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In Dupnitsa we lived in the Jewish neighborhood. It was very large; there were quite a few Jewish families in town. There were some Bulgarian houses among the Jewish ones, but most were owned by Jews. We were very united. Usually during the holidays we gathered in the so-called ‘kortigos’ [‘yard’ in Ladino], something like common yards of five to six families. There were doors between the yards, through which we could pass from one yard to the other. There were around 2500 to 3000 Jews in Dupnitsa, among whom a lot of craftsmen and merchants. There were also some rich Jews: flour dealers, tobacco dealers. There were many intellectuals, teachers and doctors among the Jews in Dupnitsa.
The Jewish community in Dupnitsa was very united and active. We had two Jewish community houses. One of them was called ‘Saznanie’ [Conscience], which had a theatrical troupe and a very rich library. Various celebrations, concerts and performances were organized there. I don’t remember the name of the other community house. Jews helped each other a lot.
I remember a story they told me. My grandfather Yuda had a brother named Sabat, who earned his living as a cab driver. But his horse died and he couldn’t buy another one. Then he went to Jacques Aseov, who was a very rich Jew in Dupnitsa, known for helping fellow Jews. So my uncle Sabat went to Jacques, but he was not let in the house. That took place around 1939. Sabat stayed in front of the house the whole day until finally Jacques agreed to see him. Sabat asked Jacques to give him money to buy a horse otherwise his family would have to starve. But Jacques refused. Sabat fainted, he stopped breathing and everyone got very scared. They called for a doctor and until Jacques said, ‘Okay, I will give you money to buy a horse,’ Sabat lay motionless on the floor. But when he heard the cherished words, he came to his senses right away. We all laughed a lot when we heard this story.
We celebrated most of the Jewish holidays at home, gathering with four to five other families. We had an attic in the house where we kept 3-4 baskets with dishes for Pesach. We used these dishes only on Pesach and when the holiday was over; we boiled them and put them up in the attic for the next year. Two weeks before Pesach the whole house was cleaned so that no bread crumbs would be found. We also had a special machine with which we made bread for Pesach. The special loaves of bread we made were called boyos. Boyos were similar to matzah, but not exactly the same. They were also a type of unleavened bread made especially for Pesach, without yeast. We also had matzah. We made some special meals for Pesach. For example, we made pastel out of matzah. We also made a matzah soup, but I didn’t like it. We also made burmolikos [4], both salty and sweet ones.
The Jewish community in Dupnitsa was very united and active. We had two Jewish community houses. One of them was called ‘Saznanie’ [Conscience], which had a theatrical troupe and a very rich library. Various celebrations, concerts and performances were organized there. I don’t remember the name of the other community house. Jews helped each other a lot.
I remember a story they told me. My grandfather Yuda had a brother named Sabat, who earned his living as a cab driver. But his horse died and he couldn’t buy another one. Then he went to Jacques Aseov, who was a very rich Jew in Dupnitsa, known for helping fellow Jews. So my uncle Sabat went to Jacques, but he was not let in the house. That took place around 1939. Sabat stayed in front of the house the whole day until finally Jacques agreed to see him. Sabat asked Jacques to give him money to buy a horse otherwise his family would have to starve. But Jacques refused. Sabat fainted, he stopped breathing and everyone got very scared. They called for a doctor and until Jacques said, ‘Okay, I will give you money to buy a horse,’ Sabat lay motionless on the floor. But when he heard the cherished words, he came to his senses right away. We all laughed a lot when we heard this story.
We celebrated most of the Jewish holidays at home, gathering with four to five other families. We had an attic in the house where we kept 3-4 baskets with dishes for Pesach. We used these dishes only on Pesach and when the holiday was over; we boiled them and put them up in the attic for the next year. Two weeks before Pesach the whole house was cleaned so that no bread crumbs would be found. We also had a special machine with which we made bread for Pesach. The special loaves of bread we made were called boyos. Boyos were similar to matzah, but not exactly the same. They were also a type of unleavened bread made especially for Pesach, without yeast. We also had matzah. We made some special meals for Pesach. For example, we made pastel out of matzah. We also made a matzah soup, but I didn’t like it. We also made burmolikos [4], both salty and sweet ones.
Location
Bulgaria
Interview
Leon Mordohay Madzhar