David Kushnir was born in 1920 in Rybnitsa (Rîbnița; then in Ukraine; now part of the breakaway state of Transnistria in Moldova). At the age of nine, he began to attend a seven-year Yiddish school. Four years later, it was reorganized into a Ukrainian-language one. After finishing school in 1936, David briefly worked as a technician's assistant, before moving to Odessa. There, he enrolled in a specialized Jewish technical school, which used Yiddish as the language of instruction. However, because of the lack of dormitory space, he was forced to quit the school and return to his hometown. He worked as a technician until 1940.
Although the Kushnir family was not particularly religious, they still observed the Jewish traditions. David's father worked in a cobbler's workshop; his mother was a homemaker. The family had three children. David's brother was also a technician, while his sister worked as a nurse. The siblings would recall their devout grandfather, who was zealous about his prayers. Jews made up a significant percentage of the population of Rybnitsa, and many of them were attached to their traditions, to various degrees.
In 1940, David was drafted into the Red Army and stationed in Novograd Volynsky, Ukraine. In June 1941, on the eve of the Soviet-German War, the young soldiers of his unit were undergoing summer training. Suddenly, they found themselves thrust into active warfare. Following the Nazi invasion, David Kushnir assumed leadership of his unit. Along with other Soviet forces, they retreated to Lutsk (Luck), which had become part of Soviet Ukraine after the annexation of the eastern Polish territories by the USSR in 1939. During the retreat, David briefly lost his way and fell behind his division. Although he eventually caught up with it, his platoon commander accused him of attempted desertion. His fellow soldiers interceded on his behalf, persuading the commander that David's transgression was not severe.
Shortly afterward, Kushnir was wounded in action for the first time. After 1.5 months in a hospital, he joined the 51st Division of the 9th Army, and engaged in reconnaissance work. The Nazi troops kept advancing, forcing the Red Army to retreat toward Kharkov. David Kushnir took part in the ensuing battles, which were grueling, with the intensity of the fighting being matched by the freezing winter temperatures, scarce food, and inadequate clothing.
Amidst a series of battles, the 9th Army was encircled by the Nazis, and the 51st Division was tasked with covering the retreat of other troops. Realizing the hopelessness of further resistance, the surviving soldiers tried to escape from the encirclement. David hid in a haystack for a night, and was discovered by the Nazis the following morning. He joined a group of some 600-800 fellow prisoners from his division. They were marched to a makeshift POW camp, which had a special section set off for Jewish captives. It was located in a large shell crater. Daily executions of Jewish prisoners took place there. David adopted the Russian-sounding alias "Pyotr Golin," yet he remained wary of being exposed by his fellow soldiers.
He managed to conceal his Jewish identity for a while, and then managed to escape. Local villagers provided him with food, clothing, and directions toward the frontline. Alone, he wandered for a month and a half, until he reached the Don River. He was able to cross it with the help of some fishermen, and reached the frontline zone. Guided by a local resident, David navigated his way to the Soviet units. Following an investigation (like any other Soviet soldier who had come out of enemy encirclement, he was automatically suspected of being a German spy and a traitor to the Motherland), he was cleared of suspicions and assigned to the Caucasus Front, which was defending the southern regions of the USSR. During his service there, he had the good fortune to save his regiment's banner, and this feat earned him an award and a promotion to rifle unit commander. After another injury, he briefly returned home to Rybnitsa, which had recently been liberated. He learned that his family had survived, thanks to the protection of villagers from a neighboring community. His town had been part of the Romanian-occupied Transnistria Governorate, and the local Jews had a much better chance of survival than their counterparts in the German-occupied territories.
After this brief visit, David rejoined the Red Army in Poland. He took part in the crossing of the Oder River, and met V-E Day in Berlin. In 1945, Lieutenant David Kushnir was awarded the Order of the Red Star. He was discharged from the army in 1948.
