I do not know the details about the Struma [ship 16] tragedy but I think it was a terrible thing that happened. They left those people on the boat, they couldn’t come to Turkey, they were not given permission, and then the boat sank and the passengers all died. Everyone in the Jewish community then was terribly sad and sorry about what happened.
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Displaying 41761 - 41790 of 50826 results
Sami Schilton
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During the holocaust in Europe I did not notice any increase in antisemitism in Turkey. What I remember about the war is the experiences of my aunt, Rita Schilton. They used to live in France with their children. They ran away from France at the time of Hitler. They sought refuge in Italy because they were of Italian citizenship. They lived in Milan for two years. They returned to Paris after the war. The fact that they had Italian citizenship saved them.
We heard about what happened to the Jews in Europe at first in very very light dozes. There were rumors at first, so there wasn’t too much of a reaction in Turkey. We did not understand what was happening. It was later that we slowly got to know what really happened and we were of course devastated. We couldn’t believe that something like that could have happened. It wasn’t only me, everyone thought the same. There were some refugees who were able to escape Europe but I did not get to know any of them.
We heard about what happened to the Jews in Europe at first in very very light dozes. There were rumors at first, so there wasn’t too much of a reaction in Turkey. We did not understand what was happening. It was later that we slowly got to know what really happened and we were of course devastated. We couldn’t believe that something like that could have happened. It wasn’t only me, everyone thought the same. There were some refugees who were able to escape Europe but I did not get to know any of them.
There have been a few Salonikan donmes [15] among my friends. A colleague of mine at work was a donme Muslim, a Salonikan. He used to say quite honestly: “I came from Salonika, and we settled in Istanbul; now we are Muslims and have forgotten that we are Salonikans”. He liked us a lot and would always praise Jews.
, Türkiye
When I was a kid, we used to apply all Jewish traditions in our home. We practised Kasherut [kashrut], we celebrated all the holidays, and of course we read the Agada [hagaddah] at Pesah [pesach]. We used to go to the synagogue on all the Jewish holidays. We sometimes went on Saturday morning as well. I often accompanied my father to the synagogue. I, myself went every Friday evening.
I learned Hebrew and got a religious education, too. I was privately tutored by our previous Chief Rabbi, Rav David Asseo [13]. I was his student. I did not go to the synagogue for lessons, our teacher used to come to our houses. David Asseo was not the Chief Rabbi then, he was a professor of Hebrew. 8-10 of us used to gather in a home, every week a different home and he used to come and teach us Hebrew and the Tanah [tanakh]. I never went to the Yeshiva or the Mahazike Tora. My family never taught me anything, they just made sure I got lessons. I used to pray and read the Tora [Torah] on Saturdays; my father usually didn’t.
We celebrated my Bar-Mitzva [bar mitzvah] at the Zulfaris Synagogue [14] in Karakoy. I went on the teva [tevah]; there was no tradition of making speeches then; we only did the berahot [brochot] and the sefer-tora [Sefer Torah] ceremony. Afterwards, our relatives came to visit to our home and we had a meal together. In my time, these ceremonies were much lighter than they are today. They were much simpler and less of a show off.
The Jewish holidays I liked best were Rosh Ashana [Rosh Hashanah] and Kipur [Yom Kippur]. These holidays affected me a lot with their meanings. Pesah [Pesach] is a difficult holiday and I don’t like too much. We can’t eat bread, there are a lot of fried dishes and therefore the food is really heavy and there is not much choice either.
I learned Hebrew and got a religious education, too. I was privately tutored by our previous Chief Rabbi, Rav David Asseo [13]. I was his student. I did not go to the synagogue for lessons, our teacher used to come to our houses. David Asseo was not the Chief Rabbi then, he was a professor of Hebrew. 8-10 of us used to gather in a home, every week a different home and he used to come and teach us Hebrew and the Tanah [tanakh]. I never went to the Yeshiva or the Mahazike Tora. My family never taught me anything, they just made sure I got lessons. I used to pray and read the Tora [Torah] on Saturdays; my father usually didn’t.
We celebrated my Bar-Mitzva [bar mitzvah] at the Zulfaris Synagogue [14] in Karakoy. I went on the teva [tevah]; there was no tradition of making speeches then; we only did the berahot [brochot] and the sefer-tora [Sefer Torah] ceremony. Afterwards, our relatives came to visit to our home and we had a meal together. In my time, these ceremonies were much lighter than they are today. They were much simpler and less of a show off.
The Jewish holidays I liked best were Rosh Ashana [Rosh Hashanah] and Kipur [Yom Kippur]. These holidays affected me a lot with their meanings. Pesah [Pesach] is a difficult holiday and I don’t like too much. We can’t eat bread, there are a lot of fried dishes and therefore the food is really heavy and there is not much choice either.
, Türkiye
I never had a lot of hobbies. I loved to read and to go to the movies. There were a lot of adventure films in my time, cowboy films, you know. I also liked to go to the theatre. At home both my mother and my father read a lot and they always advised me to read, too. I used to read books in Italian in my free time. I liked to read about the lives of poets etc... and also novels. I have not read much in Turkish because we had gotten used to reading in Italian always in school. I also read in French.
I did not participate in any political or cultural activity. I wan’t a member of any club, either.
I did not participate in any political or cultural activity. I wan’t a member of any club, either.
, Türkiye
I lived in Galata until I got married. I lived in the street across the St. Benoit Lycée. I got married 47 years ago and came to live in Kurtulus [a district in the European side of Istanbul].
I had a lot of friends outside school. I had a friend called Hayim, another called Davit. There were many of them but now I cannot remember. I also had Jewish friends from school. There was a Toledo, a Papo, then Hayim who became a dentist and is still alive. The others are not. We used to go out together, go to the movies, go on outings, sit at cafés. Especially in the summer, we would go to garden cafés, sit in the garden and chat.
On Saturdays and on our holidays, we would spend our leisure time at a friend’s house if it was winter, and we would always go swimmimg if it was summer. I would always go out with friends, not with my family.
It so happened that we had many a meal at restaurants with my friends. There was a fast food kind of place at Tunel, called Mandra and there was also a restaurant called Fischer. The Fischer that exists today in Taksim used to be in Tunel in my time. We used to eat at restaurants a lot.
When we grew older we started going out in mixed groups, boys and girls. We met the girls! We had a wonderful time with them. There was Ester Toledo, for example, from the group. She still lives. There was also Beti Konfino. Beti Konfino was my ex-fiancée, whom I had met in that group. We were friends for a time, then we started going out together and then we got engaged. We were engaged for 8 months but we didn’t get on very well, so we broke up. In our time mothers used to live with their children. For example, when I got married I had to live with my mother. Beti did not want that, she wanted us to live on our own. That’s why the disagreements started and then both parties decided this wasn’t going to work. In the end we broke up amicably enough.
When we were old enough and were going out with girls, we used to go to dancing matinées. There were alot of dancing places. In the summer, we used to go to Caddebostan [a district in the Asian side of Istanbul, which used to be a summer until the late 1970s but is a popular reisdential area nowadays]. We would first go to the beach there and then we would go to the music garden next to the beach where there was an orchestra that played music during the matinée, which was around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. We would leave the beach in our swimsuits, had something to eat first and then the music would start, dancing and songs. We used to have a great time. Afterwards we would take the boat from the port at Caddebostan and return to Galata.
On Saturdays and on our holidays, we would spend our leisure time at a friend’s house if it was winter, and we would always go swimmimg if it was summer. I would always go out with friends, not with my family.
It so happened that we had many a meal at restaurants with my friends. There was a fast food kind of place at Tunel, called Mandra and there was also a restaurant called Fischer. The Fischer that exists today in Taksim used to be in Tunel in my time. We used to eat at restaurants a lot.
When we grew older we started going out in mixed groups, boys and girls. We met the girls! We had a wonderful time with them. There was Ester Toledo, for example, from the group. She still lives. There was also Beti Konfino. Beti Konfino was my ex-fiancée, whom I had met in that group. We were friends for a time, then we started going out together and then we got engaged. We were engaged for 8 months but we didn’t get on very well, so we broke up. In our time mothers used to live with their children. For example, when I got married I had to live with my mother. Beti did not want that, she wanted us to live on our own. That’s why the disagreements started and then both parties decided this wasn’t going to work. In the end we broke up amicably enough.
When we were old enough and were going out with girls, we used to go to dancing matinées. There were alot of dancing places. In the summer, we used to go to Caddebostan [a district in the Asian side of Istanbul, which used to be a summer until the late 1970s but is a popular reisdential area nowadays]. We would first go to the beach there and then we would go to the music garden next to the beach where there was an orchestra that played music during the matinée, which was around 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. We would leave the beach in our swimsuits, had something to eat first and then the music would start, dancing and songs. We used to have a great time. Afterwards we would take the boat from the port at Caddebostan and return to Galata.
, Türkiye
My mother had 4 siblings; three brothers and one sister. Jozef Danon, Beno Danon, Rita Danon and Izidor Danon.
Izidor left very young and he went to live in Mexico. He lived there all his life. He was in the hotel business. He had a hotel there. He died in Mexico.
Beno lives in Istanbul. He used to be in the leather business. His business was in Karakoy.
Rita lived in Paris and died there.
Jozef lived in Istanbul. He grew up in Ortakoy and was a good businessman. I do not know the birth and death dates of any of them.
Izidor left very young and he went to live in Mexico. He lived there all his life. He was in the hotel business. He had a hotel there. He died in Mexico.
Beno lives in Istanbul. He used to be in the leather business. His business was in Karakoy.
Rita lived in Paris and died there.
Jozef lived in Istanbul. He grew up in Ortakoy and was a good businessman. I do not know the birth and death dates of any of them.
, Türkiye
My father had three siblings. The first was Yomtov Schilton, who was born in Bursa. He married Rita Danon and they had two sons, Alber and Mishel Schilton. Yomtov was in the stock exchange and was very well off. However, I don’t remember exactly when, there was a crisis at the stock exchange once and he lost heavily. I remember, he went to Paris in a panic, on his own. His wife and sons stayed with us while he was in Paris. They stayed with us for 2 years. During that time, my uncle Yomtov went into the insurance business. When he ameliorated his situation, his family went to Paris, too. Then he had a daughter there, Suzi Schilton. Yomtov died in Paris, but I do not know when.
My father’s sister, Luiza Abuaf (nee Schilton) was also born in Bursa. She married Salamon Abuaf. Salamon Abuaf had been born in Istanbul. They had two daughters, Sara and Fortune. Luiza died in Istanbul and her husband, Salamon died in Izmir.
Yet another brother of my father’s was Viktor Schilton. He was born in Bursa and married a girl called Cecille Leibowitz. They had three children: Nina, Bernar, and Alfred. After Nina got married, her husband’s business did not go well, so they left and went to settle in Mexico. Alfred wanted to live in Brazil and he went and settled there and married there. As to Bernar, he lived in Istanbul and became a businessman. My uncle Viktor went to live with his daughter in Mexico after his wife, Cecille died. He died in Mexico.
My father’s sister, Luiza Abuaf (nee Schilton) was also born in Bursa. She married Salamon Abuaf. Salamon Abuaf had been born in Istanbul. They had two daughters, Sara and Fortune. Luiza died in Istanbul and her husband, Salamon died in Izmir.
Yet another brother of my father’s was Viktor Schilton. He was born in Bursa and married a girl called Cecille Leibowitz. They had three children: Nina, Bernar, and Alfred. After Nina got married, her husband’s business did not go well, so they left and went to settle in Mexico. Alfred wanted to live in Brazil and he went and settled there and married there. As to Bernar, he lived in Istanbul and became a businessman. My uncle Viktor went to live with his daughter in Mexico after his wife, Cecille died. He died in Mexico.
, Türkiye
Both my parents died in Istanbul, but I cannot remember the dates. They are both buried in the Jewish cemetery. They are buried in the Italian Jewish cemetery [6] in Sisli [a district in the European side of Istanbul]. They were buried with a religious ceremony. There was a rabbi at the funeral and I recited the Kadish [kaddish]. Every year we have a meldado [the equivalent of the yahrzeit in the Ashkenazi rite] at the synagogue for them.
, Türkiye
My parents were of course members of the Jewish community but they were not active inside the community. They were not involved in any political, social or cultural organization.
, Türkiye
My parents had Jewish neighbors and they got along very well, they all were like brothers and sisters. They were together every day, all the time. They had their tea and coffee together always. There were relatives, too of course. Both relatives and neighbors would gather in a house and then they would enjoy themselves. In those times, there was no radio or television for entertainment, people would entertain themselves by chatting. They used to talk about everything. They did not use to go on holidays then. They did not have the habit of travelling.
, Türkiye
My parents were religious. They practised kasherut [kashrut] and Shabat [shabbath] and celebrated all the festivals. They went to the synagogue every Friday and on all the festivals. We used to celebrate all the festivals at home, too. For example, the whole family would gather in Pesah [Pesach] and we would read the Agada [Haggadah] in Judeo-Spanish. We would always visit our relatives during the festivals, like Rosh Ashana [Rosh Hashanah] and Pesah [pesach]. We would go from one relative to the other on those days.
, Türkiye
Both my parents used to dress nicely and simply. They did not use to go to any library but they both liked to read a lot. They had a lot of books in Judeo-Spanish and they read them. These were novels about love, or they were books with anecdotes and light reading material in them. They also read newspapers in Judeo-Spanish. I remember the names of two of them for example: El Jugueton [4] and La Boz de Turkiye [5]. Apart from those, they would also get the Turkish papers of the time, too.
, Türkiye
My mother, Dina Viktorya Schilton (nee Danon) was born in Istanbul. My mother was also like my father, with a very modern mentality. She dressed in the modern way and got along with everybody. My mother was a serious but talkative person, who was also very understanding. My mother also studied until secondary school. She studied at the Alliance Israelite Universelle school in Ortakoy [a district on the European coast of the Bosphorus]. After she finished school, she did not do anything, she became a housewife. Her mother tongue was Judeo-Spanish. She also spoke Turkish and French. However, the language of communication in the family was Judeo-Spanish. Apparently my mother and my father met through a matchmaker but they never told me how they met and got to know each other. They got married in Bursa. My mother went to Bursa from Istanbul and the wedding took place there. I do not know when they got married but they were married at the Bursa synagogue [3].
, Türkiye
My father, Robert David Schilton was born in Bursa. He was a good and kind-hearted man. He was quite talkative and had a very modern mentality. He was a serious man. He had a lot of friends and he liked his friends very much. They were very intimate, and the same with his neighbors, too. They were all like brothers and sisters, I remember quite well. My father studied until secondary school. He studied at the Alliance Israelite Universelle [2] school in Bursa. After he finished secondary school [8 classes] he started to work. My father did not do military service because he was a foreigner, he had a foreign citizenship. His mother tongue was Judeo-Spanish. He also spoke Turkish and French. With my mother and his parents however, he used to speak in Judeo-spanish. My father’s business was very good in Bursa. They lived there for many years. He used to be in the insurance business. The reason they came to Istanbul was the war. During the war they had problems with the Greeks and they had to run away. They came to Istanbul in a hurry to escape the Greeks. They came to Istanbul to live more comfortably. I was about one year old at the time. They did not have a home when they came to Istanbul and they went to live with my mother’s family. They lived with them for 2 years. When they came to Istanbul, their economic situation was average. My father worked at a bank in Istanbul, in the insurance department. The bank’s name was “Banque Francaise des Pays d’Orient” [the French Bank of Oriental Countries]. It used to be located in Karakoy [a district in the European side of Istanbul] at that time. He worked there for many years.
, Türkiye
My mother’s father, Avram Danon, was born in Istanbul. Again I do not remember any dates. My mother’s family was called Danon and they never changed their name. My mother’s father was a businessman and he advanced a great deal in life. He used to dress very fashionably, whatever the fashion was, you could see on my grandfather. He was of medium height; a very quiet and serious man. He was a seller of sundries. He knew Judeo-Spanish, Turkish and French. They always spoke in Judeo-Spanish amongst themselves. My mother’s father had a white beard and he used to wear a kipa. He wasn’t involved in any political or social activities. They were simple people.
My mother’s mother, Sultana Danon, did not wear a wig but she wore a scarf. Otherwise she dressed quite fashionably. She loved jewelry. She always went around with necklaces and bracelets and kolanas.
My mother’s father’s side of the family lived in Kuzguncuk [a district in the Asian coast of the Bosphorus]. When my family and I came from Bursa to Istanbul, when I was about one year old, we lived with them for a couple of years. They had a house with a garden and they had chickens in the garden. There weren’t any servants. Only a daily cleaning woman would come, probably once a week, to do the washing and the cleaning. They were very religious. They followed all precepts. They practised kasherut, and Shabat. Friday night was very important. They used to go to the synagogue every Friday night, and on all festivals. All the festivals were always celebrated at home, too. They had very good neighbors. They were mostly Jewish of course, but they had Greek neighbors, too. They got along with their neighbors quite well. I do not remember their ever going on holiday somewhere. I do not have any information about their siblings either.
My mother’s mother, Sultana Danon, did not wear a wig but she wore a scarf. Otherwise she dressed quite fashionably. She loved jewelry. She always went around with necklaces and bracelets and kolanas.
My mother’s father’s side of the family lived in Kuzguncuk [a district in the Asian coast of the Bosphorus]. When my family and I came from Bursa to Istanbul, when I was about one year old, we lived with them for a couple of years. They had a house with a garden and they had chickens in the garden. There weren’t any servants. Only a daily cleaning woman would come, probably once a week, to do the washing and the cleaning. They were very religious. They followed all precepts. They practised kasherut, and Shabat. Friday night was very important. They used to go to the synagogue every Friday night, and on all festivals. All the festivals were always celebrated at home, too. They had very good neighbors. They were mostly Jewish of course, but they had Greek neighbors, too. They got along with their neighbors quite well. I do not remember their ever going on holiday somewhere. I do not have any information about their siblings either.
My father’s father, Avram Schilton, was born in Bursa. I do not remember the dates at all. He lived in Bursa, but later on he came to Istanbul. They lived in Bursa for long years, but during World War I [1], the Greeks came to Bursa, so probably because they wanted to be safe they came to Istanbul. My paternal grandfather dealt in trade, he was a very good businessman. He was a very serious person. He dressed very fashionably, he was always very smart. He was tall and very handsome. He did not have a beard but he did have a mustache. They did not change their family name. They were Deschiltons. Later on I took out the “de” at the beginning. My grandfather could speak Turkish, Judeo-Spanish and French. They used to speak in Judeo-Spanish amongst themselves. He did not have anything to do with politics or any political party. He did not take part in any social or cultural activities either.
My father’s mother, Bulisu Schilton (nee?), did not wear a wig but she did wear a scarf over her head. She also dressed fashionably and liked to wear a lot of jewelry, necklaces, bracelets etc... She would mostly wear her kolana [Ladino for gold chain].
My father’s mother, Bulisu Schilton (nee?), did not wear a wig but she did wear a scarf over her head. She also dressed fashionably and liked to wear a lot of jewelry, necklaces, bracelets etc... She would mostly wear her kolana [Ladino for gold chain].
The paternal side of my family came to Turkey from Austria and settled in Bursa [a city in the Marmara region of Turkey, close to Istanbul]. My paternal great-grandparents used to live in Vienna. That is why our surname is written as ‘Schilton’, the same as in German because we came here from Austria. Our surname is still written in German in our official documents like passports and identity cards. One of my paternal greatgrandfathers was the Hahambashi [Grand Rabbi] of Vienna and then they gave him the surname of “Deschilton”. Our real surname therefore is Deschilton, a title of nobility that the Austrian government bestowed on my great-grandfather. [Editor’s note: De Schilton may be the Frankofied version of the name that was most probablty von Schilton in the German original.] However, afterwards the family thought it was too much and we did not use that part of our name and only used Schilton. They used to speak German in Austria and of course did not know Turkish. The Austrian government gave us Italian citizenship after World War I, in other words they abandoned us. My great-grandparents were living in Bursa with Austrian passports, but during World War I, the lands where my family members had been born in were conquered by the Italians and that is why we were given the Italian citizenship. [Editor’s note: Probably they lived in those parts of Austria-Hungary that were annexed to Italy after WWI: South Tyrol, Gorz and Gradisca, Istria, Fiume (Rijeka), Zara (Zadar) and some northern Adriatic iselands.] We have had Italian citizenship since then. That is all the information I have on my paternal side.
I remember Ataturk’s death [11] very well indeed. There was a magnificent ceremony for him in Turkey. I remember going to the Dolmabahce Palace to see him but it was so crowded that we couldn’t get in. There used to be the mounted police then. On that day, we got scred of the crowds and returned home. That night there were even people who died in the crowds. We told ourselves that we would not be able to make it inside in that terrible crowd and we went back home. We had gone there with our neighbors. There were about 8-10 of us, and we really wanted to see Ataturk but had to go back home without seeing him.
After primary school I continued my education at the Italian Lycée [Italian Catholic high school in Istanbul]. I studied from grade 6 to grade 12 there. Our school was next to the Italian Consulate. They taught Italian, Turkish, French and English in this school. Those who preferred, could take French or English as a second foreign language. I chose French. We also had to choose between Accounting and Latin; I chose Latin because those who studied Latin at high school could go and study the university in Italy. Those who chose Accounting could not go on to university. At that time I was planning to go to Italy for my university studies. My goal was to become an engineer.
At high school, my favorite teacher was our geography teacher, Prof. Faro. He was not Jewish. He was a very good teacher and was friends with all the students. He used to treat us as a friend, he used to tell us stories and then he would begin classes. He used to start the class by talking to us for the first 5-10 minutes to relax us, and then he would say, “Come on kids, open your books now so we can start class”. All the students liked him as much as I did. There were not any teachers that I disliked.
The headmaster of our school was quite a hard man. He was Italian, he came from Italy. He was very strict and had quite a temper. He got angry real fast, and we were all quite frightened of him. I wanted to go to Italy after high school and become an engineer but it wasn’t to be. My family’s economic situation was not good so I had to start working. I finished high school but couldn’t go on, I started to work.
At high school, my favorite teacher was our geography teacher, Prof. Faro. He was not Jewish. He was a very good teacher and was friends with all the students. He used to treat us as a friend, he used to tell us stories and then he would begin classes. He used to start the class by talking to us for the first 5-10 minutes to relax us, and then he would say, “Come on kids, open your books now so we can start class”. All the students liked him as much as I did. There were not any teachers that I disliked.
The headmaster of our school was quite a hard man. He was Italian, he came from Italy. He was very strict and had quite a temper. He got angry real fast, and we were all quite frightened of him. I wanted to go to Italy after high school and become an engineer but it wasn’t to be. My family’s economic situation was not good so I had to start working. I finished high school but couldn’t go on, I started to work.
, Türkiye
When I was a child we used to go to the movies on Sundays in winter, and the beach in the summer. We used to go with the whole family. We used to go to the islands [Prince Islands of the Sea of Marmara] for swimming.
In my family, my father used to do the shopping, my mother never did. There used to be a place called Salipazari in our district, near the St. Benoit school [French Catholic high school in Istanbul], and this was an open market. Salipazari was a very famous market and my father used to do our shopping there most of the time. He also used to go to the grocer’s in our street.
In my family, my father used to do the shopping, my mother never did. There used to be a place called Salipazari in our district, near the St. Benoit school [French Catholic high school in Istanbul], and this was an open market. Salipazari was a very famous market and my father used to do our shopping there most of the time. He also used to go to the grocer’s in our street.
I went to primary school at the Italian San Pietro school [Italian Catholic high school in Istanbul]. This school was beside the San Pietro Church in Kuledibi. I studied there for a year. From there I transferred to the Italian school [Italian Catholic high school in Istanbul] in Tophane and studied there until grade five, in other words I finished primary school there. These were all schools that belonged to the Italian government and they were free. Everything was free, not only the schools but the books and notebooks and uniforms, they gave all that for free. It was something really wonderful.
One of the lessons I liked most was mathematics. I liked it a lot and I was really very successful at it. I was always first in my class in primary school. From grade 2 till grade 5, I was first of my class every year. I was first of my class for 4 years. When I was in primary school I liked my Italian language teacher very much. He was a very nice man and he liked me a lot, too. There was also a gym teacher that I did not like very much; I did not hate him but I didn’t like him. He was a very strict teacher and I couldn’t do most of the exercises he wanted us to do. For example, there was jumping and I had difficulty doing those jumps and he used to get angry with me. Then there was climbing ropes but I couldn’t do that either, the rope used to slip from my hands and I couldn’t climb, so he would get angry again. I didn’t like his getting angry with me. So I went to his classes very unwillingly only because I had to. That is why I did not feel very nice towards that particular teacher.
At that time, in our school we didn’t know what antisemitism or such thing was. There was no differentiation between Jewish, Catholic or Muslims. We had students who belonged to all three religions but there was never a day when one told the other “you are like that, we are like this”. It was really very nice then.
I did not have any private lessons in music or languages. We had such lessons in school. We had lovely music lessons, we had singing lessons. We learned how to read music and we used to sing all together. We never learned to play an instrument though.
One of the lessons I liked most was mathematics. I liked it a lot and I was really very successful at it. I was always first in my class in primary school. From grade 2 till grade 5, I was first of my class every year. I was first of my class for 4 years. When I was in primary school I liked my Italian language teacher very much. He was a very nice man and he liked me a lot, too. There was also a gym teacher that I did not like very much; I did not hate him but I didn’t like him. He was a very strict teacher and I couldn’t do most of the exercises he wanted us to do. For example, there was jumping and I had difficulty doing those jumps and he used to get angry with me. Then there was climbing ropes but I couldn’t do that either, the rope used to slip from my hands and I couldn’t climb, so he would get angry again. I didn’t like his getting angry with me. So I went to his classes very unwillingly only because I had to. That is why I did not feel very nice towards that particular teacher.
At that time, in our school we didn’t know what antisemitism or such thing was. There was no differentiation between Jewish, Catholic or Muslims. We had students who belonged to all three religions but there was never a day when one told the other “you are like that, we are like this”. It was really very nice then.
I did not have any private lessons in music or languages. We had such lessons in school. We had lovely music lessons, we had singing lessons. We learned how to read music and we used to sing all together. We never learned to play an instrument though.
, Türkiye
I remember there being military parades and days on which the Turkish independence [Day 10] was celebrated. It was really very nice. Soldiers used to pass all along the streets. The military parades were very colorful.
, Türkiye
I did not come across any antisemitism when I was little, I never heard of such a thing. We never even knew what antisemitism was.
We stayed in Kuzguncuk for 2 years and then moved to Galata [the Galata Tower district on the European side of Istanbul]. My childhood passed in Galata and I also went to school there. There were many Jewish families around where we lived. We had wonderful neighbors; we were like siblings with them. The Jewish community used to be quite big then. We had a synagogue in Kuledibi [Galata Tower district] and there was also the Italian synagogue [9]. Our Italian synagogue had a hazan [chazzan] and a haham [hakham]. The haham’s name was Monsieur Gabay. We also had a mikve [mikveh], a talmud tora [talmud torah] and a yeshiva [yeshivah].
Jews at that time used to live in big crowded groups. We were at Galata, but on the other side of the Golden Horn there was Haskoy, and then there was also Ortakoy, where many Jews lived. I remember there being lots of small tradesmen, like the shoemaker, the tinman, the junkman etc etc, they were all Jewish. We did not have a hamam [Turkish bath] in our district, there was one further away. We used to go to that hamam quite often. We went there with my father; we went to the hamam, washed and came back. I do not have any specific memories of the hamam.
Jews at that time used to live in big crowded groups. We were at Galata, but on the other side of the Golden Horn there was Haskoy, and then there was also Ortakoy, where many Jews lived. I remember there being lots of small tradesmen, like the shoemaker, the tinman, the junkman etc etc, they were all Jewish. We did not have a hamam [Turkish bath] in our district, there was one further away. We used to go to that hamam quite often. We went there with my father; we went to the hamam, washed and came back. I do not have any specific memories of the hamam.
I was born in Bursa in 1921. I lived there until I was one, and then my family and I moved to Istanbul and went to live in my mother’s father’s house in Kuzguncuk. My mother raised me. We did not have a nanny or “mademoiselle” [governess], and I never went to kindergarden either. I did not have many friends when I was little; my mother’s friends came to visit and I would sit with them. There were not any children my age at that time among my mother’s friends so I did not use to play.
The house in Kuzguncuk had two floors, it was made of wood and had a very nice garden. There were chicken coops in the garden. They did not use to plant anything in the garden. I remember there were also cats. I can’t remember how many rooms the house had, but there was a kitchen and a bathroom. The furniture was of the kind everybody had at that time, and they were quite mediocre. We had water from the taps but we did not have electricity, we had gas lamps. We also had braziers and stoves for heating. I remember the books that my grandfather had in the house. My grandfather always read religious books in Hebrew. He was very religious and knew Hebrew very well.
The house in Kuzguncuk had two floors, it was made of wood and had a very nice garden. There were chicken coops in the garden. They did not use to plant anything in the garden. I remember there were also cats. I can’t remember how many rooms the house had, but there was a kitchen and a bathroom. The furniture was of the kind everybody had at that time, and they were quite mediocre. We had water from the taps but we did not have electricity, we had gas lamps. We also had braziers and stoves for heating. I remember the books that my grandfather had in the house. My grandfather always read religious books in Hebrew. He was very religious and knew Hebrew very well.
My sister Suzi was born in Istanbul. She studied at the Italian secondary school; she did not go on to study lycee. Then she worked as a secretary at the import-export firm called Anatolian Contoir. She also knew Italian, French and Turkish. Then she married Alex Samuel and they had a daughter called Doli. Then Doli married a guy called Ahituv.
, Türkiye
Alber Schilton finished the Jewish Lycee. He studied at the Bene Berit Jewish Lycee [7] from primary school to the end of the lycee. I still remember the name of the headmaster of the school; it was Dr. Markus and the teachers were French. After he finished school, Alber worked in different places as a clerk. He worked as a translator at a translation bureau in Karakoy [a district in the European side of Istanbul]. Then when he was 23-24 he got it into his head to leave for Israel. At that time people were contracting what was called “marriage blanc” [french for ‘white marriage’, meaning a marriage in name only to serve a certain purpose, in this case, entrance to Palestine] in order to go to Israel [Palestine]. They married some girl or boy and divorced when they got to Israel. That is what my brother did, too. He married a girl and they left for Israel. There they got divorced and my brother went to a kibbutz. I don’t remember the dates really. He stayed at different kibbutzim for 2-3 years. He went to the Kibbutz Massada [in the Jordan valley] and stayed there the longest. I don’t remember the names of the other kibbutzim he stayed at. He did a lot of different kinds of jobs there, picking bananas, cleaning etc... He would do whatever they told him to do. Then suddenly we heard he had become a soldier. This was during World War II, 1939-1945. In those times de Gaulle was in France and he was calling for volunteers to the French army. And Alber, while in Israel, joined the French army. He liked France and the French very much and he joined their army. He went to Africa with de Gaulle’s army. They fought there for a long time against the Germans and then they went to Italy. He used to write us letters, saying he was OK, or saying that they were having very difficult times. Then he wrote that he hoped to come back from the war alive and we understood here that his life was in danger. He was fighting the Germans. They fought them in Africa and they fought them again in Italy. The French army was allied to the American and British armies. There was a big battle at a place in Italy called [Battle of Monte] Cassino [8], near Naples. Alber died during that battle. They buried him at the military cemetery in Naples. He had died during a bombardment.
One day, (I don’t remember when) I received a letter from the French Consulate in Istanbul and the letter said that they regretted to inform us of the death of my brother. They wrote that he had died in such and such a place and in such and such conditions, and that they wanted to talk to me. So I went to the consulate. The Consul himself received me and told me in a very serious and calm manner what had happened. He gave me my brother’s belongings and told me how he had died. There was a terrible battle at [Monte] Cassino and Alber had died during the bombardment together with all his soldier friends who were with him at the time. The Consul gave me a big envelope and Alber’s belongings that were in his room. His wallet, photos and all our letters were inside the envelope. Then the Consul told me that the French government was going to give my mother a lifelong salary and they did until she died.
One day, (I don’t remember when) I received a letter from the French Consulate in Istanbul and the letter said that they regretted to inform us of the death of my brother. They wrote that he had died in such and such a place and in such and such conditions, and that they wanted to talk to me. So I went to the consulate. The Consul himself received me and told me in a very serious and calm manner what had happened. He gave me my brother’s belongings and told me how he had died. There was a terrible battle at [Monte] Cassino and Alber had died during the bombardment together with all his soldier friends who were with him at the time. The Consul gave me a big envelope and Alber’s belongings that were in his room. His wallet, photos and all our letters were inside the envelope. Then the Consul told me that the French government was going to give my mother a lifelong salary and they did until she died.
Israel
Sara was born in Istanbul and unfortunately died when she was 17. Before that she studied at the St. Benoit high school [French Catholic high school in Istanbul]. She studied in the girls’ school. At that time, girls and boys studied in different schools. She studied primary school there, too. She was a very good student. She spoke excellent French. Unfortunately, she got tuberculosis and died at 17. I do not know how she got that disease, there wasn’t any epidemic or anything, but she caught it. After she got ill, she wouldn’t eat and she got very thin. I was quite young at the time but I remember, they were trying to cure her. We used to go to the Italian hospital at Tophane [a district in the European side of Istanbul] to see her. They tried to save her but they couldn’t. My mother was terribly affected by the death of her firstborn. I remember quite well, I was 6 or 7 at the time and I remember the state my mother was in. They were very difficult times for our family.
, Türkiye