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In 1914 my younger brother Grisha was born. My father served near Odessa and our mother visited him several times. In 1917 our brother Froim was born and in 1918 the youngest Mayor was born. He fell ill with scarlet fever and died.
In 1916 I went to a Russian elementary school. We studied grammar, arithmetic and Russian. My older brother Dodik also went to a Russian school. I had a friend at school. He was also a Jewish boy. In the afternoon I attended classes in cheder. We were taught to pray in Hebrew. My mother went to the synagogue regularly: she had a seat of her own there.
In 1916 a wealthy Jewish family whose sons were Zionists organized a team of Jewish young men. They read lectures and distributed books. They spoke Yiddish. They explained that Jews had to move to live in Palestine. Jews in Mayaki sympathized with these young people. That was how I got to know who Zionists were.
My father returned home in 1918. In 1919 my mother died of pleurisy. My mother was buried in the Jewish cemetery and there was a Jewish funeral. There was no rabbi, though, since the rabbi from Mayaki and many other wealthy Jews moved abroad. I recited the Kaddish for eleven months.
By that time I had studied three years at school, Shyfra – four years and Dodik – five years. We didn’t go to school after our mother died. Our father didn’t remarry. Dodik and I began to help our father in his cabinetmaking shop, Shyfra was a housewife and Milia and Lyova went to school.
There were no pogroms in our area during the Civil War, but power switched from one side to another. At the end of the Civil War many units were fleeing from Odessa to Romania via Mayaki. I remember a Polish unit came to stay overnight. There was a rumor that they were going to slaughter all Jews. My father stood by the window with his rifle and Dodik and I were beside him. Dodik fell asleep late at night and I stayed shivering beside my father until morning. Nothing happened that night.
In 1916 I went to a Russian elementary school. We studied grammar, arithmetic and Russian. My older brother Dodik also went to a Russian school. I had a friend at school. He was also a Jewish boy. In the afternoon I attended classes in cheder. We were taught to pray in Hebrew. My mother went to the synagogue regularly: she had a seat of her own there.
In 1916 a wealthy Jewish family whose sons were Zionists organized a team of Jewish young men. They read lectures and distributed books. They spoke Yiddish. They explained that Jews had to move to live in Palestine. Jews in Mayaki sympathized with these young people. That was how I got to know who Zionists were.
My father returned home in 1918. In 1919 my mother died of pleurisy. My mother was buried in the Jewish cemetery and there was a Jewish funeral. There was no rabbi, though, since the rabbi from Mayaki and many other wealthy Jews moved abroad. I recited the Kaddish for eleven months.
By that time I had studied three years at school, Shyfra – four years and Dodik – five years. We didn’t go to school after our mother died. Our father didn’t remarry. Dodik and I began to help our father in his cabinetmaking shop, Shyfra was a housewife and Milia and Lyova went to school.
There were no pogroms in our area during the Civil War, but power switched from one side to another. At the end of the Civil War many units were fleeing from Odessa to Romania via Mayaki. I remember a Polish unit came to stay overnight. There was a rumor that they were going to slaughter all Jews. My father stood by the window with his rifle and Dodik and I were beside him. Dodik fell asleep late at night and I stayed shivering beside my father until morning. Nothing happened that night.
Location
Ukraine
Interview
Isaac Klinger