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My parents were religious. My mother followed the kashrut strictly. We only had kosher food. Jewish storeowners only sold kosher meat. They didn't sell pork - although it was in demand with Moldavians - because Jews wouldn't buy meat that was lying next to pork. Jews bought live poultry to take it to a shochet and have it slaughtered. My mother kept meat and dairy products in different places. My mother baked bread and challah for Saturdays. She made bread once a week. The loaves of bread were kept in the cupboard and covered with a white cotton cloth. It didn't get stale for a week and was really delicious.
On Saturdays and on holidays my parents went to the synagogue. At Yom Kippur the family fasted. Only after the prayer at the synagogue we returned home and sat down to festive dinner. I've fasted since I was 5. On Friday evenings my mother lit candles and said a prayer, and father blessed the food. On Saturdays no work was done at home. My mother did the cooking on Fridays. She made meat stew and chicken broth that she left in the stove in ceramic pots to keep it warm. A Moldavian neighbor came to us on Saturday nights to light the lamps. A single Jewish woman living in our neighborhood had a big stove stoked with wood. A big boiler was built into it. She kept the stove and boiler very clean. On Saturdays a local came to her to fill the boiler with water, and light the fire in the stove. The neighbors' children came to her to have kettles filled with boiling water. She filled their kettles herself. We always had hot water for tea on Saturdays. She didn't charge people for boiling water on Sabbath. During the week people paid her for this service. She made her living that way.
On Yom Kippur the family fasted. I've fasted since I was 5. After the prayer in the synagogue [when Yom Kippur was over] we came home and sat down for a festive dinner. I remember Pesach at home. We bought enough matzah to last for a whole week. My mother also bought matzah for the poor family that she supported. We brought fancy dishes from the attic. My mother cooked gefilte fish, chicken, matzah and potato pudding. Even the poorest families bought new clothes for their children at Pesach. I don't remember whether my mother and father did the shopping themselves, but I always got something new at Pesach. My father conducted the seder ceremony on the first evening of Pesach. I asked my father the [four] questions in Hebrew that I learned by heart before I began to study Hebrew in the cheder.
On Saturdays and on holidays my parents went to the synagogue. At Yom Kippur the family fasted. Only after the prayer at the synagogue we returned home and sat down to festive dinner. I've fasted since I was 5. On Friday evenings my mother lit candles and said a prayer, and father blessed the food. On Saturdays no work was done at home. My mother did the cooking on Fridays. She made meat stew and chicken broth that she left in the stove in ceramic pots to keep it warm. A Moldavian neighbor came to us on Saturday nights to light the lamps. A single Jewish woman living in our neighborhood had a big stove stoked with wood. A big boiler was built into it. She kept the stove and boiler very clean. On Saturdays a local came to her to fill the boiler with water, and light the fire in the stove. The neighbors' children came to her to have kettles filled with boiling water. She filled their kettles herself. We always had hot water for tea on Saturdays. She didn't charge people for boiling water on Sabbath. During the week people paid her for this service. She made her living that way.
On Yom Kippur the family fasted. I've fasted since I was 5. After the prayer in the synagogue [when Yom Kippur was over] we came home and sat down for a festive dinner. I remember Pesach at home. We bought enough matzah to last for a whole week. My mother also bought matzah for the poor family that she supported. We brought fancy dishes from the attic. My mother cooked gefilte fish, chicken, matzah and potato pudding. Even the poorest families bought new clothes for their children at Pesach. I don't remember whether my mother and father did the shopping themselves, but I always got something new at Pesach. My father conducted the seder ceremony on the first evening of Pesach. I asked my father the [four] questions in Hebrew that I learned by heart before I began to study Hebrew in the cheder.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Leonid Krais