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I remember we had a gas lamp while we lived in Bourgas. Later, in Sliven, we also had a gas lamp, as the winters there were severe: strong winds blew and there were a lot of power cuts. Naturally we had running water as well. Even our toilet was within the house. There were both a toilet and a bathroom in the house, but it was still very unpleasant to go downstairs in wintertime. The bathroom was rather primitive - with a vessel, where the water was warmed up with firewood - but it looked like a bathroom anyway. At my grandfather's place there was a separate building, in which the dishes were washed and the laundry was washed in ashy water. Usually water was left to be warmed up by the sun, though this could also be done by means of firewood. There was a well in the yard. There was an underground river passing through the yard and unfortunately my uncle had built his house right over it. Even now this house is cold and wet. When I was a child I used to hear the river's ripple. Before the well was cemented they used to cool watermelons in there. They had always had cold water.
We had a yard with a lot of fruit-trees. We had quinces, several sorts of plums, apricots, apples and pears. Now there are fig trees also, but I cannot recall whether they were there when I was a child. In the neighboring yard there was an apricot-tree, whose branches rose even above the house. They used to tie swings for us there, so that we could seesaw. We also had vine with delicious grapes. My granny used to take care of the flowers - roses, gillyflower and many other kinds.
Sliven was an industrial town, which had an intensive cultural life. There was a theater and an opera house. There was a 'chitalishte' [4], 'Zora' [dawn], with quite a well-stocked library, several bookshops, banks and pharmacies. The streets were clean and tidy; the buildings had a nice architecture. Sliven was famous for its socks and textile factories, etc. The monument of Dobri Zhelyazkov, the first factory-owner was there. Sliven was a cultural center: Elisaveta Bagriana [Bulgarian poet, born in Sofia, studied in Sliven], Dobri Chintulov [Bulgarian poet, born in Sliven] and others lived there. I don't know the number of its population neither then, nor now.
I don't know how many Jews used to live there at that time, but I remember it was quite a large community. I don't recall a particularly Jewish quarter. I remember Dr. Israelov, a physician, the Alkala family, quite well off people, Mr. Kemalov, who had a bank and others. All Jews in the town were honest, decent and hard-working people. There were tinsmiths, merchants, doctors, dentists and bankers and there was also one shoemaker. There were several workers as well. We didn't purchase goods only from Jews, yet my granny, for instance, regularly bought textiles from a trader called Yomtov Geron. My granny told me that at the beginning, when she went for the first time to buy fabrics from him, she spoke in Bulgarian and everybody there spoke in Ladino. He had several Bulgarian girl-assistants, who had learned Ladino from him. And when my granny asked for the cloth in Bulgarian, he said in Ladino to his assistants to give her from the lower quality cloth, as she wasn't a regular customer. This was followed by such a great scandal that in the end the trader wondered where to hide.
My uncle Yako had also a textile shop and his assistant was also a Bulgarian, who also spoke Ladino. Some Jews in Sliven had small factories and workshops. There was a family, which had a blanket factory. Actually it was a workshop. There were also corn-chandlers, dairymen, teachers and tailors among the Jews. There was also a carter. He was one of the very few Jews who drank. There were also two Jews whom I found very disgusting. They wore awful clothes, they were unshaved, and they drank and spoke in an ugly manner. Nevertheless, in accordance with the Jewish religion our community supported them, as they had no money, but they usually spent the money in the tavern and they did absolutely nothing work-wise. There were also other poor Jews yet they worked in order to earn their living.
We had a yard with a lot of fruit-trees. We had quinces, several sorts of plums, apricots, apples and pears. Now there are fig trees also, but I cannot recall whether they were there when I was a child. In the neighboring yard there was an apricot-tree, whose branches rose even above the house. They used to tie swings for us there, so that we could seesaw. We also had vine with delicious grapes. My granny used to take care of the flowers - roses, gillyflower and many other kinds.
Sliven was an industrial town, which had an intensive cultural life. There was a theater and an opera house. There was a 'chitalishte' [4], 'Zora' [dawn], with quite a well-stocked library, several bookshops, banks and pharmacies. The streets were clean and tidy; the buildings had a nice architecture. Sliven was famous for its socks and textile factories, etc. The monument of Dobri Zhelyazkov, the first factory-owner was there. Sliven was a cultural center: Elisaveta Bagriana [Bulgarian poet, born in Sofia, studied in Sliven], Dobri Chintulov [Bulgarian poet, born in Sliven] and others lived there. I don't know the number of its population neither then, nor now.
I don't know how many Jews used to live there at that time, but I remember it was quite a large community. I don't recall a particularly Jewish quarter. I remember Dr. Israelov, a physician, the Alkala family, quite well off people, Mr. Kemalov, who had a bank and others. All Jews in the town were honest, decent and hard-working people. There were tinsmiths, merchants, doctors, dentists and bankers and there was also one shoemaker. There were several workers as well. We didn't purchase goods only from Jews, yet my granny, for instance, regularly bought textiles from a trader called Yomtov Geron. My granny told me that at the beginning, when she went for the first time to buy fabrics from him, she spoke in Bulgarian and everybody there spoke in Ladino. He had several Bulgarian girl-assistants, who had learned Ladino from him. And when my granny asked for the cloth in Bulgarian, he said in Ladino to his assistants to give her from the lower quality cloth, as she wasn't a regular customer. This was followed by such a great scandal that in the end the trader wondered where to hide.
My uncle Yako had also a textile shop and his assistant was also a Bulgarian, who also spoke Ladino. Some Jews in Sliven had small factories and workshops. There was a family, which had a blanket factory. Actually it was a workshop. There were also corn-chandlers, dairymen, teachers and tailors among the Jews. There was also a carter. He was one of the very few Jews who drank. There were also two Jews whom I found very disgusting. They wore awful clothes, they were unshaved, and they drank and spoke in an ugly manner. Nevertheless, in accordance with the Jewish religion our community supported them, as they had no money, but they usually spent the money in the tavern and they did absolutely nothing work-wise. There were also other poor Jews yet they worked in order to earn their living.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Rosa Kolevska
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