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We didn’t think there were any elements of the Jewish tradition we had to transmit to the children as they grew up. Of course when my in-laws were still alive they had friends who were much more religious than us. And they often organized dinners twice or thrice a year with 10-15 people, where all traditions were strictly kept. So the children learned about Jewish tradition.
We didn’t discuss the children’s upbringing with my mother or my in-laws with regards to Jewish religion or the Sephardic heritage. Maybe there were discussions, but not intentionally so. We did what we had to do, and didn’t abolish anything. We didn’t have a reason to disagree because we did what we had to do. My in-laws or my mother didn’t insist we ought to do something more or something less. My father-in-law kept the traditions and we, out of respect to them and to our religion, our nation, also kept them.
Tony was taught Hebrew by the rabbi for his bar mitzvah. I don’t recall for how long, two or three years. Surely the Hebrew one learns for his bar mitzvah is limited. One is taught only to read some part of the Bible [Old Testament]. The bar mitzvah is a ceremony where one invites the family, relatives and friends, some Christians too. These ceremonies always take place in the Monastir synagogue [22]. But Tony didn’t have a bar mitzvah because the little kid was ill.
Solita had a bat mitzvah, but this is not like a bar mitzvah. Three to four girls of the same age celebrate it together in the synagogue. They wear a long white dress. The bar mitzvah is a religious celebration where the young man reads a part of the Torah, while the girls don’t read. The Jewish religion doesn’t integrate the female aspect. For instance, for a prayer ten males are needed. Women just listen. B’not mitzvah took place before the war too.
We didn’t discuss the children’s upbringing with my mother or my in-laws with regards to Jewish religion or the Sephardic heritage. Maybe there were discussions, but not intentionally so. We did what we had to do, and didn’t abolish anything. We didn’t have a reason to disagree because we did what we had to do. My in-laws or my mother didn’t insist we ought to do something more or something less. My father-in-law kept the traditions and we, out of respect to them and to our religion, our nation, also kept them.
Tony was taught Hebrew by the rabbi for his bar mitzvah. I don’t recall for how long, two or three years. Surely the Hebrew one learns for his bar mitzvah is limited. One is taught only to read some part of the Bible [Old Testament]. The bar mitzvah is a ceremony where one invites the family, relatives and friends, some Christians too. These ceremonies always take place in the Monastir synagogue [22]. But Tony didn’t have a bar mitzvah because the little kid was ill.
Solita had a bat mitzvah, but this is not like a bar mitzvah. Three to four girls of the same age celebrate it together in the synagogue. They wear a long white dress. The bar mitzvah is a religious celebration where the young man reads a part of the Torah, while the girls don’t read. The Jewish religion doesn’t integrate the female aspect. For instance, for a prayer ten males are needed. Women just listen. B’not mitzvah took place before the war too.
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Interview
Nico Saltiel