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My mother came from a very religious family and we observed all Jewish traditions at home. And celebrating Sabbath was a must in our family! On Friday before Sabbath the house was cleaned thoroughly: my mother freshened up the floors with light clay, dusted our furniture, however few pieces we had, and changed the bed sheets.
On Friday morning my mother and sister cooked a festive dinner. It wasn’t much, but my mother always tried to make it different from everyday dinner – she made delicious challah and pastries.
We washed in the sauna and put on clean clothes. When the first star appeared in the sky my mother said a kiddush and lit a candle in a beautiful silver candle stand. This candle stand and other religious accessories – tallit, teffilin and old thick books in Hebrew that were in a box – were left from my father. On Saturday we took a rest. Sometimes our Jewish neighbors came to see us: adults had tea and talked and children played in the yard.
On Friday morning my mother and sister cooked a festive dinner. It wasn’t much, but my mother always tried to make it different from everyday dinner – she made delicious challah and pastries.
We washed in the sauna and put on clean clothes. When the first star appeared in the sky my mother said a kiddush and lit a candle in a beautiful silver candle stand. This candle stand and other religious accessories – tallit, teffilin and old thick books in Hebrew that were in a box – were left from my father. On Saturday we took a rest. Sometimes our Jewish neighbors came to see us: adults had tea and talked and children played in the yard.
Period
Location
Didkovichi
Zhytomyrska oblast
Ukraine
Interview
Natan Shapiro