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The girls had to learn only to read. They had to learn only from the age of 12-13, and we didn’t have a teacher who would have taught the girls separately. The ‘rabaj’ was teaching boys only, but not girls. We had a young teacher, who also had finished yeshiva, and was a learned man, he taught only girls, at our house or at my aunt’s house, it depended.
There were two girls in my aunt’s family, we were two sisters, there were three other girls in the neighbor’s family, we took our exercise-book and pencil, and he was teaching us how to write. First he teaches the Jewish names of months. Then the alphabet. If you know that, you can connect words. Back then it was compulsory to know these.
My poor grandmother, my mum’s mother always used to say: ‘Learn how to pray properly, you should know at least to read in the synagogue, otherwise when you will go to there, you would count the windows and the doors, because you won’t be able to read. Learn how to pray, because one must know it.’
As people were very religious in that village, in Szaplonca, where she grew up, the girls were studying like the boys. Finally I couldn’t get to [didn’t have time to] learn to read well, I know, but not well, I’m not as good in reading as I should be.
There were two girls in my aunt’s family, we were two sisters, there were three other girls in the neighbor’s family, we took our exercise-book and pencil, and he was teaching us how to write. First he teaches the Jewish names of months. Then the alphabet. If you know that, you can connect words. Back then it was compulsory to know these.
My poor grandmother, my mum’s mother always used to say: ‘Learn how to pray properly, you should know at least to read in the synagogue, otherwise when you will go to there, you would count the windows and the doors, because you won’t be able to read. Learn how to pray, because one must know it.’
As people were very religious in that village, in Szaplonca, where she grew up, the girls were studying like the boys. Finally I couldn’t get to [didn’t have time to] learn to read well, I know, but not well, I’m not as good in reading as I should be.
Period
Location
Maramarossziget
Romania
Interview
Golda Salamon