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In 1907 my mother was expecting another baby. She moved to her sister Molka in Mayaki, where my sister Shyfra was born. I was also born in Mayaki on 12th June 1908. At that time my father found a well-paid job at a timber facility in Vygoda near Odessa and our mother returned to Odessa with us. In 1911 my younger sister Milia was born in Odessa and in 1912 my brother Lyova was born.
My mother was religious. She wore a kerchief and long-sleeved dresses. In the evening on Sabbath my mother lit candles and prayed. She had challah made for Sabbath and my father said a blessing prayer over the bread. Then we had a meal. My mother had separate kosher utensils for meat and dairy products. We didn’t eat pork since it was non-kosher food. My mother took poultry to a shochet to have it slaughtered. We had matzah at Pesach. My mother made gefilte fish and keyzele at Pesach. We used special crockery that was kept in the attic during the year.
My mother and father went to the synagogue in Moldavanka on all Jewish holidays. However, my parents couldn’t afford to pay the high rental fees in Odessa considering that we were a big family and we moved to Mayaki.
When World War I began in 1914 my father was recruited to the army. He served in a field engineering unit that was responsible for building bridges. My father’s commandment was satisfied with my father’s performance. The chief engineer of his unit, a Russian colonel, respected my father a lot. I don’t know whether there were many Jews participating in World War I, but there was no anti-Semitism. I know that my father got it in the neck from his first sergeant for dirty heels in his boots. He hit him so hard that one hundred candles lit in my father’s eyes.
My mother and we, five children, stayed in Mayaki. My mother rented an apartment. We had one big room and a kitchen. We fetched water from a well. There was a toilet outside. We also had a cellar to store food. Milk and other dairy products were kept in the cellar. Our mother had to cook meals every day since there were no fridges to keep it. The stove was stoked with cane. We had old furniture: a cupboard, a table and chairs, a trunk and a shabby wardrobe.
My mother was religious. She wore a kerchief and long-sleeved dresses. In the evening on Sabbath my mother lit candles and prayed. She had challah made for Sabbath and my father said a blessing prayer over the bread. Then we had a meal. My mother had separate kosher utensils for meat and dairy products. We didn’t eat pork since it was non-kosher food. My mother took poultry to a shochet to have it slaughtered. We had matzah at Pesach. My mother made gefilte fish and keyzele at Pesach. We used special crockery that was kept in the attic during the year.
My mother and father went to the synagogue in Moldavanka on all Jewish holidays. However, my parents couldn’t afford to pay the high rental fees in Odessa considering that we were a big family and we moved to Mayaki.
When World War I began in 1914 my father was recruited to the army. He served in a field engineering unit that was responsible for building bridges. My father’s commandment was satisfied with my father’s performance. The chief engineer of his unit, a Russian colonel, respected my father a lot. I don’t know whether there were many Jews participating in World War I, but there was no anti-Semitism. I know that my father got it in the neck from his first sergeant for dirty heels in his boots. He hit him so hard that one hundred candles lit in my father’s eyes.
My mother and we, five children, stayed in Mayaki. My mother rented an apartment. We had one big room and a kitchen. We fetched water from a well. There was a toilet outside. We also had a cellar to store food. Milk and other dairy products were kept in the cellar. Our mother had to cook meals every day since there were no fridges to keep it. The stove was stoked with cane. We had old furniture: a cupboard, a table and chairs, a trunk and a shabby wardrobe.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Isaac Klinger