“My family moved to Estonia after 1940. My parents were hard-working and I was born in Narva and loved the country very much. It was really hard for me to understand why me and my family, who moved as part of Stalin’s forced labour transfers, were held responsible for the political changes which took place 40 years before I was born,” says Iserlis, whose family eventually left Estonia for Israel in 1996.

“It was during my last few visits to Estonia, that I noticed the divide among many of my friends in Narva. On the one hand they were enjoying the advantages of the economical transition, but on the other hand, they were angry at the Estonian government for the processes that the country was going through.”

Over a hundred photos from Iserlis’s school days in Narva, unearthed by curator Karin Leivategija, are currently on display at the Estonian National Museum as part of an exhibition of archive materials from 90s Estonia.These rare images show the students of Narva Pahklimae Gimnasium. Some are still living in Narva, while most have moved abroad in USA, Russia, England, Ireland, Finland, and other parts of Europe.