Tag #129235 - Interview #100063 (Edith Umova)

My father’s family spoke Yiddish. It goes without saying that they spoke fluent Estonian, too. My grandparents were religious. I don’t know how deeply religious they were, but they observed Jewish traditions and taught their children to do so. They celebrated Jewish holidays at home and went to the synagogue together. Before 1944 there was a very beautiful choral synagogue in Tallinn [1].

I don’t know what kind of education my father and his siblings received. Somehow, this subject was never mentioned at home. However, my father had some elementary Jewish education. When my father grew old enough, he started learning the tailor’s trade from my grandfather. It was common with Jewish families that fathers trained their children in their trades. However, when their children felt like learning something different, they did so, but parents encouraged their children to follow into their business, if they were good at it. My father liked garment making and wanted to learn this trade. He was equally good at making men’s, women’s and children’s clothing. My father was very good at tailoring. I think my father was the only one of all children, who became a tailor. His younger sister Zisle was a hat maker. I can’t remember the trade of my father’s sister Tsypa or his brothers.