"At that time, Comrade Generalisimus Josef Vissarionovich Stalin died. So, it was terrible then, because they were carrying on about it in such a way that the comrades were crying. They did a lot. And I, unfortunately, had to stand at his bust as a guard of honor, we had to take turns, which was probably the highest disgrace of my life. And then there was a meeting, and it had to be sung, 'Go comrades, up comrades.' And (it probably happened that) the pianist gave the wrong tone, so we didn't sign it in the proper tone and somehow it was ridiculed. The pianist, a pupil, got a C for behavior. And they kicked her out of school. And the rest of us? That was still under investigation. It was such unbelievable terror."
"We were on a walk and it was around the end of the war. We were coming back, my parents with me and my brother. And now the planes were flying very low, and it was the Russians, because they were flying low and in threes. And they shot at us. I saw the fire bullets. It was a short distance from us - they shot at us. We ran into a house near the Slezáks. There were more people, we opened the gates a bit, and we saw the illuminated Hostýn Hills and a lot of parachutes. So, I will not forget this. That was such a strange view."
"Yes, we were required to learn German in the first grade. It was a strange teaching because the teacher said a German sentence and wanted us to repeat it. Which is impossible. It is not possible to teach in this way, especially such small children, it is difficult even for an adult. But this is what he wanted from us. I had a good memory and I always know I repeated it. And until recently, a classmate told me, 'You know, we were happy. You always said it and we were glad to stay out of things.'
"I remember my father listening to London Speaking. And they told me, you can't say it anywhere, they would execute us. The feeling of terrible fear, it persists, you can't get rid of it. And he always said Bruce Lockhard would speak. I didn't understand what they were talking about. My father listened to a foreign radio, I remember, maybe even Paris. Although I didn't understand anything, but I still remember saying they were Isi Pari radio difision France."
Iva Ondráčková was born on May 6, 1937 in Zlín. She grew up in the relative luxury of a well-off teaching family. In her early childhood, she experienced the bombing of her hometown twice, which marked her for the rest of her life. In the autumn of 1944, the family moved with their grandfather to Bystřice pod Hostýnem. In Bystřice, a witness experienced the liberation fights at the end of the WWII. Soon after February 1948, she realized that the new communist regime was incompatible with her convictions. Iva Ondráčková was secretly baptized, which prevented her from a promising teaching career. Although she studied Czech and English at the university, she could not find a teaching position anywhere. Instead of going to the education system, during the period of normalization she had to start as a health care assistant for the minimum wage in the Zlín hospital. Later, in her spare time, she secretly taught English. After 1990, she became an official English teacher at several companies. Even after retiring she devoted herself to teaching languages. In her personal value system, Iva Ondráčková ranked highly her faith in God, which helped her cope up with even the most difficult life situations. She died on December 6th, 2022.
photo: Photo from the filming of the interview in Zlín, June 15, 2020, author: Lukáš Citnar.
Download image
Iva Ondráčková, Zlín, 2020
Iva Ondráčková, Zlín, 2020
photo: A photo from the filming of the interview in Zlín, June 15, 2020, author: Lukáš Citnar.
Download image
Graduation, Iva Ondráčková receives her red diploma - (on the curtain behind her is a large inscription "50 years of the Communist Party"), Brno, summer 1971
Graduation, Iva Ondráčková receives her red diploma - (on the curtain behind her is a large inscription "50 years of the Communist Party"), Brno, summer 1971
Iva Ondráčková with her husband František and the oldest six grandchildren, (Andrea´s children: Bianka, Ariela and Kamil, Noela´s children: Daniel, Laura and Marcel), Zlín, spring 1987
Iva Ondráčková with her husband František and the oldest six grandchildren, (Andrea´s children: Bianka, Ariela and Kamil, Noela´s children: Daniel, Laura and Marcel), Zlín, spring 1987
Iva Ondráčková with the family of her younger daughter when her grandson was married (there is a daughter Noela, her husband Pavel, their children Daniel, Laura, Marcel, Roman, Olivia, Natálie and Eliana, Daniel's newlywed Eva, Laura's husband Bobby with their children Amy and Samuel), Zlín, July 16, 2011
Iva Ondráčková with the family of her younger daughter when her grandson was married (there is a daughter Noela, her husband Pavel, their children Daniel, Laura, Marcel, Roman, Olivia, Natálie and Eliana, Daniel's newlywed Eva, Laura's husband Bobby with their children Amy and Samuel), Zlín, July 16, 2011
Iva Ondráčková, the 80th birthday celebration, in the garden of her house (there is a daughter Andrea with her husband Pavel and their children: Ariela with her husband Matouš and three children, Kamil with her wife Maria and two children and the youngest Miriam, the oldest Bianka and the fourth Viktor are missing. Her daughter Noel and her children: Daniel with his wife and two children, Laura with four children, Marcel with his wife and first daughter, Olivia with her husband, Natálie and Eliana, the fourth Roman is missing), Zlín, May 2017
Iva Ondráčková, the 80th birthday celebration, in the garden of her house (there is a daughter Andrea with her husband Pavel and their children: Ariela with her husband Matouš and three children, Kamil with her wife Maria and two children and the youngest Miriam, the oldest Bianka and the fourth Viktor are missing. Her daughter Noel and her children: Daniel with his wife and two children, Laura with four children, Marcel with his wife and first daughter, Olivia with her husband, Natálie and Eliana, the fourth Roman is missing), Zlín, May 2017
