Based on a true story...
This movie was inspired by the life of a real man named Jakob Seel; based on his experience living under Soviet rule around the time of the
Second World War.
Who was this man?
Born and raised in Ukraine, not only did he witness the upheaval
of the advent of communism, but he watched as, one by one, his freedoms
were taken away from him and his people.
{Photo | Jakob Seel, c. 1917 | Jakob served in the Russian army during the First World War,
prior to the Russian Revolution. This photograph depicts him about 20 years younger than he is portrayed in
our film, 'Under Jakob's Ladder'.}
Jakob's life story is representative of so many others who lived during
Stalinist great purges.
Jakob's German-speaking ancestors had been among those invited to settle in the
Russian territories between the mid-1700s to the early 1800s. The initial
invitation came from Catherine the Great, with subsequent invitations coming
from her son and grandson who ruled after her. Today, Jakob's people are known
as the
Germans from Russia.
One of the initial attractions for settling these lands was exemption from
military service offered by Catherine the Great. However, by the time of World
War I, this pledge was revoked. While certain Germans from Russia emigrated at
that time out of the Russian/Ukrainian territories, Jakob's family were among
those who remained. Subsequently, Jakob fought in the Russian army against the
Kaiser during the first World War.
But then came the upheavals of the Russian Revolution.
{Photo | Marta, c. 1937 | Jakob's granddaughter. This is part of a family photo taken in the 1930s, prior to when Marta's
father and grandfather were taken to prison by the Soviet government. You can
read an interview with the real Marta.}
Communist rule was established, and by the time Stalin came to power, life in
Ukraine was drastically altered.
Jakob, a teacher/preacher in his village, was removed from his positions. All
churches were shut down (and many were turned into granaries). Little by little,
their freedoms began to disappear...
Then, in the late 1930s, Stalin began his political purges. Pitting neighbor
against neighbor, even children were enticed to turn in their parents. Men were
carted off by the truckloads to face false accusations imprisonment, exile, and
death.
The secret police would always come at night in a vehicle that was nicknamed the
Black Raven. Men became scarce in the villages. It wasn't long before Jakob
himself was arrested -- after praying a simple prayer at a funeral.
Most of what we know about Jakob and his family comes from oral tradition. The
movie is intended as a tribute to the many thousands of German-Russians from the
Soviet Territories who did not survive the Stalinist purges. It is also offered
as a reminder of the courage of those people who did.
