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Ruse was the largest town at the time of the liberation of Bulgaria [2], with around 32,000 citizens. The Jews numbered between 1,500 and 1,800. Overall, the Jews were not rich then, although there were some who were very rich. There was also a middle class, which consisted of merchants, traveling salesmen and craftsmen. There were also iron mongers, glass makers and tinsmiths.
Ruse was a small town compared to present-day towns. One of the present central boulevards in Ruse was a ‘metirisa,’ which means ‘a ditch around the town’ in Turkish – Ruse was surrounded by a city wall. There are some remains of this wall around today's Military Club in the center of the town. One of the doors still stands at the end of the town. In fact, the city ditch was the town's dump; I, personally, remember people on carts throwing away their rubbish there, because in my childhood, my family lived in the Jewish neighborhood, which was at the end of the town – right on the street near the city ditch. At the same time, transport in Ruse was by carriages, and in the winter it was by sledges decorated with lots of bells, or by carts.
The parades in Ruse took place at the site of the old post office, in the center of town. A memorial to the participants in the First Balkan War [3] and the Second Balkan War [4] in 1912-13 was erected there. The most lavish and interesting military parade I remember was on St. George’s Day [5] – the day celebrating the Bulgarian army. There were two big barracks in Ruse – an infantry and an artillery regiment. We, the children, were very impressed when the cannons of the artillery rolled along the central street of the town. Their horses galloped, throwing sparks and we thought that this was the strongest army in the world. Naturally, after 1st March 1941 when the Germans came to Ruse, we saw their army and we were disappointed by ours.
In the beginning of the last century there were three synagogues in Ruse. I remember them very well – the small Ashkenazi one, the big Sephardi one and the small Sephardi one. We didn't have a rabbi, because he was from Sofia. But we had a chazzan, who was also a shochet. His name was Avram, but we all called him Avramiko. Near the municipality there was a special slaughterhouse, where we brought him hens for slaughtering. Avramiko also went to the town’s slaughterhouse, where he slaughtered the other animals, which according to Jewish tradition had to be kosher.
Ruse was a small town compared to present-day towns. One of the present central boulevards in Ruse was a ‘metirisa,’ which means ‘a ditch around the town’ in Turkish – Ruse was surrounded by a city wall. There are some remains of this wall around today's Military Club in the center of the town. One of the doors still stands at the end of the town. In fact, the city ditch was the town's dump; I, personally, remember people on carts throwing away their rubbish there, because in my childhood, my family lived in the Jewish neighborhood, which was at the end of the town – right on the street near the city ditch. At the same time, transport in Ruse was by carriages, and in the winter it was by sledges decorated with lots of bells, or by carts.
The parades in Ruse took place at the site of the old post office, in the center of town. A memorial to the participants in the First Balkan War [3] and the Second Balkan War [4] in 1912-13 was erected there. The most lavish and interesting military parade I remember was on St. George’s Day [5] – the day celebrating the Bulgarian army. There were two big barracks in Ruse – an infantry and an artillery regiment. We, the children, were very impressed when the cannons of the artillery rolled along the central street of the town. Their horses galloped, throwing sparks and we thought that this was the strongest army in the world. Naturally, after 1st March 1941 when the Germans came to Ruse, we saw their army and we were disappointed by ours.
In the beginning of the last century there were three synagogues in Ruse. I remember them very well – the small Ashkenazi one, the big Sephardi one and the small Sephardi one. We didn't have a rabbi, because he was from Sofia. But we had a chazzan, who was also a shochet. His name was Avram, but we all called him Avramiko. Near the municipality there was a special slaughterhouse, where we brought him hens for slaughtering. Avramiko also went to the town’s slaughterhouse, where he slaughtered the other animals, which according to Jewish tradition had to be kosher.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Yako Yakov
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