventually, the synagogue became the only lifeline connecting her with her family in Israel.
Sofia's eldest son, Leonid, like his grandfather Mendel, became an oil equipment engineer in Baku. The younger son, Alexander, joined the Soviet army, became a military prosecutor and later a military construction manager. In the late 1930s, Alexander had to officially denounce his grandparents, uncles and aunts in Israel in order to survive. Because of that, Sofia had to destroy every letter she had received from Palestine.
Sofia's grandchildren and great-grandchildren now live in Israel and Russia:
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Leonid's son Vladimir "Vova" lives in Israel.
Vova's son Alexander lives in Russia and his daughter Sofia lives in Israel.
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Leonid's daughter Natalia lives in St. Petersburg, Russia with her son Mikhail.
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Alexander's older son Igor (1942-1985) died young in Israel; his son Vadim and daughter Ilana live in Israel.
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Two of Alexander's offspring, Alexander and Tatiana and their children, live in Russia.
The following people contributed to this article: Vladimir "Vova" Bogod of Bat Yam, Israel, Yulia Sinitsyn of Baku-Brooklyn, NY, Lena Sinitsyn & Misha Sapozhnikov of Fair Lawn, NJ and our webmaster dad Mark Klionsky of St Petersburg, Russia.
*The very name of these special stores meant “Business or Commerce with Foreigners,” which was shortened to "Torgsin", the Russian abbreviation. Groups of hungry people stood at the entrance to the Torgsin stores, which were full of every kind of food. But one had to have gold, silver or foreign currency to exchange for any of these foods. In these stores, Sofia purchased food for her family by parting with her earrings, brooches, rings and anything she had of value.
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