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My parents did not always attend the synagogue, as they lived for a long time in a town, where there was no synagogue, the town of Kirovsk [Murmansk region, 800 km to the North of St.Petersburg]. But they attended the synagogue on fall holidays: the New Year, the Torah Holiday –[Simchat Torah]. Besides, they tried to celebrate some holidays. They always celebrated Pesach. Since there was no synagogue in Kirovsk, parents celebrated at home: cooked delicious meals, invited friends and arranged a festive dinner. The day was simply celebrated, as far as I understood, by inviting friends, mother cooked food, everybody had a very good time… Mother cooked very well and observed all cooking traditions. She knew several recipes of national Jewish meals. I also remember that when father fell seriously ill, right before his death, he took a Jewish prayer book and began to read it. He turned to faith before his death. He was born in Vitebsk in a religious family. My father knew Yiddish since his childhood, he rarely used it, but he could read in Yiddish and in Hebrew.
Period
Location
Russia
Interview
Dobrina Rivkind