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Postov: One Way--Do Not Enter

We approached Postov. I tried to imagine how Postov would look. No images surfaced. Now anxious, I wondered why I thought that this pilgrimage would be a good idea. Postov was the place our family had left. Were we returning to a place which we would be best off leaving behind? Our road passed through other villages. We glared tensely through the car windows. None of us could speak. Many thoughts preoccupied our minds. We were each engaged in dialogue with our expectations.

There were no guidebooks. We depended upon Shifra to be our guide to the sights of Postov. She felt a heavy responsibility for she had instigated this pilgrimage. No one we knew had gone back to Postov. Shifra felt increasing anxiety that she would be called upon to supply information from memory that she didn't have. She reminded us that she was returning to a town which had inevitably changed vastly since she had left it in 1939. Even Postov should have changed in these 54 years. Her memories were that of an eleven-year-old child with only vague recollections. She did not want us to be disappointed.

We were surprised by a civil sign that announced that we were arriving in Postov, the road funneled on to a small iron bridge which emptied into the center of our village. The first we saw of Postov was a "Do Not Enter" sign positioned infront of the town square. Shifra remembered how peasants would bring their crops and wares to market twice a week. It had undergone some renovation and now formed a park and war memorial, complete with an impressive statue of Lenin. This dominating figure remains erect in Postov even though we saw bare pedestals in other cities where statues of Lenin had been recently removed. Clearly, in the present post-U.S.S.R. world, Postov is not on the cutting edge of political change.

[Editors Note: Charlotte's story continues through a series of 14 photographs with captions.]

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