Sonia Shraga

Sonia Shraga, 1944

A page of the Yiddish ballad "The Soviet Artillery Officer Sonia Shraga" by Moyshe Teyf

Sonia Shraga was born into a Jewish family in the village of Plosko, Ukraine in 1920. Her work, along with members of her family in the fields of the local collective farm (kolkhoz), was highly appreciated. In 1938, after graduating from agricultural college, Sonia married Mikhail Rabinovich, a young Jewish journalist, and soon the couple moved to Stanislawów, part of the Polish territory that was annexed to the USSR in 1939.

When the war broke out on June 22, 1941, Sonia was a student in the history department of Stanislawów University. On the same day that her husband departed for the front with the rank of captain she volunteered to join the Red Army. While serving as a combat nurse with the 50th Infantry Division, along with other combat medics, Sonia rescued several dozen wounded Soviet soldiers from enemy fire and gave them first aid. She also served as a signal operator on the front lines. A member of the Communist Party since 1942, she served as deputy to the battery's political commissar (politruk), often leading the battery's soldiers in battle. After she completed a training course, due to her courage Sonia Shraga was appointed commander of an artillery battery. In May 1942, during the second battle of Kharkov, the artillery battery under her command was encircled and under heavy fire from German tanks. Despite the fact that her battery was outgunned, Sonia managed to hold out by destroying German tanks until reinforcements arrived. In June the whole artillery regiment in which she was serving was surrounded by Werhmacht troops. Shraga succeeded in leading dozens of her soldiers out of encirclement and rejoining the Red Army.

On November 23, 1942, during the battle of Voroshilovgrad, Sonia was severely wounded while riding on horseback to an observation post. She lost her left hand and her right hand was severely crippled. After being released from the hospital, Sonia was appointed commander of a mortar battery that provided professional retraining for Soviet soldiers who were not able to return to the battlefield.

On January 17, 1943 Sonia Shraga was decorated with the Order of the Red Star and, later, with the order of the Red Banner. She was also awarded the For the Defense of Stalingrad medal.

In the course of the war Sonia Shraga fought in an number of places on the Southeastern Front: in the areas of Kharkov, the Don, Kursk, Voronezh, and Stalingrad.

In 1944, while learning English at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages, Sonia was informed that her husband, then a colonel, had been killed during the battle of Minsk. About that time she also found out that her parents, brother, and sister with her four little children were killed in June 1942 by the Germans near the town of Slavuta, Ukraine. An article by Mira Aizenshtadt published in Yiddish on December 28, 1944 in Eynikayt (the newspaper of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee) described Sonia's grief at the loss of her family:

"Sonia can't talk about it…. She starts crying bitterly…

- My sister had such [good] children…. And she herself was such a beauty…. And my dear mother was such a gentle woman… and [almost] all of them were shot to death by machine-gun fire … afterwards [those who were still] alive [i.e. only wounded] were thrown into the grave. I can't forget this day or night…."

Apparently during the first years after the war, the Soviet Yiddish poet Moyshe Teyf wrote the poem "Der artillerist Sonye Shrage" It was published in Eynikayt on November 25, 1947."

The Ballad about Sonia Shraga Written by Moyshe Teyf

Moyshe Teyf (1904 - 1966) was a Soviet Yiddish poet who served as an artillery soldier in the Red Army during World War II. Teyf was arrested twice: in 1937 (he was released in 1941); the second time was in 1951 (he was released after the death of Stalin). Many of his poems dealt with the fate of Jews during the war, including those who were murdered in the Holocaust.

Moyshe Teif The Soviet Artillery Officer Sonia Shraga	משה טייף דער אַרטילעריסט סאָניע שראַגע
It is a cold morning On the field of battle, The stars Are fading in the sky, While under canvas Heavy cannons Stand unmoving And silent…	אַ קאַלטער פֿרימאָרגן קומט אָן אויפֿן שלאַכט-פֿעלד, די שטערן אין הימל פֿאַרלאָשן, און אונטער ברעזענטן די שווערע האַרמאַטן פֿאַרגליווערטע שטייען אָן לשון...
Then suddenly … Sleepy faces overed with pine needles Appear in a hurry, As if emerging from the ground, Wearing helmets and with Dew on their army coats.	און פּלוצלינג... ווי גלײַך פֿון דער ערד וואַקסן אויס, באַשאָטן מיט נאָדלער פֿון יעלן, פֿאַרשלאָפֿענע פּנימער... אײַליקע טײַט... אין קאַסקעס, מיט טוי אויף שינעלן.
Sha! Be quiet! Not a word is heard. Every soldier has already Taken up his position. In the dugout At the field telephone There waits A young woman, The commander of the battery.	שאַ. שטיל. מע הערט ניט קיין וואָרט. ס'האָט יעדער סאָלדאַט שוין פֿאַרנומען זײַן אָרט. עס וואַרט אין זעמליאַנקע באַם פֿעלד-אַפּאַראַט. אַ מיידל. אַ קאָמבאַט.
In cotton pants, In calf-skin boots, Soft and light as a feather… Peeking out from her cap Are thick locks of curls – From them one could weave Threads of silk!	אין הויזן וואַטאָווע, אין כראָמעווע שטיוול, ווייכע און לײַכט ווי אַ פֿעדער... פֿון אונטער פּילאָטקע – קרויזן געדיכטע, כאָטש שפּין פֿון זיי זײַדענע פֿעדעם!
Her eyes, lilac-colored Like two festive purple Cherries, shine Gently - those of a child! Her cheeks are red Like velvet apples. This young woman Radiates health.	פֿון אויגן עס בליצן צוויי פֿײַערלעך-קאַרשן, אַ בעזעלע – קינדעריש –מילד! עס שפּילט אויף די באַקן פֿון עפּל דער סאַמעט – אַ מיידל, בלוט און מילך!
On her little desk There is a white Piece of cardboard With dozens of pencil sketches, For six sleepless nights She noted And marked Precise targets For firing at.	עס ליגט אויף איר טישל אַ ווײַסער קאַרטאָן מיט צענדליקער צײַכן פֿון בלײַער, זעקס שלאָפֿלאָזע נעכט געמאָלטן, געגרייט דעם פּינקטלעכן ציל פֿאַר איר פֿײַער.
Every bush, Every tree, Every hill that she sees – There are located The enemy's positions.	יעדער קוסט, יעדער בוים, יעדעס בערגל זי זעט, אָט איז ער – דער פֿײַנטלעכער לאַגער,
Only the captain from Munich Didn't know he was Being observed by Sonia Shraga!	נאָר ס'ווייס ניט פֿון מינכען דער הער קאַפּיטאַן, אז ס'קוקט אויף אים – סאָניע שראַגע!
Far from her, in a dug-out, With two bottles of cognac, Reclined this captain and Snored with pleasure.	דאָרט ווײַט אין בלינדאַזש, באַ צוויי פֿלעשער קאָניאַק, ליגט דער הער קאַפּיטאַן און ער כראָפּעט געשמאַק.
Suddenly There was a call! Two words over the telephone, "Sonia, now!"	און פּלוצלינג אַ קלונג! און אין טעלעפֿאָן צווי ווערטער געציילטע: "סאָניע, הייב אָן!"
The sound of whistling was heard! And her cheeks turned red. The sound of whistling was heard! Fire and death followed.	אַ פֿײַף מיטן פֿײַפֿל! די באַקן צינדן זיך רויט. א פֿײַף מיטן פֿײַפֿל! פֿײַער, טויט.
She looked through her binoculars: The sky was afire. She looked through her binoculars: Heads and arms were flying.	זי קוקט אין בינאָקל: דער הימל ברענט. זי קוקט אין בינאָקל: קעפּ פֿליען און הענט.
The captain, That sly Swabian, Is now a prisoner At our headquarters.	דער הער קאפּיטאַן, דער פֿאַרביסענער שוואַב. אַ געפֿאַנגענער זיצט בײַ אונדז אין שטאַב.
Submissively, in a low voice, He addresses a question To a colonel, "Who hit the target So accurately?"	ער פֿרעגט דעם פּאָלקאָווניק הַכנעהדיק-שטיל: ווער האָט אַזוי פּינקטלעך געטראָפֿן אין ציל?
The colonel laughs and says, "'That one is standing right next to you, The person who sent you 'Presents' across the river."	ער לאַכט דער פּאָלקאָווניק: ער שטייט לעבן אײַך! ער האָט אײַך מתּנות געשיקט איבער טײַך.
Attempting to appear polite Before us at our headquarters, That false and petty soul, That sly Swabian,	די פֿאַלשע נשמה, דער פֿאַרביסענער שוואַב, וויל העפֿלעכטקײַט ווײַזן באַ אונדז אין שטאַב.
Stood up and Started to extend his hand, But suddenly his face Turned white as a wall.	ער טוט זיך אַ הויב. וויל דערלאַנגען זײַן האַנט. נאָר פּלוצלינג זײַן פּנים ווערט ווײַס ווי די וואַנט.
Two Jewish eyes Were staring at him, And a Jewish voice Ripped into his heart,	צוויי ייִדישע אויגן קוקן אויף אים, עס שנײַדט אים אין האַרצן אַ ייִדישע שטים.
"I will answer your question, Mr. Captain. Remember it forever– That person was Sonia Shraga!" From: GARF 8114-1-185, copy YVA JM/26153.	"איך ענטפֿער אײַך, הער קאַפּיטאַן, אויף דער פֿראַגע – געדענקט און אויף אייביק: סאָניע שראַגע!"